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Audi changes gears
Hot engine and cool tranny reinvigorate TT
By Bradley Horn
Thursday, March 11, 2004
The Audi TT might be the poster child for straightforward Teutonic thinking. It follows a simple philosophy to which some automakers seem oblivious: Provide a ravishing exterior with a simple, sexy interior and world-class German engineering and a successful product will result.
The only chlorine in the gene pool has been the TT's engines. While generally cogent, the turbocharged units tend to be peaky in their power output and cranky compared to expert competitors like the Porsche Boxster.
For 2004 Audi has addressed the problem by shoehorning in its own version of Volkswagen's narrow-angle V6 engine and mating it to one of the world's coolest gearboxes. The Audi TT 3.2 DSG keeps the same great recipe of looks and refinement, while adding a pleasing dash of performance and technological spice. The 3.2 designation refers to the displacement of the Volkswagen-sourced V6. Already stuffed into VW's GTI, the high performance Golf R32 and Porsche's V6 Cayenne, this is the engine's first Audi application. An award winner, the motor's 15-degree, narrow angle design allows it to fit into the voluptuous front end of the TT without any styling changes. Though a decade old now, the 3.2-litre engine has the sinful ability to rev freely, delivering power over a much broader band than the turbocharged 4-cylinders. Horsepower is rated at 250 while torque's a convincing 236 lb-ft. That's an increase of 25 horses and 29 lb-ft of torque over the top-end turbo engine.
All this newfound power gets to the road via Audi's standard quattro all-wheel drive system and its über-cool Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), which can operate in either automatic or manual mode. It's the only gearbox offered on V6-equipped TTs and is shifted through a conventional gear selector or two paddles located behind the steering wheel.
The transmission started out as a 6-speed manual gearbox. Audi then engineered in a dual-clutch with electro-hydraulic controllers that can select two gears at once, one active and one in reserve. The DSG continuously monitors the TT's speed, deciding when to gear up and down. When a shift occurs, the main clutch engages the next appropriate gear and lets the other go, with a bit of overlap built in for smoothness. There's even a little throttle blip on downshifts, resulting in a sultry exhaust burble. All of this happens in 0.03 seconds.
The new V6 and DSG don't necessarily make the TT faster off the line. In fact, Audi's own numbers suggest it's only 0.1 seconds quicker to 100 km/h than the 225 hp turbocharged cars. But the difference is felt at speed, when passing or accelerating. Where the turbo engines need time to spool up before delivering power in a blast of sound and fury, the 3.2 DSG comes on strong immediately, with a linear pull. The gearbox even allows the driver to tap the paddles for a downshift anytime, without selecting manual mode with the console shifter. Handy for quick passing, the system reverts back to automatic mode after a few kilometres.
To keep the TT's balanced feel, Audi tuned the front McPherson strut and rear double wishbone suspension and fattened up the car's anti-roll bars. Combined with a short wheelbase and nice, crisp rack and pinion steering, the car bends towards the firm, performance end of the spectrum, though far from the bone-jarring extreme of a Porsche. Keeping drivers safe is Audi's standard Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and huge 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD). Inside, front, head and chest airbags are standard.
Besides the new shifter and wheel-mounted paddles, the interior of the TT 3.2 DSG has changed little from previous models. The gauges and controls are still simple and elegant, accompanied by aluminum braces on the bottom of the centre stack and a neat 'TT' embossed aluminum door to cover the radio.
Our tester had supportive blue leather seats and a 3-spoke leather wheel, which unfortunately lacked audio controls. The cupholders appear to be an afterthought and are located awkwardly between and to the rear of the front seats, meaning frequent spills and long periods with the driver's attention off the road. The 180 litre (6.4 cu-ft) cargo area is small, but suitable for short trips and day-to-day needs. The cabin is tight, even for sub-six-footers, and the "back seat" is nothing more than a pretty leather cargo shelf.
The Audi TT 3.2 DSG comes in either coupe or roadster form. Our test car was a gorgeous Ocean Blue Pearl coupe with the optional $2,550 18-inch wheels. Cosmetic additions to DSG models include a new front fascia with inlets for engine cooling, a larger rear spoiler and a new rear fascia with honeycomb diffusers and a sweet-sounding dual exhaust. The additions make the TT more masculine, but overall it retains its clean, supple lines and unmistakable sloping bubble roof.
Moving up to a 3.2 DSG TT will cost you $60,450. That's $10,475 more than the front-wheel drive, 180 hp TT and $4,975 more than the all-wheel drive, 225 hp model. All TTs come with a standard Premium Package that includes heated seats and options such as a $1,190 Audio Package, which adds a Bose premium sound system and a 6-disc CD changer. All told, our tester came in at $64,845.
Skeptics might say that's steep for a car built off a Volkswagen Beetle platform, but the refined bump in performance from the V6 and DSG transmission is well worth the price.
Immediate competition:
BMW Z4,
Chrysler Crossfire,
Nissan 350Z,
Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class,
Porsche Boxster
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