2008 Audi TT Sports Car Reviews & Ratings

Inside, the 2008 Audi TT is wonderful. Highlighted by standard leather seats and real aluminum trim, the interior is well put together, with tight tolerances and sturdy, soft-touch materials. The design is contemporary, simple, and attractive. The gauges are trimmed in silver with black faces, and trip computer information is displayed between them. The dash is black, and models with the Enhanced Interior package get black leather around the gauge cluster.

All of the controls are within arm's reach and they move with precision. Without the optional navigation system, the controls are easy to find and operate. With the navigation system, however, the TT gets a version of Audi's Multi Media Interface (MMI). This system absorbs the audio controls, and adds several steps to simple tasks like changing the radio station. MMI might appeal to techies, but most of us would prefer something less complicated.

Sports cars are notoriously hard to enter and exit. While entering the 2008 TT requires a step down, it's not as much of a crouch as the last model and the flat-bottom steering wheel in most TTs provides a modicum of extra knee room. Once inside, the TT has more room for the driver than most sports cars. A 6-foot, 7-inch friend said he fit well in the TT, but found the Z4 to be cramped. The front seats are comfortable and have nice bolstering to help keep you in place in fast turns. Visibility is good to most angles, but there is a notable blind spot to the right rear in coupes and in roadsters with the top up.

The leather upholstery is attractive, and the Enhanced Interior package makes it even more so, with contrasting stitching and a leather-covered instrument pod. Audi offers numerous interior color options, as well as the Baseball-Optic leather package that features a Madras Brown color and thick stitching inspired by baseball gloves, a TT tradition.

The rear seat in coupes is inhospitable for humans and is best used for holding packages and purses. Small children may fit back there, but they will certainly complain.

The rear seats fold down, however, which creates a flat load floor and plenty of cargo space. Cargo space is even good with the seats up, but with them down it expands from 10.2 to 24.7 cubic feet. That's more than twice the space of a Z4 coupe and is plenty of room for groceries or luggage for two. The roadster is available with a ski pass-through that improves its 9.1 cubic feet of cargo room, and it's nice that the convertible top doesn't intrude on trunk space. Unfortunately, neither the coupe nor the roadster have enough interior storage for small items.

The first priority for most sports car buyers is a car that's fun to drive. The Audi TT has that in spades. All TTs have sharp handling. Despite a front weight bias (59 percent front in 2.0T, 57 percent in 3.2 quattro), the TT doesn't have a tendency toward nose plow. It feels stable at speed, and is perfectly willing to be tossed into a controlled slide in corners. Steering is quick and predictable, but it feels a little light for a sports car.

I drove a 2.0T roadster with 17-inch wheels and the 3.2 quattro roadster and coupe each with 18-inch wheels. The 2.0T exhibited a bit more body lean and tire squeal in turns, but still gripped the road well. The 3.2 quattros felt sharper, especially the coupe. Neither roadster exhibited much, if any, cowl shake. The Audi TT roadster is one solid convertible.

Handling becomes even sharper when the available Audi Magnetic Ride Suspension is chosen. It utilizes a fluid in all four shocks, that when subjected to an electric charge, changes the shock's damping characteristics from comfort oriented to firm and sporty.

The brakes did not fade in the face of aggressive driving and maintained a consistent feel thanks, in part, to electronic brake-force distribution. Audi's electronic stability control doesn't intrude too soon, allowing some slip without cutting the throttle to stop the fun. With the Audi Magnetic Ride Suspension, the electronic stability control is programmed to give the driver even more leeway.

Sports car buyers often expect poor ride quality, but the TT can be quite comfortable. Base model TTs with 17-inch wheels soak up small bumps well, but sharper ruts can jolt passengers. The ride becomes firmer and busier with the optional 18-inch tires, so try these before you buy, especially if you live in an area with rough roads. We have not yet driven the S line models, but expect their 19-inch wheels to make the ride busier and possibly harsher.

Sports car should be powerful, and neither of the TT's engines disappoint in this regard. The turbocharged four-cylinder has very little turbo lag, making it quick from a stop and responsive at speed. It runs out of steam above 6000 rpm, though, so it's best to shift before that point when passing or charging onto an on-ramp. Audi says the 2.0T can launch the 2008 TT coupe from 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, and the roadster in 6.3 seconds. The 3.2-liter V6 has more power, but not that much more. It is more responsive than the 2.0T at all speeds, and is capable of a 0-60 mph run in 5.3 seconds with the S tronic transmission and 5.5 seconds with the manual.

