quattro
Compared to the half dozen pre-'09 TT's I tested, the quattro response in this new vehicle is decisively faster. In fact there's no sense of a time delay between wheel slip and torque transfer to the rear wheels (by default the MK2's system sends 85% of power to the front axle but can shift all 100% to the rear on call). I don't know if this is the Gen 4 Haldex that was contractually exclusive to SAAB for a year before being released to Ingolstadt engineers last year, but my car does seem to exhibit the new system's major advantage: the ability to proactively shift power between axels before slip instead of after.
To test the drivetrain further I completely switched off the two-stage ESP and tossed the car around an empty parking lot at around 7/10s (remember I was still breaking her in). The Haldex quattro felt just as predictable as the more evenly distributed Torsen system in my previous A4, which is saying a lot. There was no sense of unexpected (and unwelcome) computer correction during mid turn.
The car also felt extremely neutral. Without too much fuss I was able to get the back end to even spin out a bit. We're not talking Mustang donuts here, but the fact that a quattro Audi can be coerced into any throttle-induced oversteer felt like a small miracle. I'm sure the combination of an aluminum intensive front end, lightweight 4 cylinder and rear-mounted AWD clutch helped balance out the car, but it was also clear that quattro did its part by quickly shifting torque to the rear wheels for more tail control. It'll be interesting to push the car even further down the line.
Magnetic Ride
The option I think most worth the extra cash is Delphi's performance oriented Magnetic ride. Unless you crave the visual look of an even lowered body or are a hard-core track junkie this technology renders the need for an aftermarket suspension pretty much irrelevant. With two settings you get the best of both worlds: a comfort mode that feels a touch softer than the TT's stock setup and a Sport mode that firms things up considerably.
However it's not simply the adjustability that makes this system a must-have, but just how brilliantly it responds to the road. Shock reaction times happen at a much faster rate than conventional systems and do so independently for each wheel. The overall effect is impressive; the car remains flat through very tight curves with little or no body pitching when recovering from more pronounced bumps. As you'd expect for a performance coupe you definitely feel the road, but more granular imperfections are smoothed out, especially in standard mode. The system is so good that I can confidently say it rivals anything offered by competitors like the Z4.
S Tronic
I was nervous about switching to an automatic after years of manual control, and would have flatly rejected a TT fitted with a traditional Tiptronic slush-box and its power draining torque converter. But the concept behind a dual clutch gearbox with manual transmission mechanicals felt worth the gamble, even if I didn't fully warm up to the system on my test drives.
After a few days playing with the system I'm relieved to say that in many ways the S Tronic is better than a manual. Most notably it allows me to keep my hands on the wheel and foot on the throttle while shifting via paddles, a setup that works especially nicely around twisty roads where uninterrupted steering wheel grip is an advantage.
The gear shifts in automatic mode are indeed lightning fast as advertised, However manual control will only work as quickly if your choice of the next gear is in synch with the computer's logic.
For example accelerating and sequentially manually pressing the '+' paddle through the gear range at around 3000 RPM will yield silky smooth shifts. But if you decide to shift down from 5th to 4th while still in mid-acceleration, you'll be greeted by a gentle but perceptible bump up in revs instead of a smooth gear transition to the next lower gear. That's because that lower gear wasn't pre-selected by the second clutch since the computer assumed you'd want to shift up during acceleration. This threw me off at first, but after a couple of days I got to understand the DSG's logic and now rarely experience a rough shift. Now if I want to shift down from 5th to 4th I just let up on the throttle first and before shifting down.
The manual setting offers the least amount of computer intrusion I've ever experienced in any automated manual, including other DSG's. As an example I was able to stay in first gear up to 7000 rpm before the computer decided I had lost my mind and intervened with an upshift.
Another cool DSG related feature is Launch Control, which enables the manual-like ability to rev up the engine while at a standstill for quick launches. To activate the feature one must first switch off traction control and set the gear shifter to either Sport or Manual mode. This may sound like an overly complex procedure but it's not, especially since I'm usually driving around with that setup anyway. The stationary rev limit is only 3K, but enough for a neck snapping launch. The only unsettling part is pressing on the break and gas at the same time which is behavior we've all been conditioned to avoid with traditional transmissions. And I learned quickly to get my left foot off the break pedal following Launch Control since it invites the mistake of sudden accidental breaking. Not fun. Using the system I was able to get to 60 MPH in a hair under 6 seconds. Great numbers for a brand new stock 4 cylinder; which brings me to the last featured component, the engine.
2.0T Powerplant
I've enjoyed this brilliant inline turbo in my A4 for two years, so I was looking forward to seeing how it would fair in the way lighter TT. I was immediately struck by just how little lag the turbo exhibited for an automatic. My experience with older turbo engine/auto tranny combos led me to expect a longer delay between mashing of the throttle and forward motion. But the little turbo spools up very rapidly; power floods in fast and sticks around throughout most of the rev range with a smoothness comparable to many V6's.
Another nice discovery was just how much power remains available at high speeds, especially for such a small displacement engine with a 'mere' 200 horsepower on tap. Dropping a gear or two and punching it for a quick 90 mph freeway pass is a non-issue. Then again the lightweight chassis does go a long way in freeing up engine power.
Engine sound in the front is similar to other 4 cylinder Audi's, if just a bit less clunky. Nothing special. In the back the exhaust note does let out a somewhat throaty roar, but nowhere near the Boxter-like V6 burble heard off the back of the TT 3.2.
Exhaust sound reservations aside, this is the perfect engine for the TT. It is lightweight, responsive, and with power that starts early but stays with you at freeway speeds.
So after 10 years of waiting I've finally found my perfect TT: a gorgeous lightweight all-wheel-drive sports coupe whose drive finally matches its looks. In future articles I'll push the car to higher levels of performance, test its utility and explore some software specific upgrades.
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