Car Lines
by Larry Mason
2001 Audi TT Quattro Coupe

Audi has been known in the past to not just push the envelope in design, but to rip it to shreds. That goes the same whether we're talking about their street cars or race cars. Consider this – Audi finished 1,2,3 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. They've won championships in numerous road racing categories, and their all-wheel drive cars have set records year after year in rally racing and at the famed Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

The new TT Coupe is more than just a chopped and channeled new Beetle with a hot rod motor thrown in. The TT is to automotive design what Bart Conner was to gymnastics – a high achiever flush with strength, agility, explosive power, and balance all wrapped up in a tidy compact package. Hop in and hold on tight, the boost is coming on!

The TT excels when it comes to grip and power. With 225 horsepower on tap and all-wheel drive, the TT launches you off the line like a space shuttle taking off at Cape Canaveral. The acceleration is so forceful and sudden, it snaps your neck back and bounces it off the headrest as the boost builds and the scenery starts to blur. Before you know it your reaching for second gear and the same thing happens all over again. Keep shifting at the 6,600 rpm redline and you'll eventually see a top speed of 143 mph in sixth gear. You feel an initial surge of power at about 2,800 rpm but the real deal shows up between 4,500 – 5,500 rpm. That's when the massive amounts of acceleration take place. If you do shift at redline, you'll be disappointed in the power because it seems to drop off about 500 rpm shy (peak horsepower is at 5,900 rpm). But when you shift gears and it's spooled up in the powerband, the surge of acceleration is definitely there. At 3,208 pounds it's no lightweight and may partially explain my 13.7-mpg average. It's EPA rated at 20/28-mpg city/highway.

The gearbox is a joy to work your way through with short shifts, solid feel, and precise actuation of the clutch. Heel and toe downshifting is a piece of cake and with the compact nature of the car, helps to make you feel very connected to the road and your driving as you slot from fourth to third to second heading into that decreasing radius bend. Jump on the binders and the massive 12.3" front and 10" rear vented rotors do more to arrest your forward movement than a parachute.

Handling to me is defined as a combination of things including cornering power, body roll, pitch and squat, and overall ride quality. It also has something to do with how the car reacts to the driver's inputs. As I drove the car, I couldn't get over how much grip the TT had. The 225/45R17 Bridgestone RE040 Potenzas gripped the road like a mountain climber on the edge of a cliff. But just like that mountain climber, it's either all or nothing and in the driver's case, the only safety rope is your reaction time on the wheel and throttle. When pushed hard in a second gear corner the boost builds and so does the understeer (the front-end grip goes away). Careful, don't back off to quickly or you'll be looking ahead through the rear view mirror! The TT coupe snaps sideways in a hurry and you have to be prepared to catch it. My first thought is that this is perfect for rally racing because you can pitch the car into the corner then power out of it with all-wheel drive. On the street and in the rain, most drivers would do themselves a favor by not pushing to the extreme limit. I won't go so far to say that the handling is knife-edge, but go to a racetrack and find the limits safely. Of all the handling attributes I mentioned above, Audi can claim success. The only detraction is the pronounced steering wheel shake at idle.

Step inside the TT and you'll have no doubts that this is not a luxury car, it is a performance cockpit. Believe it or not, it has a rear seat. I can't comment on legroom or headroom because there wasn't enough for me to even attempt to get back there. It was utterly useless. Why did they even bother? Audi could have done better to supply us with a true storage space seeing as there was only room to put away one pair of glasses in their case! I'm not kidding! The lack of storage space is ridiculous. Ingress and egress is not for the tall of body or short of skirt, and the remote control key fob surely tests your patience. By now you're thinking that this is all performance and no comfort. Not true. For an extra $1,200 the Bose audio system does the job you'd expect and is concealed cleverly behind a TT flip-down cover. The A/C controls are easy to operate and the 6-CD changer and first aid kit are welcome additions to the small interior. The trunk is large enough to handle a few overnight bags. In fact, if you fold down the rear seat you go from 10.8 to 18.6 cubic feet of cargo space. Visibility is a bit restricted from the large C-pillar but is otherwise unobstructed.

The Audi comes with a four-year/50,000 mile warranty that includes roadside assistance and no charge scheduled maintenance. Base price is $35,750. Xenon headlights, heated seats, and the 17" wheel/tire package brought the price of this one up to $38,925. The styling of the TT is certainly striking. Some people think it's cool, others think it's cold. The power and grip are hot. The TT goes to the extreme. Are you an extreme buyer? Test drive one and pay attention to your alter ego.