Audi TT coupe review
"The Audi TT coupe is a modern and attractive two-door with one of the best interiors of any car on sale, plus impressively economical engines"
Pros
- Comfortable and fun to drive
- Stylish image
- Relatively practical
Cons
- Expensive to buy
- Cramped back seats
- Lacks latest safety tech
The Audi TT has been on sale in the over two decades now, becoming a firm favourite with UK sports car buyers in that time. The current generation TT is the most complete version yet as it's good looking, enjoyable to drive and is somewhat fuel-efficient for a sports car that also impresses with its excellent all-round ability. It is a direct rival to the Alpine A110, Porsche 718 Cayman, Nissan 370Z, Toyota GT 86 and Ford Mustang.
The Audi TT’s ability to blend top level sports-car driving dynamics together with an array of daily usability gives it a large amount of appeal across a broad spectrum of buyers. Part of this appeal is a reasonable amount of interior and boot space, alongside a chassis that is easy to live with for town driving or long-distance motorway cruising.
The Audi TT was facelifted in early 2019 with tweaked styling, a simplified engine range and changes to the standard equipment. The engine range now consists of a trio of turbocharged petrols including the 195bhp 2.0-litre 40 TFSI model with a seven-speed automatic gearbox sprinting from 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds. The more powerful 2.0-litre 45 TFSI boasts Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system reduces the 0-62mph time to 5.2 seconds.
The third variation wears the TTS badge, using a 302bhp version of the 2.0-litre TFSI petrol engine, together with quattro all-wheel drive, to give truly Porsche 911 rivalling performance figures – 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds is possible in the S tronic version.
In 2018, the 2.0-litre diesel version of the TT Coupe was discontinued.
Meanwhile, if you fancy supercar-baiting performance in a compact package, the TT RS can do 0-62mph in under four seconds and will reach over 170mph thanks to its 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine - we've reviewed it separately.
The Audi TT’s interior is one of the best in its class. Its minimalist design incorporates clever circular air vents that have climate control temperatures displayed within them, as well as Audi’s Virtual Cockpit’ digital instrument setup, which does away with traditional analogue dials and replaces them with a TFT screen. This screen can display all manner of information, including sat nav maps and directions.
You can technically describe the TT as a four-seater, but the rear seats are best thought of as being for small children, emergency use or carrying a few soft bags. Handily, they can fold down, making the sizeable boot even more practical.
Audi has a middling reputation with owners, coming 21st out of 30 manufacturers in our 2020 Driver Power survey, but the TT feels supremely well built.
Which Is Best?
Cheapest
- Name40 TFSI Sport 2dr S Tronic
- Gearbox typeSemi-auto
- Price£31,765
Most Economical
- Name40 TFSI Sport 2dr S Tronic
- Gearbox typeSemi-auto
- Price£31,765
Fastest
- Name50 TFSI Quattro TTS 2dr S Tronic
- Gearbox typeSemi-auto
- Price£45,190