New Audi TT TDI Coupe review

The Audi TT in either Coupe or Roadtser body form is a style icon. There is really nothing else like it on the road today; it cannot be mistaken for any other car.

At 4,198mm in length the design has stood the test of time since it was first launched in 1999. Today through the various subtle styling changes made the TT still stands out from the crowd.

My test model was the TT TDI Coupe priced at £26,600 but as usual it came with lots of extra cost options which added £10,000 to that total. Smart buyers will not go down that road. Certainly the £1,150 driver adjustable magnetic ride option is not needed as in all settings other than comfort mode the ride is too hard.

The heated front seats option would be good to add at £250 as would be cruise control for high mileage users and that adds £215

I could make a case for spending £1,650 on the advanced satellite navigation system but be aware all these extras cost the driver more when added to their Benefit in Kind company car tax.

In its standard form the beautifully crafted TT TDI Coupe has as standard 17-inch alloy wheels, concert audio system, front sports seats, split folding rear seats, 3-spoke sports flat-bottomed steering wheel, aluminium detailed interior trim, climate control, electric windows and heated mirrors, quattro all-wheel drive with traction control, anti-lock braking, electronic stability control, halogen headlights, front and rear fog lights, retractable rear spoiler and twin exhaust pipes.

The major missing item and I cannot see it listed as an option is a rear wiper system for the tailgate which to my mind is a must. Being so steeply raked forwards it just lets the muddy water lie on the rear window and when it’s frosty there is no wiper to help remove the ice quickly.

Although the door mirrors are heated they didn’t seem to want to thaw ice or dry water very quickly either.

The interior quality is superb as is the design and I felt very at home in this Coupe whether driving for business or driving for pleasure. A word of warning the rear seats are miniscule, a good place to put a map or coat but little else.

However there is a good sized boot with 290-litres of space and fold those unusable rear seats forward and the total load area is increased to 700-litres.

Engine and performance

As for performance? Well the core subject is that rare choice of being able to buy a compact sporting coupe with a diesel engine. It is a great idea and the high torque characteristics are ideally suited to the quattro system.

The 2.0-litre, 170PS, four-cylinder common rail turbodiesel with intercooler engine produces 350Nm of ‘grunt’ from just 1,750rpm. Exhaust gas recirculation, particulate filter and catalytic converter keeps CO2 emissions down to 139g/km and that helps the pocket because road tax is £120 a year.

The official ‘combined cycle’ fuel economy is 53.3mpg. My car returned an excellent 47mpg and that included long periods of traffic crawl on the M25/M40 motorways plus some fun cut and thrust driving around the Cotswold roads.

The latest common-rail diesel engine gives this car immediate acceleration response because it revs so freely and because it delivers it maximum torque from low engine speeds it is ideal in the mid range with loads of punch for fast overtaking. In town traffic it is flexible and smooth and in ‘the cruise’ it relaxed and quiet.

The six-speed manual transmission is crisp and precise and the quattro all-wheel drive system gives loads of grip in the rain, mud, ice and snow of Winter and in Summer the adhesion is just as relevant for fast driving conditions.

With its 50/50 weight distribution the balance of the TT Coupe is just about perfect. Top speed is 140mph and it takes just 7.5 seconds to accelerate from zero to 62mph. Not bad for a diesel.

Audi TT Coupe MILESTONES

Audi TT Coupe 2.0 TDI quattro

Price: £26,600 on the road (+ £10,000 of options – not really required)

Engine/transmission: 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder common rail direct injection turbodiesel with intercooler, 170PS, 350Nm from 1,750rpm. 6-speed manual with quattro all wheel drive

Performance: 140mph, 0-62mph 7.5 seconds, 53.3mpg (47mpg actual), CO2 139g/km, VED Band C £120, BIK tax 18%

Insurance group: 16E

Seating/boot space: 2+2, 290-700-litres

For: Image, performance, fuel economy, tax friendly, high build quality

Against: Cosy interior, miniscule rear seats, options significantly push up the price, no tailgate wiper, lukewarm heated door mirrors.

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