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2004 Audi TT 3.2 Coupe and Convertible Sports Car
…Continued
The Audi TT gets its name from the Gordon Bennett Cup races run at the turn of the Nineteenth Century on the Isle of Man off the coast of the U.K. These races were called the Tourist Trophy, hence the TT moniker. Auto Union, the forerunner to Audi, was a major competitor in these events. So was NSU, the motorcycle and car manufacturer Audi bought in 1969. NSU’s Prinz compact car was named the TT.
The first production Audi TT came to the U.S. in 1999, as a 2000 model year coupe. The original TT was powered by a 1.8-liter, turbocharged engine. The car looked great but did not deliver Audi’s promise of a true sports car. The car was under powered with the a version of VW Golf’s 1.8T engine. Without the Quattro all-wheel drive system and only a 180 horsepower engine, the original TT was a bit of a disappointment.
In 2001 Audi added a higher-pressure, turbo engine with 225-horsepower, Quattro, and a convertible version. The increase in horsepower and convertible top helped the TT to approach Audi’s desired product.
The introduction of the 3.2-liter, V-6 engine and the Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG) Audi has hit the nail on the head.
Vehicle Exterior
The 2004 Audi TT 3.2 convertible is the first release of a product from their new styling system called the S Line. Audi’s S division no longer just produces their high-performance products, but also the S Line and RS version products. S Line is the name Audi has given to vehicle retrofits that mostly effect appearance, and not performance.
The S Line changes to the TT are minimal, but striking. The new front apron, with larger air-intakes, enlarged rear spoiler and honeycomb diffuser give the TT a less rounded look. With the top down, the TT 3.2 looks like a more traditional roadster, with chrome accents, elegant lines and color combinations, that barely hide it high-tech underpinnings.
It is drop dead gorgeous, especially in red with the natural leather interior. You’ve got to see it.
It is hard to imagine that Audi is planning a complete redesign of the TT for release in just a few years. It already seems to be a perfect and classic design.
Vehicle Interior
The interior has hardly changed. It has lots of brushed aluminum, circular accents. The seating surfaces are soft, Napa leather. The roll bars have the brushed aluminum finish with a glass window between them to control air turbulence in the car when the top is down.
There are cool details in this car’s interior that aren’t in the competition. There is a door over the stereo controls that looks great. The car can be ordered with baseball glove leather and stitching â€' this looks good but might be hard on your clothes. The look and feel of all the controls is quality and built to last. And it comes with a big aluminum dead pedal so you can anchor yourself when you whip it around mountain roads.
The most significant difference in the interior is the steering-wheel mounted gear-shift paddles. When you get in the car you will immediately notice the absence of the gear shift knob â€' this is a true manual transmission afterall. But it’s actually there, it just looks like the shifter for an automatic transmission as the hardware has been moved to the steering wheel.
