Road Test: Audi TT 1.8 T 2dr [190]

The Audi TT is an old car now. Even people who know nothing about cars, the sort of people who still thought a TT was the height of motoring chic only a couple of years ago, have begun looking elsewhere.

But Audi seems to think there's life in it yet, and even with a successor waiting in the wings, the current car has been given a power hike.

This is the base model, now developing 187bhp over the previous 177. So it's a little quicker, but not so much that you'd really notice.

Prices have remained the same, too, so it'll cost you £21,090 for this one, the non-quattro version with no bells and whistles.

And there's not a lot more to say. Or at least nothing that hasn't been said a thousand times before in the TT's lifespan. We could mention the fact that the interior, so radical in its heyday, shows no real sign of ageing, and is as pleasing an environment to occupy now as it's always been.

Or we could continue to criticise that slightly clunky gearchange, the ride that's a bit stiff or the steering that's short on feel. But you know all that.

Pedalling an Audi TT again after some time does remind you, however, that this is a good drive, blessed with decent levels of grip and enough refinement to make the whole thing easy to deal with on a daily basis.

If you're after some sort of run-out model bargain, though, this isn't it. And residuals will haemorrhage when the new car comes.