Monday 24th March 2014

Audi TT Mk3 tech and design preview

The next TT isn't far off, so PH takes a peek behind the scenes at Audi for all the details

---

You sense Audi TT designer Dany Garand doesn't like the Mk2 Audi TT. He's happy to sing the praises of the groundbreaking original model, a car that even luminaries such as Jaguar's Ian Callum list as the modern car they wish they'd designed. The original TT is a strong and positive design, he says, as he sketches in front of us (doing that wonderful car designer magic trick of making the car appear from just two or three precisely drawn lines). The way the cabin sits on top of the body, the sills sitting parallel to the ground, the deep and geometric body sides, the add-on wheelarches. "It's a very geometric design that's all about the circle." He gently sketches on a few more details. He stands back and admires it; he's enjoying himself. "It's a very strong base."

Mk2 TT described as "a different way"

And the Mk2 TT? There's almost a grunt from Garand. "It was... a different way," he says. "The lines are more of a wave, with a lot of curvature from negative to positive - there's a lot of transition." He tails off. His mother brought him up well: if you can't say anything nice...

It's correcting the ills of the Mk2 that seems to have driven him with the new one. Let's not get too hung up on the familiarity: the TT is now a design icon alongside the VW Beetle and Porsche 911, reckons Audi, so it's never going to look like anything but a TT. This one, though, is much more like a TT should look, rather than the more mainstream Audi look of the Mk2. The crease is back in the C-pillar, for example (as it's a one-piece aluminium panel, creating this alone is involved - the panel goes through no fewer than six pressing stages...). The sills are also back to being parallel, instead of the upward-sweep ones on the Mk2. "That was fashionable at the time," says Grand dismissively as he walks around the second-gen car. Before turning his back on it and enthusiastically embracing the new one.

Four rings now on the bonnet, a la R8

Turning up the R gene
At the front, there is a change. The four rings logo sits on the bonnet instead of in the grille. Like it does on an R8. And that's a purposeful visual ID, says Garand - "it's the R gene... (showing) the TT is now the entry card for Audi sports cars". This is also why some of the symmetry of the original TT has been traded too. "You need direction to create a legitimate sports car" (the original silhouette was a bit bidirectional). As he sketches the new car, his pencil darts about much faster, creating more tension and speed in the lines. "At the front and rear, the lines 'shoot away' from the car instead of rounding out like on the original. It's now more masculine."

The manning up of the TT doesn't stop there. The TT has an all-new platform too, derived from MQB but with plenty of bespoke features - far more than the simple Mk4 VW Golf platform installation of the original. As with the Mk2 TT, it's made from an aluminium-steel hybrid; basically, the floorpan and bulkhead are regular steel, and everything on top is either high-strength steel or aluminium. Every body panel is aluminium. The roof frame is extruded, bent and shaped under 2,000-bar pressure, then attached to cast aluminium nodes. It's perhaps the most exotically-constructed junior sports car on the market.

Aluminium makes TT 150kg lighter than original

It gives a platform that's about 150kg lighter than the original TT, 25 per cent stiffer than the outgoing TT and infused with "more localized stiffness that you can really feel on the road," says TT body man Marko Weigel. He assures us you can particularly sense this through the steering column, which those familiar with the floppy feel of the original's helm will undoubtedly appreciate.

Exploiting this is a revised quattro system with redesigned hardware and all-new software. The power transfer unit has a new electric hydraulic clutch and the pump has a flywheel controller so doesn't need a separate pressure accumulator: chassis man Michael Bär promises "near-seamless torque transfer to the rear". The software intelligence underpinning it has been completely rewritten, he adds: it's a "clean sheet solution" that's now fully integrated into the Audi drive select system.

The TT can drift
Rather amusingly, Audi is particularly proud of the fact you can now drift a TT. Yes, really: turn off the ESC (it will be fully off, too) and the TT "permits controlled drifts": engaging sport mode prioritises more drive to the rear wheels "making it much easier to steer and control the car when drifting". Both are quotes. It's official: the new TT can drift. The TTS also stops better courtesy of a new set of aluminium fixed caliper anchors that not only save 5kg but also give "much, much better brake pedal feel" according to Bär. Aluminium suspension components add an exotic touch and Audi's even developed a special set of 19-inch lightweight forged alloy wheels for it (you can also have 20s if you must). Audi magnetic ride is an option, again, and now fully integrated with Audi Drive Select. Proper R8 mimicry, then.

Drive Select tweaks a lot!

Just one with fewer cylinders: but engines are all-new VW Group 2.0-litre four-pots, and all with more power than before. The TTS sounds most appealing: 310hp, 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds (in S Tronic guise, now with launch control to help things along) and with a grunty 280lb ft remarkably spread between 1,800-5,700rpm. There's no five-pot though, and no 'current' plans for one. You showed a 420hp 2.0-litre four-pot concept at Geneva though, Audi? We did indeed, say the engineers, who then shuffle and say plenty by saying nothing at all...

