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Audi TT - long-term review - Report No:6

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Audi TT - long-term review - Report No:6 | Top Gear

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Audi’s design masterstroke bows out just as it reaches its zenith. We’ll miss it

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Audi TT - long-term review - Report No:6

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Audi’s design masterstroke bows out just as it reaches its zenith. We’ll miss it

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Audi’s design masterstroke bows out just as it reaches its zenith. We’ll miss it

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
Audi TT - long-term review - Report No:6

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Audis were traditionally very worthy; cars that you admired for their technological depth, engineering content and overall integrity. None of these things, you will note, are sexy.

Yes, Audi’s Aluminium Space Frame concept unveiled in 1993 that teased the next-generation Audi A8 was a herculean endeavour, instigated by a man famous for his ability to shoot for – and reach – the stars, Ferdinand Piech. It zeroed in on lightweight construction to enable more technology on board and clothed it in a respectable suit. Noble, good stuff.

But while Piech initiated a high level of tech, it was an American designer who wanted to communicate this engineering nous into something that was a) approachable, and b) really very sexy.

Freeman Thomas, working under Peter ‘we have to say Kia tiger face here’ Schreyer, sketched out something that’d sprinkle fairy dust over Audi for decades to come. That dust was the 1995 TT Coupe concept.

It was greenlit after just three months and in absolute scenes, arrived practically unchanged from that concept in 1998. Almost immediately, Audi went from a purveyor of dependable, well-built techno-barges to a creator of one of the finest automotive shapes admired by all… before they went back to buying those techno-barges.

‘Twas rarely a massive sales hit – respectable in the UK, definitely – but it bolstered Audi’s image no end.

So clean, simple and reductive were its lines – yes, time to insert Bauhaus – that over its 25-year life span, it barely changed. Side-on, Mk1 and Mk3 are virtually the same car. It’s just gone from doe-eyed wonder to narrow-eyed aggression. But then so’s everything.

Funny really, that it was the technology underneath the TT that took the biggest leaps forward. Over the course of those three generations, the TT morphed from a capable, dependable (once they fixed the rear spoiler on the Mk1) and outrageously pretty coupe, into something that was really quite entertaining.

Quattro versions gave it an iron-clad grip. Five-pot turbo nutjobs made it eye-poppingly fast and loud. Even the lesser cars were good – ours is but a humble 2.0-litre turbo with 4WD, but it’s plenty fast and plenty grippy. Overall, Audi honed the TT’s proposition so it wasn’t just an expensive bit of driveway and car park décor, but a genuinely useful, fun little car.

And ours has been just that. Over the course of six months, it’s taken everything we’ve thrown at it in its stride with nary a whisper o’ complaint. No strange creaks or rattles, no digital meltdowns, no engine or drivetrain issues, nada.

The graphics on the virtual cockpit might be showing their age a tad, and the sat nav mapping a bit… old, but we never got lost, never missed a song we wanted to hear, never got annoyed figuring out which button did what or where it was. The technology and level of it is pretty much bang on.

What’s interesting is as the car world has become more cluttered, filled with overpowered and oversized and overcomplicated cars, you’d have thought something like the TT would have cleaned up. A simple proposition with a glorious cabin, decent practicality and pace to spare. But as it’s reached its zenith, comes one of its lowest moments: in 2023, just 2,809 cars found homes in the UK. Peak sales came in 2007 when 10,413 TTs were sold. Even as ‘late’ as 2016 – time of the Mk3’s arrival – just under 10k shifted.

And of course, it’s now consigned to Audi’s history books. Gone. But by turning Audi from a purveyor of technically credible machines into a brand you’d desire – even if you ended up getting one their massive SUVs – it won’t be forgotten.

# data.attributes.body.processed
Audis were traditionally very worthy; cars that you admired for their technological depth, engineering content and overall integrity. None of these things, you will note, are sexy.

Yes, Audi’s Aluminium Space Frame concept unveiled in 1993 that teased the next-generation Audi A8 was a herculean endeavour, instigated by a man famous for his ability to shoot for – and reach – the stars, Ferdinand Piech. It zeroed in on lightweight construction to enable more technology on board and clothed it in a respectable suit. Noble, good stuff.

But while Piech initiated a high level of tech, it was an American designer who wanted to communicate this engineering nous into something that was a) approachable, and b) really very sexy.

Freeman Thomas, working under Peter ‘we have to say Kia tiger face here’ Schreyer, sketched out something that’d sprinkle fairy dust over Audi for decades to come. That dust was the 1995 TT Coupe concept.

It was greenlit after just three months and in absolute scenes, arrived practically unchanged from that concept in 1998. Almost immediately, Audi went from a purveyor of dependable, well-built techno-barges to a creator of one of the finest automotive shapes admired by all… before they went back to buying those techno-barges.

‘Twas rarely a massive sales hit – respectable in the UK, definitely – but it bolstered Audi’s image no end.

So clean, simple and reductive were its lines – yes, time to insert Bauhaus – that over its 25-year life span, it barely changed. Side-on, Mk1 and Mk3 are virtually the same car. It’s just gone from doe-eyed wonder to narrow-eyed aggression. But then so’s everything.

Funny really, that it was the technology underneath the TT that took the biggest leaps forward. Over the course of those three generations, the TT morphed from a capable, dependable (once they fixed the rear spoiler on the Mk1) and outrageously pretty coupe, into something that was really quite entertaining.

Quattro versions gave it an iron-clad grip. Five-pot turbo nutjobs made it eye-poppingly fast and loud. Even the lesser cars were good – ours is but a humble 2.0-litre turbo with 4WD, but it’s plenty fast and plenty grippy. Overall, Audi honed the TT’s proposition so it wasn’t just an expensive bit of driveway and car park décor, but a genuinely useful, fun little car.

And ours has been just that. Over the course of six months, it’s taken everything we’ve thrown at it in its stride with nary a whisper o’ complaint. No strange creaks or rattles, no digital meltdowns, no engine or drivetrain issues, nada.

The graphics on the virtual cockpit might be showing their age a tad, and the sat nav mapping a bit… old, but we never got lost, never missed a song we wanted to hear, never got annoyed figuring out which button did what or where it was. The technology and level of it is pretty much bang on.

What’s interesting is as the car world has become more cluttered, filled with overpowered and oversized and overcomplicated cars, you’d have thought something like the TT would have cleaned up. A simple proposition with a glorious cabin, decent practicality and pace to spare. But as it’s reached its zenith, comes one of its lowest moments: in 2023, just 2,809 cars found homes in the UK. Peak sales came in 2007 when 10,413 TTs were sold. Even as ‘late’ as 2016 – time of the Mk3’s arrival – just under 10k shifted.

And of course, it’s now consigned to Audi’s history books. Gone. But by turning Audi from a purveyor of technically credible machines into a brand you’d desire – even if you ended up getting one their massive SUVs – it won’t be forgotten.

# data.attributes.field_car_engine
1984cc 4cyl turbo, 242bhp,  273lb ft, 7spd DCT, AWD

# data.attributes.field_car_headline
Six months with an Audi TT: farewell, ya’ little Bauhaus beauty

# data.attributes.field_car_teaser_description
Audi’s design masterstroke bows out just as it reaches its zenith. We’ll miss it

# data.attributes.field_sub_title
Six months with an Audi TT: farewell, ya’ little Bauhaus beauty