Audi TT: Tested in Beautiful San Mateo

As the Audi TT reaches its general availability here in the United States, the amount of articles in information around the 2008 Audi TT continues to increase. In this case, an excellent piece of both substance and personality in this piece of journalism.



The test subject is the new 2008 Audi TT 3.2L V-6 with 250-horsepower. And, the tester is impressed.

Here are a few excerpts:

Both prices are up from first-generation TTs but remain competitive with those of other German-bred, two-seat, open-air cars such as the 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLK, which starts at $44,125 for a V-6 powered model with manual transmission and hard convertible top. The 2007 BMW Z4 starts at $37,175 with soft top, 215-horsepower, six-cylinder engine and manual transmission.....

.....The new TT styling gracefully gets away from the bug-like look of the first-generation TT. The grille is bigger now, the headlamps more jewel-like and the overall car shape more geometric. Yet, the Bauhaus design heritage remains subtly underneath it all....

.....The electromechanical steering in the test car had impeccable response — not twitchy as in some sports cars but direct, precise and pleasing. This steering is complex in its driver assist, giving automatic straight-ahead correction and damping road surface bumps subtly.....

.....The test TT convertible with optional, larger, 18-inch summer performance tires had a noticeably stiff ride. But the new, optional-for-$1,400 Audi magnetic ride suspension system made it more comfortable than expected because I could select, by a button, if I wanted a more compliant ride.....

.....This solid-feeling, yet nimble, small car propelled forward with 236 foot-pounds of torque coming on at a decently low 2,500 rpm, and it didn’t seem to matter if I was using the shift-it-yourself mechanism on the S tronic, six-speed transmission or letting the tranny go through the gears itself.....

[Source: San Mateo Daily Journal]

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