Triple Black Convertible! Auto, Quattro, S. Fl, One-owner Car. Beautiful! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 Audi TT Second Drive [w/video]

The original Audi TT is a modern style icon. But having a one-time design hit isn't a recipe for longevity. In order to succeed, you have to bolster style with substance. Thankfully, that's exactly what Audi did with its third-generation TT. Now more than ever, the TT is a proper sports car, and it debuts with a host of new technology. The car still looks good, but it's no longer a one-off masterpiece. Instead, it takes many of the original TT's elements and incorporates new bits of modern detailing. The shape is all TT – the roofline, the wheel arches – even smaller details like the fuel filler cap and exhaust outlets moved closer to the center of the vehicle pay homage to the original car's design. But the new car's face is more angular, more robotic. Park the new R8 next to this TT and the family resemblance is clear. "It's fair to say that the new car hasn't been comprehensively reconceived; it's been comprehensively re-detailed," says associate editor Jonathon Ramsey, who first drove a Euro-spec TT back in September. It's a good move, a way to "keep the icon alive," according to Audi AG exterior designer Dany Garand. But the better news is that the rest of the car is more than just a comprehensively re-detailed machine. Launch a TT coupe from a stop and you'll hit 60 miles per hour in 5.3 seconds. The TT rides on the same modular MQB architecture as the Volkswagen Golf. The whole package is the same length as before, but the wheelbase is stretched by 1.5 inches. At 3,186 pounds, the TT is only 11 pounds heavier than its predecessor, but thanks to new body components, it's 25-percent stiffer than the second generation. We sampled the base TT on the roads of northwest Oregon – that means there's a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four good for 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. It's the same output as a GTI with the Performance Package in a two-door coupe that's 155 pounds heavier. But stay with us – the magic of Quattro all-wheel drive seriously comes into play here. Launch a TT coupe from a stop and you'll hit 60 miles per hour in 5.3 seconds. Even the TT Roadster is a firecracker, able to do that same 0-60 run in 5.6 seconds. That 220-hp, front-wheel-drive GTI, by comparison, hits 60 in about six seconds flat. We didn't get to drive the TTS, but based on numbers alone, it ought to be a real honey. The S uses the more powerful version of the 2.0T engine from the Golf R, with 292 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. Zero-60: 4.6 seconds.

Audi will spend less on future technology as it focuses on future technology

It seems the very thing meant to be saved by Audi curtailing spending could also take a hit as a result. A report from Reuters outlines a few ways Audi will cut costs in the wake of its parent company's diesel scandal. While focusing on EVs, autonomous driving, and new connected technology instead of its current vehicle portfolio, Audi is axing plans for a track to test self-driving cars as well as facilities meant to produce new concepts and batteries. Or, you know, exactly the kinds of things Audi is now focusing its efforts on. Some of this shouldn't come as a surprise. We already know about the death of the R8 E-Tron, a low-volume EV that wasn't going to make the brand much money and didn't pan out as a halo electric car quite like the company probably hoped. Then there's the new E-Tron crossover, which has been in the works for a while and will head a line of consumer-grade EVs from the brand – the kind that will make money as long as they sell in mass-market numbers, something Tesla has shown is possible. That project is surely safe, although perhaps it will now take longer for the EVs to gain autonomous abilities. This change in funding direction could mean that the planned autonomous track, dubbed IN-Campus as it was to be located in Audi's home of Ingolstadt, was going to be more for show than actual research, or that Audi thinks it can get the same outcomes in its existing facilities or new ones located elsewhere. (The company's work council is upset by the plan being put on hold, as it could mean more jobs leaving Germany.) There's also the very strong possibility that this provides a welcome opportunity for the company to cut some fat. Reuters notes that Audi spends more on R&D than rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, despite having the whole VW Group to leverage. While the diesel scandal was certainly not welcome, it may be forcing Audi and the other Group brands to take a closer look at balance sheets than they otherwise would have. The result of all of this could be a leaner company, assuming too much attention doesn't stray to low-volume EVs and away from what are still the core products. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Reuters Green Audi Technology Crossover Autonomous Vehicles Electric audi e-tron

Audi testing all-new, third-gen TT prototype

It's no big surprise that Audi is working on a new TT. It's been rumored for a while now, and the current model has been on the market since 2006, making it seven years old. But after seeing only some test mules wearing the existing model's sheetmetal, this is the first glimpse we've gotten at what Audi has in store for it's third-gen TT.
Not that we can see all that much with all the camouflage, mind you, but that's still more than we've seen until now. Spied on public roads being benchmarked against the Mercedes-Benz SLK and BMW Z4, the upcoming new TT is still unmistakably a TT, but looks poised to adopt more contemporary styling in keeping with Audi's latest design language, including a larger grille aperture and more squared-off headlights.
The whole thing looks a bit more like a mini-R8, which would make sense if Audi has called off plans for an R4 sports car to slot into the lineup as well. Last we heard, the new TT would arrive late in 2014, when you can bet we'll read all about slightly more powerful but significantly more frugal engines and a raft of new technologies.