motor

graywolf624 · 05-20-2007, 10:22 PM

So to continue with the German theme I visited Audi Saturday. I started out with the expectation of test driving a 2007 Audi TT 3.2L. Unfortunately 3.2L's are sold through so quickly the dealership only had the 4 cylinder available to drive. The dealership said something about letting me know when the v6 comes in. Of course they also tried to tell me that the AWD V6 would handle similar to the FWD so I wouldn't need to drive one, so don't hold your breath.

I have to start by talking about the dealership. It was unlike a lot of what I'm use to. Plasma screens on the wall playing the news, newspapers on the wall, bottled water, and art neuvo style stools. It felt like they were going for the marketing professionals to be honest. It was a breath of fresh air from your local Chevy dealership, but honestly felt a bit pretentious. What does this have to do with the car? Well nothing other then you could spend a decent amount of time there if you need warranty work or service (a 500 dollar option matches all service covered over the warranty timeframe). Anyway on with the review.

The car for this review was a black 2.0L with very basic options. The price of this particular model ranges from mid to high 30s. The 3.2L surpasses the 40k mark. For that 35k you certainly get a stunning looking car. I think if anything the looks have improved even further from the TT's late 90s heyday. One can see why it was preferred by people that knew nothing about cars and went for well over MSRP.

The looks and quality design continue on the inside. This Audi has one of the best interiors I've seen, easily one of the standards in the industry. The design is quality and the materials are top notch. No fake aluminum here. It's really the little touches that make this design quality. The steering wheel with the flat bottom, the aluminum strip across the dash. All quality.

The standard sound system features a number of speakers and sounds adequate if not ground breaking. The sport seats (I believe they are optional) are also fairly comfortable and do a great job of holding you tightly. That being said the back seats look like something out of a midevil torture sequence. Heaven help you if you have any knees.

That being said, these rear seats fold almost flat and when combined with the hatch yield a vast storage space for a car with sporty pretentions. Some of it is a bit shallow towards the rear of the hatch, but still it would do well for long trips and fetching your groceries.

Anyway, enough on the interior, so how does it drive? With the previous TT the how does it drive part was where everything fell apart. In this case I can report it does not.

For those who don't know, the 2.0L only comes with Audi's DSG gearbox. A nifty system with 2 clutches that basically is an automated manual. I have to say there was no perceivable delays in shifting. It was also incredibly smooth in both manual and automatic mode regardless of whether I was driving normally or spirited. Normally I would say you should shy away from the auto on a sports car, but in this case I'm not so sure (not the mention there is no manual option). I would dare to guess, and Audi's numbers seem to purport, that a person would be faster with the DSG then a manual.

So how are the dynamics? Well in terms of acceleration, the car feels comparable to my Mazda 6s. It gets moving and thanks to the turbo the power comes on strong in the upper revs. This is especially true in sports mode, where the throttle response is tightened up and the butterfly valve in the exhaust opens up to develop a very entertaining exhaust note. This note isn't a muscle car note by any means, but it certainly sounds better then say the 350z. Altogether it is entertaining on a acceleration front, but in a comparison to a Mazda 6 way. It certainly would get the crap kicked out of it by a sports car like the Vette, z4 coupe, or even 350z in a straight line both in terms of feel and numbers.

In terms of handling the Audi is very composed. It feels similar to the Mazda 6 near the limit courtesy of the fwd. That being said the car corners very flat and is extremely stable around corners. It feels like a Mazda 6s with a better set of shocks and some stiffer springs.

The brakes were exceptional, stopping straight and true rather quickly. They appear to have included brake ducts which should help in limiting brake fade over repeated use.

If you read this review up to this point you should have noticed something very odd. Namely I keep comparing the Audi to an 3 year old originally $24,000 Mazda6. Well, I wish I could say thats just a literay device. The problem is, the entire time I was driving this car I was comparing it to my current car.

Now, the Audi certainly topped the Mazda6 in terms of handling and interior. It also was the equal or maybe even slightly better in acceleration. That being said, this is still indicitive of the Audi TT's major problem. It just doesn't feel like it competes with the big boys. It isn't complete crap like the RX8 or quality but flawed like the 350z, it's certainly well rounded.. But it just feels like a 2xxxx dollar car. Maybe the 3.2L would make a difference, but for now I only have the 2.0 to make my decision. My conclusion: Much improved but overpriced.