Audi TT 2.0 TFSI

[EXTRACT]#EANF# What‘s it? The replacement for the newest victim of Audi’s engine downsizing program. You‘ll recently have read the petrol-powered Q7 V8 is forget about, replaced using a supercharged V6 model. Now, we’re driving the ‘downsized’ replacement to the Audi TT V6 : it’s the new 2. 0-litre, four-cylinder TFSI. By using the VW Group’s ‘EA888’ turbocharged petrol engine like a basis, Audi has added an intelligent alternator, some low-friction internals, a brand new water jacket and also a varible valvelift system upon the exhaust camshaft. Resulting is 208bhp, but a rather more spectacular 258lb ft of torque available all of the way from 1600- to 4200rpm. Usually there are some other revisions towards the car too – new interior trim options, chrome-ringed fog lamps, updated head- and taillights – the typical facelift fayre. What’s it like? That extra torque has a far more pronounced effect upon the TT’s performance than you might imagine. Based on the official figures, it makes a brand new 2. 0-litre TT having a manual gearbox a split second quicker to 62mph than the final one. But whenever you dive into this car’s performance reserves on real roads, you’ll swear the difference is bigger. This car accelerates with real urgency ; sufficient to run having a Porsche Cayman or Nissan 370Z in an aligned line, no question. Despite a couple of other tweaks, however – a stiffer ‘Sport’ setting to the magnetorhelogical dampers, less power assistance to the steering and also a rortier exhaust note – the TT remains an odd, remote and unengaging type of sports car. It’s agile enough up to some point, but like the driver, you seem quite a distance from both the front-mounted engine and also the front wheels, and powerless to interact using the car on any deeper or even more entertaining level. The Quattro drivetrain remains a small disappointment too, taking too long to shuffle power rearwards, and clashing using the car’s ESP and ASR systems when it ought to be doing work in tandem with these. Still, being an ownership proposition, a couple of its rivals can measure as much as the TT. Cabin ambience, material quality and levels of fit and finish are fantastic, the driving position likewise. In ‘Normal’ mode, those adjustable dampers give a handling and ride compromise that’s a bit more compliant than before, and excellent for covering distance. 40mpg is feasible on long runs, based on the official economy claim. There’s many room inside the boot, particularly in case you fold the rear seatbacks down. And since it’s a TT, you are able to bank on better-than-class-average residuals. Should I buy one? If you’re a real enthusiast driver, most likely not. Despite that excellent new engine, this TT represents a similar old prospect : a similar triumph of style over substance, of surface shimmer over sporting integrity. It’s a car which has many merits, and can doubtless attract people who recognise the TT’s status as design icon and status symbol. But if you would like real entertainment for the £30k, shop elsewhere. EXTRACT#EANF# Audi TT 2. 0 TFSI