What is it?
2007 Audi TT
What's special about it?
Luscious body lines defined the original Audi TT coupe and roadster. Other automakers copied the styling ad nauseam and once the newness wore off, sales cooled.
But Audi has made the TT fresh again. The car will be ground-up new for 2007. Designers stretched, pulled and kneaded the familiar TT shape; the result is a 5.4-inch-longer, 3.1-inch-wider coupe with a lower, more athletic stance.
The 2007 Audi TT is so fabulously fresh that Audi invited fashion designer Doo.Ri Chung to the New York auto show press conference. "I love that my clothes get to share the stage with what really is a design icon," Chung quipped as a series of models strode down the stage-turned-fashion runway.
Fortunately, the TT's beauty isn't just skin-deep. To cut down on curb chub, the 2007 TT has a version of Audi's space frame, this one a blend of 69-percent aluminum, 31-percent steel rather than all aluminum as on the A8. Curb weight drops 150 pounds compared to the '06 TT 3.2; and Audi notes that the frame's steel components are concentrated in the rear of the car to balance the weight distribution.
Additionally, all TTs are fitted with a more sophisticated multilink rear suspension. As an option, Audi will offer an adaptive damping system with magnetic shock absorbers. It's similar to the Magnetic Ride Control setup on the Chevrolet Corvette.
Engine choices look good, too. In place of the old 1.8Ts, there's the 2.0T, a direct-injected, turbocharged four-cylinder with 200 hp and an amazingly flat torque band. For those who want a six, last year's 250-hp, 3.2-liter V6 makes an encore, but this time you can get it with a true manual gearbox, a six-speed unit that's also standard with the four. Either engine is also available with Audi's dual-clutch DSG transmission, which does a convincing impression of both an automatic and a manual.
Four-cylinder models are front-drivers, while quattro all-wheel drive is standard with the V6. Expect a 0-60-mph time of about 5.7 seconds on the V6 model.
Inside, the 2007 Audi TT features the same round, aluminum-trimmed vents as the original model, while adopting a flat-bottom steering wheel like VW's GTI. It also uses the Multi Media Interface to manage climate, audio, navigation and Bluetooth functions as in the A6, A8 and Q7. At 10.2 cubic feet, the luggage hold behind the rear seats is slightly smaller than the old car's, but it expands to a much larger 24.7 cubes when you fold the seats.
Unfortunately, it will be a long wait before the redesigned Audi TT reaches the U.S. It goes on sale in Europe this fall but we'll have to wait until spring 2007. The roadster version will follow about three months later. Prices are expected to rise slightly.
What's Edmunds' take?
For awhile it looked as if Audi's TT might die off after one generation, but this great-looking coupe has whetted our appetite for the encore, particularly if the 2007 version turns out to be as athletic as the company claims. But we question Audi's decision to wait so long to put it on sale in the U.S. Another year of seeing the old TT on dealer lots could kill the buzz for this stunning new one. — Erin Riches
2007 Audi TT
What's special about it?
Luscious body lines defined the original Audi TT coupe and roadster. Other automakers copied the styling ad nauseam and once the newness wore off, sales cooled.
But Audi has made the TT fresh again. The car will be ground-up new for 2007. Designers stretched, pulled and kneaded the familiar TT shape; the result is a 5.4-inch-longer, 3.1-inch-wider coupe with a lower, more athletic stance.
The 2007 Audi TT is so fabulously fresh that Audi invited fashion designer Doo.Ri Chung to the New York auto show press conference. "I love that my clothes get to share the stage with what really is a design icon," Chung quipped as a series of models strode down the stage-turned-fashion runway.
Fortunately, the TT's beauty isn't just skin-deep. To cut down on curb chub, the 2007 TT has a version of Audi's space frame, this one a blend of 69-percent aluminum, 31-percent steel rather than all aluminum as on the A8. Curb weight drops 150 pounds compared to the '06 TT 3.2; and Audi notes that the frame's steel components are concentrated in the rear of the car to balance the weight distribution.
Additionally, all TTs are fitted with a more sophisticated multilink rear suspension. As an option, Audi will offer an adaptive damping system with magnetic shock absorbers. It's similar to the Magnetic Ride Control setup on the Chevrolet Corvette.
Engine choices look good, too. In place of the old 1.8Ts, there's the 2.0T, a direct-injected, turbocharged four-cylinder with 200 hp and an amazingly flat torque band. For those who want a six, last year's 250-hp, 3.2-liter V6 makes an encore, but this time you can get it with a true manual gearbox, a six-speed unit that's also standard with the four. Either engine is also available with Audi's dual-clutch DSG transmission, which does a convincing impression of both an automatic and a manual.
Four-cylinder models are front-drivers, while quattro all-wheel drive is standard with the V6. Expect a 0-60-mph time of about 5.7 seconds on the V6 model.
Inside, the 2007 Audi TT features the same round, aluminum-trimmed vents as the original model, while adopting a flat-bottom steering wheel like VW's GTI. It also uses the Multi Media Interface to manage climate, audio, navigation and Bluetooth functions as in the A6, A8 and Q7. At 10.2 cubic feet, the luggage hold behind the rear seats is slightly smaller than the old car's, but it expands to a much larger 24.7 cubes when you fold the seats.
Unfortunately, it will be a long wait before the redesigned Audi TT reaches the U.S. It goes on sale in Europe this fall but we'll have to wait until spring 2007. The roadster version will follow about three months later. Prices are expected to rise slightly.
What's Edmunds' take?
For awhile it looked as if Audi's TT might die off after one generation, but this great-looking coupe has whetted our appetite for the encore, particularly if the 2007 version turns out to be as athletic as the company claims. But we question Audi's decision to wait so long to put it on sale in the U.S. Another year of seeing the old TT on dealer lots could kill the buzz for this stunning new one. — Erin Riches
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