FAST FACTS
* Model: 2016 Audi TT Coupe* Exterior color: Florett Silver Metallic* Interior color: Black* Engine: 2.0 liter, turbocharged* Horsepower: 220* Transmission: 6-speed, dual-clutch* Fuel economy: 30 mpg highway, 23 mpg city* Dealer: Audi Chattanooga* Price (as tested): $48,695
Audi's new 2016 TT Coupe is an expression of car design at its purest. Its clean, smart lines set the standard for affordable sports cars.
With its all-wheel-drive set-up and potent turbocharged engine, the TT is also the perfect car to charge up the W Road or carve through the Sequatchie Valley. The TT comes in both convertible and coupe versions. A higher-performance coupe called the TTS is also available.
Step away from the TT coupe and your eyes want to consume it in one big bite. From its cute-as-a-button nose to its dramatic, sloping roof-line, our Silver Metallic tester from Audi Chattanooga looks as if it were carved from a gleaming bar of silver. First introduced in 1996, the TT enters its 20th year - and third generation - with a reputation as a trendsetter. The 2016 redesign involves a little sheet-metal Botoxing and a major reworking of the interior.
Year after year, Audi manages to introduce subtle design tweaks that quickly become industry standards. It was one of the first carmakers to use LED headlight embellishments a few years ago. Now LEDs are everywhere. Audi was also one of the first automakers to streamline dash and center-stack controls in its cars and SUVs. Now, all car manufacturers, it seems, are rushing to follow Audi's lead and cut the clutter.
We were able to snag a TT Coupe tester this week with the help of Jeremy Holsomback and Jon Riley of Audi Chattanooga on International Drive. Our tester stickers for $48,695, including about $5,000 in tech and cosmetic options.
STYLING AND FEATURES
Our silver tester shows off the TT Coupe's body lines with special Florett Metallic paint, a $550 option. A blue-sky day with lots of sunlight helped illuminate the rounded corners and crisp creases that make the TT such a visual showstopper.
A fastback roof-line tapers into a rounded rump which is accented with dual chrome exhaust tips and LED taillights. Meanwhile, the front end looks like a piece of modern sculpture with a yawning seven-bar grille that adds to the car's presence. Audi's classy circle emblem is displayed on chrome pieces both front and back. A chrome fuel door with a TT emblem is a nice touch.
Inside is where the TT becomes a laboratory for new-wave design. Unlike most new cars, which feature iPad Mini-style touch screens in the middle of the dash, Audi moves the telematics functions to a 12.3-inch high contrast-color display mounted behind the steering wheel. When connected to a navigation interface that streams Google Earth by LTE signal, the display becomes a 3-D eye in the sky, not just a crude graphic rendering of a road map. Lakes, trees, parks and schools magically appear on the screen as if the car was connected to a drone camera hovering 500 feet above the car.
Moving the display screen also changes the architecture of the dash. Instead of a center stack with rows of seldom-used dials and switches, the TT's dash is dominated by three circular air vents, with the climate-control dials embedded in the middle. Clever stuff. And soon to be copied, no doubt, by a carmaker near you.
As with all sports cars, good seats are important. The TT delivers with well-bolstered leather buckets in the front, upholstered in an attractive diamond stitching. The back seats are really for kids under about age 10. Many owners will probably flip down the back seats to expand the rear cargo area.
Our tester has a $3,250 tech pak that includes the 3-D navigation and safety features such as a rearview camera and blind-spot monitors.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
The Audi TT coupe is powered by a high-revving, turbocharged engine. The 2.0 liter power-plant makes 220 horsepower and propels the TT from zero-to-60 mph in 5.3 seconds. A rear spoiler deploys when the TT reaches 75 miles per hour to help keep it planted while cornering. This seems a bit like overkill, since Audi's excellent "Quattro" all-wheel-drive system is standard on the TT.
(Tip to potential customers: Selling your spouse on the all-weather safety of the TT is a good way to start a conversation about why you need one in the garage.)
On the highway, the TT is a willing playmate. When you plant your right foot, there is a hint of turbo lag and then a full-throated burst of power. Its low center of gravity adds to the agile cornering and taut handling that are hallmarks of the TT.
On our test drive, the TT proved it is as adept at turning heads as it is turning corners. The Nappa leather seats, a $1,000 option, provide plenty of lateral support for aggressive driving, and the six-speed S Tronic transmission is nearly seamless. Some enthusiasts may wish for a manual transmission option, but they'll have to make do with paddle shifters instead.
BOTTOM LINE
Audi took a fine little sports car, that was already a modern classic, and amped it up a notch. If your pocketbook wants to split the difference between a new Mazda Miata and a Jaguar F Type, the tasty new TT might be just the car for you.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.