With either engine, the six-speed manual transmission is easy to shift and has fairly short throws. The S tronic DSG automatic has normal Drive and Sport modes, both of which shift quickly and without a jolt. The Sport mode holds lower gears longer to keep more accessible power on tap. The driver can shift the DSG via the steering wheel paddles or shift lever at any time. This is a nice touch, because most transmissions with a manual shift gate require the transmission to be in Sport mode to allow driver-chosen shifts. We've found Audi's DSG to be problematic in the past due to a delay in power delivery at low speeds and are glad to say we didn't experience that frustration in the new TT.

Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system is front-drive biased. Under normal conditions, only about eight percent of the power goes to the rear wheels, but in extreme conditions up to 100 percent of the power can be sent to the rear. Quattro is a great choice for snow and rain.

In normal cruising, the cabin is quiet for a sports car. Tire noise can become pronounced on rough surfaces, but wind noise is well-checked. Both engines emit a sporty exhaust note. The 2.0T lets out a forceful hum, and the 3.2 has a lower, more gravelly, growl.

The Audi 2.0T is available only with Audi's S-tronic direct shift gearbox (DSG), which is a clutchless manual transmission that can be operated as an automatic or as a manual via the gearshift or steering wheel paddles. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on 3.2 quattros, and the S tronic is a $1400 option.

2.0T models come standard with 225/50R17 all-season run-flat or summer performance tires, alloy wheels, limited-slip differential, leather/alcantara upholstery, automatic climate control, tilt-telescope leather-wrapped steering wheel, cruise control, six-way manually adjustable front seats, center console, aluminum interior trim, heated power mirrors, power windows, power locks, remote keyless entry, AM/FM/CD player, digital clock, trip computer, variable intermittent wipers, rear defogger, theft deterrent system, rear spoiler, and fog lights. Coupes add a split-folding rear seat and roadsters get a manual convertible top with a heated glass rear window.

3.2 quattros come with all-wheel drive, 245/45R17 all-season run-flat or summer performance tires, heated 10-way power adjustable front seats, AM/FM radio with six-disc CD changer, steering wheel audio controls, auto-dimming rearview mirror, compass, HomeLink universal garage door opener, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic headlights. On 3.2 quattro roadsters, the convertible top is power operated.

A Premium package for 2.0T models ($2150 coupe, $3050 roadster) adds heated 10-way power adjustable front seats, steering wheel shift paddles, AM/FM radio with six-disc CD changer, auto-dimming rearview mirror, compass, HomeLink Universal garage door opener, rain-sensing wipers, and for roadsters, a power top.

An additional Enhanced Interior package ($1100 coupe, $1250 convertible) delivers Nappa leather-covered seats, a leather-covered interior instrument pod, underseat cargo bins, and, in roadsters, a trunk passthrough with ski sack. Roadsters can also be ordered with Baseball-Optic leather upholstery for $1000.

Audi's Magnetic Ride Suspension, which has base and sport-oriented shock settings, is a $1400 option. An available S line package ($3000) includes 255/35R19 summer performance tires, special interior trim, and more aggressive front and rear styling.

Other stand-alone options include a power top ($900), a navigation system with iPod interface ($1950), 245/40R18 all-season run-flat or summer performance tires ($800), Bluetooth cell-phone connectivity ($450), heated seats ($450), Bose premium audio with Sirius satellite radio ($1000), and bi-xenon adaptive headlights ($800). The iPod interface is available separately for $250, and the satellite radio costs $350 by itself.

Safety equipment includes front airbags, seat-mounted front side airbags that protect the head and thorax, front knee airbags, ABS with electronic brake force distribution and brake assist, traction control, antiskid control, active head restraints, and a tire-pressure monitor. Roadsters have rollover bars mounted behind the seats, and coupes have LATCH-style rear seat child seat anchors. Rear obstacle detection is a $350 option.

The standard warranty is four years or 50,000 miles with no-charge first scheduled maintenance.