2007 Audi TT - Review

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2007 Audi TT Coupe - side

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You won’t be surprised to learn Germany has been the biggest market for the Audi TT coupe since it was launched in 1998. Britain is second, and together they account for 50 percent of all sales. But what might amaze you is that America is third, ahead of glamorous Mediterranean hot spots like Italy , France , and Spain . Audi’s home nation also tops the table for the TT convertible, but this time the USA is in second spot.

In a country famed for its love of very large trucks, a small and sporty passenger car from Europe has clearly found some fans. So American drivers will probably love the all-new version of the TT coupe — it’s bigger in every direction. The car is 5.4 inches longer, 3.1 inches wider, and 0.3 inches higher, and there’s 1.8 inches more in the wheelbase.

The all-over increase is the first thing you notice when you see the car, and the same is true when you sit inside. There’s more shoulder room for all occupants, and even though it’s around an inch it feels like more. The front chairs are set down to the ground, too, which means there’s great headroom.

Weighty issues

Audi representatives talked about how the newcomer will make “lighter work” of the roads, and, bad marketing pun aside, it’s true there’s been a lot of effort made to keep the weight down. The most obvious example is that the conventional all-steel construction has been ditched in favor of a space frame that’s an aluminum and steel hybrid. Developed from the flagship A8 sedan, it’s 48 percent lighter than it would have been if made from steel. The result is impressive; the 3.2-liter V-6 model weighs 3109 pounds, a massive 331 pounds less than the equivalent old version.