Cutting-edge dash
But for all this engineering, it's the TT's interior that's likely to prove the biggest showroom draw. Instead of separate dash and infotainment displays, Audi has integrated it all into one 12.3-inch TFT display. This displays virtual instruments and sat nav in one - apparently, it's easier said than done, creating a display that ticks safety-critical instrument legislation while also seamlessly displaying infotainment and navigation (remember, in-dash navigation is usually a mirror of that ran by a separate centre console system).

Interior will surely prove a big draw

Highly configurable, it's brilliant - the full-screen sat nav map is particularly outstanding. A new Audi MMI system (evolving the so-called four-button "quattro layout" of the past decade) makes it more logical to control as well. The menu system is flatter and a new 'right click' function, similar to that of a PC mouse, makes it more logical to decipher. On the TTS, Audi has even created a screen with a central rev counter, "like the Porsche 911".

The overall interior design doesn't quite have the jewel-like detailing of the original, but it's much nicer than the generic current car, and the cleaner architecture created by moving the central infotainment screen makes it feel much more modern. And those air vents, modeled on aircraft engines, with HVAC controls brilliantly integrated within, are fantastic. It's viewed from seats mounted lower than before, with optional 'cornering support' pump-up bolstering, and even the view ahead is better because this is the second Audi available with the firm's standard-setting Matrix LED headlights.

Magnetic dampers another R8 influence

The new TT may look the same as before in the images, but there's a bit more to it than that: it's more like the 'proper' TT, not the sanitised outgoing car, and is thus a more satisfying prospect for purists who loved the Bauhaus-style original. Even more encouragingly, the claim of infusing it with more R-ness means it may actually, finally, drive like the sports car it's always wanted to be: throughout the tech briefing day, the clear message was of Audi's intention to turn it into a genuine junior sports car.

A junior R8? We shall see. But we now wait with newfound anticipation...

---

AUDI TT MK3 2014
Engine: 1,984cc four-cylinder turbo petrol (TT, TTS), 1,968cc four-cylinder turbodiesel (TT TDI)
Transmission: 6-speed manual, four-wheel drive (TT TDI: front-wheel drive)
Power (hp): TT/TTS/TT TDI: 230/310/184
Torque (lb ft): TT/TTS/TT TDI: 272@1,500-4,500rpm/ 280@1,800-5,700rpm/280@1,750-3,250rpm
0-62mph: TT/TTS/TT TDI: 6.0 sec/4.7 sec (S Tronic)/7.2 sec
Top speed: TT/TTS/TT TDI: 155mph/155mph/146mph
Weight: TT/TTS/TT TDI: TBC  
MPG: TT/TTS/TT TDI: 41.5mpg/39.7mpg/67.2mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: TT/TTS/TT TDI: 158/164/110g/km
Price: £TBC (est: from £30,000)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AstroMonkey]

An normal Audi that can drift? That has to be a first!

[Ex Boy Racer]

I honestly can't tell the difference - and I owned a Mk2 TTRS for a while!!!

[mrdemon]

Ex Boy Racer said:

I honestly can't tell the difference - and I owned a Mk2 TTRS for a while!!!

did yours have that dash then ;-)

I loved my TTRS and would look at the mk3 TTRS when launched.

[cerb4.5lee]

There is a good chance our current TTS will get replaced by the next one the new one seems to have a useful performance advantage but I do agree its certainly doesn't look that much different.

[Dave Hedgehog]

mrdemon said:

Ex Boy Racer said:

I honestly can't tell the difference - and I owned a Mk2 TTRS for a while!!!

did yours have that dash then ;-)

I loved my TTRS and would look at the mk3 TTRS when launched.

from reading that there not going to make a 5 pot RS, rather use a meh 4 pot and use speakers to try an make it sound interesting .....

[jimsy11]

I think Audi are well justified in simply sharperning the looks.
Audis are form perfect, and its the little pain staking details which achieve this. When you can appreciate the depths audi have to go to to bring their cars to market looking like this and can appreciate the design depth of their form, you would be ill informed to say the least to call them boring.

[Zoin]

The new interior sounds great but what if you want your passenger to set the nav destination or change the settings whilst on the move?

[Prawnboy]

"You need direction to create a legitimate sports car"
theese designers dont half talk some.
it wasn't the looks that stoped the MK1 being seen as a good sports car.

I love the look of the MK1, it was so fresh and interesting, MK2 just appear too generic Audi.
I shall reserve judgement on this one till i see it for real. You can bet the first i see will be a TDI with the tiny rear windows blacked out, which wont help.

[okie592]

I'm ready for the Audi bashing

Fwd 4 pot understeer blah blah
Hairdressers
Tdi blah blah
Led retina burning headlights
Fairy light DRL
Audi drivers are cocks
Fwd expensive golf
4wd not enough to the rear wheels
generic Audi bashing
Too expensive


I like it.

[Ex Boy Racer]

mrdemon said:

Ex Boy Racer said:

I honestly can't tell the difference - and I owned a Mk2 TTRS for a while!!!

did yours have that dash then ;-)

I loved my TTRS and would look at the mk3 TTRS when launched.

