The original Audi TT was a design icon, and loved nowhere more than in Britain. The TT's biggest market wasn't Germany, its spiritual homeland (it's actually assembled in Hungary). Nor America. It's the UK. And don't blame Hugh Grant in About a Boy. It took off long before he drove one.

So what you think of this car is pretty important.

Audi has played it safe with the looks. Anyone who's been paying attention to the recent genesis of Audi design will notice the vast deep grille, the upswing of the line above the sill, the hollowed-out sides and the sculpted bonnet. The rear spoiler is electric rather than fixed.

These are the biggest changes from the old car and, let's face it, they're not massive.

No, the real revolution is under the skin. Audi has staked everything on making this car a revelation to drive. Mechanically, the old one was just a dollied-up Golf 4Motion. Not so here. This one has all sorts of unique parts to make it a sports car.

For a start, the whole front end of the structure, as far as the driver's backside, is made of aluminium. So are the skin panels. This saves about 90kg over the old car's bodyshell.

Steel is used, though, for the rear end of the body and for the rear suspension - the aim being to get some extra weight over the rear axle for a more balanced weight distribution. The battery is shifted to the boot for the same reason.

So even though the new car is a bit longer, definitely wider and has more equipment, it's lighter by 50kg for the top 3.2-litre, 250bhp quattro. The base model is a 2.0 FSI Turbo giving 200bhp. It's front-wheel drive only, so lighter again - lighter than top-end VW Polos, actually.

The new suspension geometry cuts understeer, and on quattro versions the four-wheel-drive system is electronically controlled and can send all the torque to the back or the front wheels. There's the option of adaptive damping, too.

Because the structure is unique and not borrowed from a Golf, the driver sits lower, which feels more sporty. This also frees up more headroom.

The cabin is like the old TT's, but modernised, although with the extreme simplicity now gone. The wonderful build quality is still there, though.

Finally, some details of the range before its September 9 UK launch.

There will be two versions: a 2.0 front-drive and a 3.2 quattro.

The 2.0 is £24,625. It sprints to 62mph in 6.6 seconds and does 150mph. It gets 17-inch alloys, Alcatara and leather trim, aluminium interior accents, and a CD/MP3 sound system with nine speakers.

The 3.2 quattro costs £29,285. Its figures are 5.7secs for the DSG (now called S-Tronic) and 5.9secs for the manual for 0-62mph, and a top speed of 155mph. Extra equipment includes heated leather seats and stronger brakes. The S-Tronic option costs £1,400.

Next spring, the Roadster shows up.

Want more on the TT? Then check out our gallery.

Paul Horrell
Consultant Editor, Top Gear magazine

Audi TT road tests
Audi TT Coupe - June 8, 2006
Audi TT 190 Coupe - February 2, 2006
Audi TT 3.2 V6 DSG - November 10, 2004
Audi TT 3.2 V6 DSG - October 18, 2004
Audi TT 3.2 V6 DSG - October 11, 2004

Read Audi TT Car Review