Audi TT Coupe feels better than ever, but should you get one in 2019?

To celebrate twenty years of production, the third generation Audi TT coupe gets a useful package of improvements that include mild changes to the mechanicals, the cabin and the exterior. As before, it really makes the numbers when it comes to performance and efficiency. Choose from 2.0 or 2.5-litre petrol, front or quattro all-wheel drive.

Background
While it's true that ubiquity has somewhat dulled its impact, it's easy to overlook quite what a remarkable car that Audi TT was when it first appeared in 1998. Prior to the TT, Audi wasn't a company renowned for great design flair. It did safe and solid. Its most desirable sporting cars in the years leading up to the TT launch were estate models. The TT changed all that. It had an interior that felt like something from a motor show stand. It offered buyers an apparently irresistible combination of Audi build quality, styling that made everything else seem old and a clever quattro all-wheel drive chassis.

The second generation model was probably a bit of a missed opportunity. After the extremity of the first car, everything seemed to be dialled back a couple of notches. The third generation design though, has proved to be much more desirable, fusing the driveability and slickness of the second gen version with the drama and flair of the first, while at the same time responding to shifting buyer behaviour. Now, it's been usefully updated.

Driving Experience
Audi's tinkered a little with the engine line-up in this revised MK3 model TT. The old entry-level petrol unit, a 180PS 1.8-litre TFSI powerplant, has now been replaced by a 2.0-litre TFSI powertrain with 197PS (badged '40 TFSI'), while the previous 230PS 2.0 TFSI engine gets a boost to 245PS (and new '45 TFSI' badging). There's now no longer a diesel option. The TTS retains its existing badging but gets a slight reduction in power (306PS, down from 310PS) but a little extra torque to compensate, so the rest to 62mph sprint figure (4.5s) is actually fractionally improved. The flagship model remains the 400PS 2.5-litre five cylinder TT RS, which only comes with S tronic auto transmission and can get to 62mph in 3.7s.

In conjunction with the 197PS 2.0 TFSI engine, customers have the choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch auto transmission. The 245PS unit is available with either the manual gearbox and front-wheel-drive - or with S tronic auto transmission and the multi-plate clutch-based quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. Both versions of the TTS feature quattro as standard. In both transmission types, the close-ratio lower gears enable powerful acceleration, while the wide ratio of each transmission's highest gear reduces the engine speed and with it fuel consumption.

By networking quattro drive with the standard 'drive select' driving mode system, the TT driver can adjust the operating parameters of the all-wheel-drive system to suit his or her individual requirements. In "auto" mode, optimum traction and balanced driving dynamics are given priority. In "dynamic" mode, torque is distributed to the rear axle earlier and to a higher degree. In the drive select "efficiency" mode, the set-up can temporarily shut down the quattro system if conditions suit this. Audi's magnetic ride adaptive damper control system is fitted as standard to the TTS and is optional for all other versions.

Design and Build
One thing's for sure. Even if you'd never seen this car before, you'd know it was an Audi TT. Some commentators have been a little disappointed in how safe Audi has played the exterior styling but this is still a very good looking little coupe with some lovely design touches. The fuel flap on the right side panel for example, is the classic race-style circle surrounded by socket screws, with no filler cap beneath the flap. This means that there is nothing to be unscrewed and the pump nozzle slots straight into the tank neck. As for styling changes to this enhanced model, well the main one is a revised design for the three-dimensional Singleframe radiator grille and larger side air inlets.

Inside, the fascia is dominated by the Audi Virtual Cockpit, now featuring an additional sport display providing information on engine output, torque and g forces. Located directly behind the steering wheel, a 1440 x 540 pixel, 12.3-inch digital screen shows all information directly in front of the driver. Operated via the MMI Touch button, voice control and the multi-function steering wheel, the display can be switched between 'classic', with prominent speedometer and rev counter, or 'infotainment', which brings functions such as the navigation map or media to the fore.

The round air vents - a classic TT feature - are reminiscent of jet engines with their turbine-like design.

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