While design is still at the core of the TT’s appeal, it’s what’s under the skin of the new car that should have you salivating. Like the A8 and A2 before it, the TT uses Audi’s Space Frame technology. Unlike those other all-alloy models, however, this car is a hybrid of ASF and traditional steel.
The results are very promising. Audi claims torsional rigidity has improved by 50 per cent and even goes as far as to say it’s 48 per cent lighter than the same body structure made purely of steel.
As it is, the 3.2 V6 quattro we’ve tested here weighs 1458kg (Audi claims 1410kg) with options – a very useful weight loss over the old car, despite advances in crash strengthening and refinement that usually lift new models beyond the weight of their predecessors.
The 2.0-litre FSI turbo variant with front-wheel drive – at present, the only other TT model to come to the UK – is said to weigh 1260kg, about 70kg less than a VW Golf GTi. That’s particularly encouraging when you consider the two cars have the same drivetrain.
