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Writer's Notes
Test Vehicle:
2004 Audi TT 3.2
MSRP: $39,900 (coupe), $42,900 (roadster)
Showroom appeal:
High style two seater gets added zip
Plus:
Torquey, smooth VR-6 motor, responsive DSG, timeless styling
Minus:
No true manual available, small trunk (roadster), claustrophobic back seat (coupe)
The Competition:
Nissan 350Z, Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz SLK, Chrysler Crossfire
The 3.2 adds a dash of testosterone to the formula, and yields a more aggressive shape.
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It's been eight years since the Audi TT show car wowed the crowd at the Frankfurt Auto Show; four model years since the first production model rolled into an American driveway. Now, Audi looks to add some late cycle life to their stylish sportster by pumping up the power. The 2004 TT lineup expands to include the TT 3.2. Available in coupe or roadster body styles, the 3.2 liter V-6 puts 250 hp (@ 6,300 rpm) and 236 lb. ft. of torque (@ 2,800 rpm) to the pavement . Always more of a classy, two place tourer than an out and out sports car, TT has found itself losing market share in recent years to fresher faces with more horsepower. The V-6 motor fortifies a finesse car that lives in world increasingly populated by power players.
If it had lost ground in the horsepower wars, TT certainly hasn't lost a step in looks. The original teardrop form remains - especially in coupe models - among the smoothest styles on the road today. The 3.2 adds a dash of testosterone to the formula, and yields a more aggressive shape. In front, a two piece honeycomb grille bisects the bumper, framed by new design headlight reflectors. Below, wide cut air intakes channel more cooling currents to the engine. Along side, a wheel-focused design made even more so, with available 18" rims. Out back, the correction of an aesthetic stumble. On the original TT's, the car's rounded shape was uninterrupted, front to back. Following some questions raised overseas about potential high speed instability, the rear decks on all TT's sprouted stubby spoilers in model year 2001 - this despite the fact that no one in the U.S. could legally drive fast enough to even raise the possibility of loosening the tail. The fix may have dispensed with down force questions, but for many, the spoiler was a speed bump in an otherwise flowing form. The 3.2 improves the situation by expanding the solution. The new foil is taller, wider and edged in black rubber. The look is now more modest whale tail than malnourished fin. Joining the bigger spoiler are a set of wide mouth chrome exhaust tips, inset in a honeycomb panel.
"During operation, DSG engages one gear and pre-selects the next based on the approaching point of the next up- or downshift. The gear change takes place under load, with a certain overlap, resulting in a permanent flow of power."
The interior on the first TT's was at least as well known as the exterior for its style. Maybe more so: while the last decade has seen several eye catching bodies from automakers, few have produced memorable cabins. The 3.2 adds little in the way of changes to the original design. It's still elegant in form and function, with a few exceptions. The cup holders remain an ergonomic headache - wedged far enough back to require serious carpal gymnastics for access. And the coupe's + 2 back seat is little more than an elegantly appointed parcel tray. Coupes do have the virtue of better storage options, however. Flipping the back seat down expands capacity from 7.8 cubic feet to 17.3. Roadsters punish the indecisive packer, with just 6.4 cubic feet available, suitable for soft luggage.
Audi dug into VW's shelves to find the basis for its new motor. The VR-6 engine has earned a reputation at Volkswagen for packing plenty of torque into a compact package. The first benefit was appreciated by Audi and the second was required - the TT's small mouth would not swallow a larger motor. The narrow angled V-6 - the first such application in Audi's lineup - differs from the VW version in its air intake system - oxygen is drawn from the wheel arches up in TT's case. Prior to this year, the most motor that could be had in the TT was the 225 hp, supercharged 1. 8 liter four. The new six is plus 25 hp and 29 lb. ft. of torque, compared to the blown 1.8, but the difference is more felt and heard than it is seen on a stopwatch. Most noticeable is the torque boosted, low end responsiveness. Dual stage mufflers are tuned to add tone, and the engine has a pleasing, Porsche-like growl. The 3.2 fits - snugly - in the engine bay and the east/west placement made possible a new partner for the motor.
No manual transmission is offered, rather, a Direct Shift Gearbox gets the driver from cog to cog. Another first use in an Audi, and only available on the 3.2 TT, the six speed DSG allows the driver to automate the shifting or do it manually, via console shift gate or steering wheel mounted paddles, a la Formula One. Normal and Sport modes can be specified. Left in the former, the lag between gear selection and shift is long enough to convince you that you're just playing while the car is making the decisions, and the attraction fades rapidly. In the latter, gear changes engage immediately, which immediately engages the driver. There is virtually no slip as found with conventional torque converters. Shifts happen faster, gears and revs are held longer, to keep the engine on the boil and performance at its peak. Downshifts in deceleration are even accompanied by a programmed blip of the throttle, preserving the stick-like feel. The tiller mounted gear changers have some functional tradeoffs (try shifting while in the midst of a hand over hand turn) and DSG will automatically kick you down to a lower gear to keep rpm's in their most responsive range. That tendency towards higher register revving means that most drivers will reserve the manual sport mode for a favorite twisty road passage and otherwise leave the car in automatic. While hard core sports car drivers will frown on the lack of a third pedal, DSG is interactive and responsive and will be appreciated by those whose driving lives include not only canyon blasting but also plodding through concrete canyons, where stop and go traffic makes clutch shifts less appealing.
At speed, the TT 3.2's handling feels nicely dialed in, with good road feel through the steering wheel. The suspension has been stiffened, and the car feels well planted in cornering maneuvers. Stopping power has been boosted as well, with bigger front discs specified. All 3.2's are equipped with Audi's quattro, so power is poured through all four paws. A 250 hp TT coupe with DSG will make the sprint from 0-60 in 6.4 seconds. Interestingly, that's one tenth behind the 225 hp coupe with stick shift, due to a slight weight gain. The numbers are nearly equal but the feel is far different. The 3.2's greater low end grunt and the thumb shift option give the car a character distinct from other TT's and gives buyers something new to think about.
Bucks-up pricing ($39,900 coupe, $42,900 roadster) means that the TT 3.2 will continue to compete for market share with cars capable of dusting it on a racetrack. However, the 3.2's added bottom end, snarly exhaust and unique, Direct Shift Gearbox are new points in its favor. And then there's the question of style. Five years after launch, the TT still turns heads. For those that appreciate a car that's easy on the eyes, it may be time for a second look at the TT.
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---Story and photos by Dan Lyons
photos © Dan Lyons 2003
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