Not for U.S. Sale: 2006 Audi TT quattro sport

[BMWDave]

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Not for U.S. Sale: 2006 Audi TT quattro sport
A Legend Lives On: Audi creates the best version of the design that changed the company forever
MATT DAVIS
Published Date: 6/20/05
2006 AUDI TT QUATTRO SPORT
ON SALE: Now, not in North America
BASE PRICE: $46,700 (est)
POWERTRAIN: 1.8-liter, 237-hp, 236-lb-ft turbocharged I4; awd, six-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT: 3065 lbs
0 TO 62 MPH: 5.9 seconds (mfr.)

Back in 1995 Audi showed the revolutionary design for the TT at the Frankfurt motor show. Ten years later we?re waiting to see the prototype for the next-generation TT, probably in January at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

As a farewell to the legend?ary existing design, Audi introduced the TT quattro Sport in March at the Geneva show. Emphasis here is on lighter weight, greater power and torque, the overall appearance and drive characteristics. It?s a simple recipe for sure, but this TT is something special.


Working with the base 1.8-liter turbo coupe with quattro, Audi nudged horsepower up from 222 hp to 237 hp at 5900 rpm and bumped the torque rating from 207 lb-ft to 236 lb-ft between 2300 and 5000 rpm. Engineers also managed to peel 165 pounds off the car. Based on the new curb weight of 3065 pounds, the power-to-weight ratio is just 12.9 pounds per hp vs. the standard car?s 14.5 pounds per pony.

The handsome S-line package skirts the lower part of the TT quattro Sport, with slightly firmer suspension and 15-spoke, 18-inch forged alumi?num wheels with 235/40 tires. The Sport gets a pronounced rear spoiler and a two-tone paint scheme.

As we waited at the train station in Ingolstadt, this adorable Misano red car with Phantom black roof came toward us. It?s a cute piece of work with serious intentions, and it grabs attention from everyone along the street.


Everything gets even more exciting inside. We expected a thicker grip on the steering wheel, but this one remains standard diameter and gets a covering of Alcantara. The two manually adjustable, racing harness-ready Recaro carbon fiber sport seats are a great add-on, with copious hip, leg and shoulder support for track days. Best of all, the two silly rear seats are not there anymore. The effect is terrific, with lots of stowage area, less weight and a generally more efficient feel.

A thick rear stabilizer bar has a racing net that hangs down to keep things from jumping forward into the seating area, and a cargo net can stretch across the depth and breadth of the luggage area.

And you?ll need to hold things down. Driving this tight little TT brings out the celebration in any road. We felt the road-hugging solidness of the car only 500 yards away from the train station. We simply knew right away this is one of the best two-seaters ever; it?s a pity we didn?t get this five or six years ago?and that the United States will not get this model at all.


The engine in this state of tune with the standard six-speed manual transmission is simple and smooth, with best shifts happening regularly at about 6400 rpm. (Rev limit remains about 7000 rpm, but with the 5900-rpm power peak, a little short-shifting helps.)

Besides going from 0 to 62 mph in 5.9 seconds, this four-cylinder TT is allowed a full 155-mph top speed. Compared to the 3.2 V6 quattro with DSG at 6.4 seconds to 62 mph (and costing more), the 1.8t quattro Sport seems a bargain.

Modifications provided by the S-line package make a big difference given the considerable weight savings. Damper and spring rates at the corners and the 18-inch wheel-tire combination are the prime ingredients that render this TT the best factory version made for the common man.

Driving at the extreme over remote Bavarian farm roads proved the quattro Sport can be as tossable and purely satisfying as a Lotus Elise?and it can be driven every day.

Just more than 1100 TT quattro Sports will be built, the largest allotments going to Great Britain and Germany.



At a base pretax price of roughly e35,900 in Germany ($46,700), this TT is another fitting tribute to 25 years of Audi quattro technology (see sidebar) and it is the last new model to use the 50/50 default torque split. The new RS4 (March 7) also unveiled for the 25-year quattro celebration is the first model to carry the new 40/60 torque split version of quattro.

[Raza]

That's awesome!  That's what this car needed from the start.

Hopefully we'll get a TT-S or TT-R in the next model.  With a stick, not a DSG.