The new Audi TT has finally made it here. In the late afternoon on a Sunday, trucks load of the new TT are being unloaded at Euromobil Glenmarie. Not one, but many of them. Bet that a lot of the Audi TT Club Malaysia members must have put their RM285k of saving for this latest generation coupe, and many Teh Tarik sessions had happened on the discussion of the new TT. However, showroom experience in the DRB Hicom owned Glenmarie Euromobil is not up to expectation. Firstly, they shut their gate at 4pm instead of following 5pm (as published in their website). Secondly, most sales person are more interested in their own solitary time instead of walking up to a potential customer. No wonder Audi AG has taken over from DRB Hicom as the sole distributor and importer instead. Audi AG, a lot of customer experience improvement needed for your dealerships!
The new Audi TT now bears a sharper front, with a trapezoidal headlight instead of the previous generation that and all rounded from front to tail. It is finally a car for the macho man now. The tame look is gone, though the rear still resemble the roundish outgoing unit.
Engine is the familiar 2-litre TFSI, mated to the 6-speed dual-clutch S-tronic gearbox. This base engine is able of 230hp/370Nm of power sending to the front. Quattro 4-wheel-drive version is not available in Malaysia as of now. But looking at the popularity of the previous TT on our roads, if not official from Audi, grey imports shall be available very soon as well.
The interior of the Audi is fantastic, especially the digital Audi virtual cockpit. The all digital screen in front of the driver provides all vital information and settings for the car, which make the center console as simple yet functional. The airplane-engine style aircon vents are fabulous, giving a sense of luxury with speed. 6-second to the century sprint, at at RM285k a pop, it is no wonder this grand-tourer is so popular.
As a 2+2 seater coupe, the TT is equipped with 6-airbag, and a host of standard safety features, such as the ESC (Electronic Stabilisation Control), TPM, ISOFIX...Oh wait, ISOFIX for child seat? Yes, and ISOFIX is available at the front passenger seat. Do remember to off the passenger airbag though! Alcantara/leather combination seat is as comfortable as an Audi should be. However, for the TT, and if it were in white colour, the brown Nappa leather will fit in perfectly. By the way, those still confuse on what Alcantara is about, wiki it. It is just a synthetic fiber that feels like suede and it is not leather.
The TT travels on 18" cast aluminium rim, wrapped with 245/40R18 rubbers. Twin tail pipes are standard, but the location is somehow mismatch. The designer should move the tail pipe further to the sides or place them both in the middle. The spoiler automatically rises up at about 120km/h, and this is good indication telling our traffic camera that it is running at illegal speed. Folks, bring the car to a track event and it only cost about RM300-RM500 for a session. Be safe than sorry.
Again, at RM285k, the Audi TT is indeed easily reachable when compare to other similar range coupe. It is definitely better than the Peugeot RCZ which cost RM272k, and you get yourself a German-engineered car instead of the French, which has a lame 1.6-litre engine.
If you want a rear wheel drive coupe instead, the Mercedes SLK or BMW Z4 could be better choice. But why not wait for the all new Mazda MX-5. Except for being a Japanese brand, it is still the world best selling roadster! However, the 4-ring brand is still worth the money for its luxurious image.