New dash looks quite nice I guess.. and mine of course had the old one, which was also quite nice

TBH I have the same problem with the 911 - I really struggle to distinguish the 991 from the 997

[Chicane-UK]

okie592 said:

I'm ready for the Audi bashing

Fwd 4 pot understeer blah blah
Hairdressers
Tdi blah blah
Led retina burning headlights
Fairy light DRL
Audi drivers are cocks
Fwd expensive golf
4wd not enough to the rear wheels
generic Audi bashing
Too expensive


I like it.

I bash Audi's regularly but I have some sort of weakness / blinkers when it comes to the TT - I really like them. The MK3 TT looks fantastic.. really like the revised, more R8 like front end.

[richs2891]

I don't get Garands comments re the mk2 - the mk3 is hardly different, an evolution at best. Yet the mk2 was a big change from the mk1.
I never like the shape of the mk1 but like the looks of the mk2 - just looks right to me especially in soft top form.
I'm waiting for my invite from Audi to see the new TT in the flesh and to see if I want to get one.

[kambites]

Looks... like a TT, I suppose that's no bad thing. I'm not keen on the "variable everything" approach that seems to typify modern cars, but it seems to be what the market wants so I can't really fault them for it.

It should sell well, I'd imagine.

[TTGuy]

In my opinion, as a long-term Mk2 TT owner and fan of the original, the Mk3 TT is definitely a step in the wrong direction. In fact, the general reaction of Mk2 owners to the new car is one of extreme disappointment.

Whereas the Mk2 was a beautiful car, the Mk3 can at best be described as distinctive. Whereas the Mk2’s fluid lines blended perfectly together into an overall cohesive design, the Mk3 is a mismatch of curves and sharp straight lines. The sharp and angular front end for example is completely at odds with the curves of the rest of the car. Some of the Mk2’s most elegant details such as the smooth flowing 911 style C-pillar have been replaced by fussy angular styling in a bid to sharpen the design and hark back to the original’s less than perfect lines. There are certain lines on the Mk2 that you can follow completely around the car – you won’t be able to do that on the Mk3 without ending up at some fussy intersection.

Then there’s the interior. There are certain things that are appropriate on a sports car and certain things that are not. TFT displays are on the of them – a sports car should have proper analog dials – you will never see a 911 with a black screen behind the steering wheel. The entire Mk3 cabin possesses little of the Mk2’s sense of occasion – the Mk2’s centre console and bespoke aluminium air con controls have been completely replaced by an almost flat console insert and a gaping hole under the air-vents. The little electronic displays in the centre of the air-vents are also only available on certain models – the standard car has plain rotary knobs.

If you asked somebody who wasn’t a TT fan which of the three TT generations in the photograph was the latest model, most would pick the Mk2. That summarises all I have to say about the Mk3.

[kambites]

TTGuy said:

If you asked somebody who wasn’t a TT fan which of the three TT generations in the photograph was the latest model, most would pick the Mk2. That summarises all I have to say about the Mk3.

I'm not a TT fan and I'd definitely pick the mk1, from a purely aesthetic point of view. The mk2 was a mild step towards dullness and the mk3 is a natural continuation of that, IMO, although a smaller step.

ETA: The dynamics in the mk2 were in a different league to the mk1, though; whether the mk3 is a similar step forwards, remains to be seen.

Edited by kambites on Monday 24th March 13:41

[jimsy11]

I just dont understand why Audi drivers are cocks.
I understand that too may people listen to top gear though.

Firstly, my bad experience with drivers is Reps in mondeos or insignias. Or middle aged 'english men' who believe foreigners are stealing there jobs, in mondeos or vectras.

An equal amaount of abused buisness cars are vw, audi, skoda, bmw, vauxhall, ford etc etc. So the angry rep comes in many forms.

The only bad experiences Iv had with Bmw and audis is not being able to keep up the the modern diesels in an old jap car.

Secondly. Even if the myth was true that If a driver is being a cock he WILL be driving an audi. Good. It leaves the fast, great audis, like rs models, select s models, and even the likes of a tuned audi tt, to give a few 'top gear enthusiats' a hard unsuspecting punch.

[jimsy11]

Apologies for numerous grammatical errors.

[F1GTRUeno]

I'm presuming I'm one of very few then that prefers the mk.II to the original and to the new one?

[Zoin]

F1GTRUeno said:

I'm presuming I'm one of very few then that prefers the mk.II to the original and to the new one?

I think the problem with the Mk2 is that it's just another good-looking coupe amongst a raft of competitors whereas the Mk1 was truly ground-breaking (so much so that I bought one on looks alone, despite the uninspiring handling).

If the Mk3 creates an obvious link back to the Mk1's design cues and subsequent models do the same (a la Porsche 911) then the Mk2 may come to be seen in future decades as an irrelevance.

[kambites]

Zoin said:

If the Mk3 creates an obvious link back to the Mk1's design cues and subsequent models do the same (a la Porsche 911) then the Mk2 may come to be seen in future decades as an irrelevance.

But it doesn't, does it? To me it looks like a mildly face-lifted mk2.