Skip advert
Advertisement
In-depth reviews

Audi TT (Mk3, 2014 - 2023) review – curtain call for the coupe/roadster icon

The Audi TT has official retired, but its style is still sharp even if doesn't always hit the right notes dynamically

Evo rating
Price
from £36,365
  • Interior still superb; sharp and restrained aesthetic; better to drive than any TT before
  • Less sharp to drive than many hot hatches; driving position not suitable for all

When the Audi TT burst onto the scene in the late ’90s, its Bauhaus style and instant-icon design made much of the mainstream car market look and feel stale overnight. A brand-builder to usher in modern, premium-era Audi, it’s been a stalwart of the company’s range ever since.

While each generation of the TT has been memorable from a design point of view, its driving experience has been less so. Audi has spent considerable time and effort on improving that reputation over the TT’s quarter-century tenure, and it’s an area where the car has certainly progressed in this third generation, launched in 2014.

Advertisement - Article continues below

> The Abt XGT is an Audi R8 GT2 racer you can drive on the road

The TT, and its TTS and TT RS performance variants, all received a light refresh in 2019, yet their fundamentals remain. Instantly recognisable in silhouette, the TT’s rounded arches and clean surfacing still define its aesthetic, and inside the striking cabin it remains the benchmark in the class.

Does the TT still have a place three generations and two decades after the original, or does it represent a moment in time Audi has held onto for a few years too many? 

Audi TT: in detail

  • > Engine, gearbox and technical highlights > All TTs bar the RS share a 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with between 194bhp and 242bhp depending on spec. The TT is also now DSG-only. 
  • > Performance and 0-60 time > That combo of transmission and EA888 four-cylinder turbo engine makes all TTs quick, with even the lowliest model hitting 62mph in 6.6sec.
  • > Ride and handling > The TT is a very grippy car, with a tendency toward understeer in most driving scenarios. Multiple drive modes allow dampers, steering, throttle and transmission maps to be tweaked individually.
  • > MPG and running costs > The Audi TT isn’t a cheap car to buy but does deliver useful savings in fuel economy and road tax, depending on variant.
  • > Interior and tech > A highlight of all TTs, but the Mk3 remains a superb example of design restraint and clever material use.
  • > Design > The TT’s unique shape has evolved in this third generation, yet remains instantly recognisable.

Prices, specs and rivals  

Audi’s current TT range is made up of three different powertrain choices, not including the more powerful TTS and TT RS models. All standard TTs make do with a 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine available in 194bhp and 242bhp forms (badged as 40TFSI and 45TFSI versions respectively), and come as standard with a dual-clutch S-tronic transmission. The more powerful of the two versions was available in both front- and quattro all-wheel drive, and now solely in the latter.

Advertisement - Article continues below
Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

These powertrain options are then available in five different trim specifications regardless of engine choice, the choice running to Sport, Sport Edition, S-Line, Black Edition and fully-loaded Vorsprung. Pricing for the most basic Audi TT 40 TFSI Sport starts at around £36,000, rising to a hefty £48,000-plus for the 45 TFSI Vorsprung. The TT Roadster is available in the same spread of versions for an extra £1750 and includes an electrically retracting fabric roof as standard. Audi’s 296bhp TTS kicks off (just) below £50,000, with the TT RS a serious £60,000+.

All models come with niceties such as the now well-established Virtual Cockpit dial pack, leather trim and 18-inch alloys. As is increasingly the case in the wider industry, Audi no longer generally offers a huge array of options, instead bundling different levels of equipment into the five trim levels.

Few direct coupe and roadster rivals to the TT remain. More serious sports car rivals include Porsche’s remarkably talented yet aurally unsatisfying 718 Cayman, the delectable Mazda MX-5 and muscular Toyota Supra coupe (plus its soft-top BMW Z4 twin) - not forgetting the brilliant but virtually sold-out Toyota GR86. There’s also BMW’s M240i xDrive Coupe, and Mazda’s loveable MX-5 convertible and folding hardtop RF variant.

As the TT ends production, it leaves a hole in the automotive market. The TT was, in many ways, the pinnacle of the mainstream coupe. Considered objectively as a sports car, it was a 60 per cent car: 60 percent as fun as a ‘real’ traditional sports car, and 60 per cent as practical as a traditional hot hatch while not being quite as well-rounded a product as either. 

Considered with the benefit of hindsight over its four-decade-straddling run, it’s been a car with a remarkable breadth and depth of talents. In late-model TTS spec, it’s a genuinely enjoyable drive, it’s packed a great deal of design-value desirability into a platform with humble origins, and it’s easily slotted into many people’s lives and enlivened them just a little. It’ll be missed.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

More on TT coupe

Audi TT Mk1: review, history and buying guide
Audi TT Mk1 – front
In-depth reviews

Audi TT Mk1: review, history and buying guide

The Audi TT is a style icon, and as the model bows out for good this year, the Mk1 looks like a tempting slice of Audi history
8 Sep 2023
Audi TTS 2023 review
Audi TTS – front quarter
Reviews

Audi TTS 2023 review

In its last phase of life, the TTS is a much improved sports coupe, if still not to the same benchmark as rivals from Porsche or Alpine
25 Feb 2023
2019 Audi TT revisions
Audi TT facelift - front quarter
News

2019 Audi TT revisions

Updated 2019 Audi TT will finally be available to order from mid-January 2019 with a special edition celebrating 20 years of the coupe
4 Dec 2018
What's it like to race in the Audi TT Cup?
Videos

What's it like to race in the Audi TT Cup?

Richard Meaden is dropped in at the deep end with a VIP slot in the N24-supporting Audi TT Cup
10 Oct 2016
ABT takes Audi TTS to 365bhp
News

ABT takes Audi TTS to 365bhp

German tuner gives one of Audi's most enticing products a power boost
10 Jul 2015
591bhp Audi TT Clubsport Turbo concept revealed
News

591bhp Audi TT Clubsport Turbo concept revealed

Incredible performance figures from 2.5-litre TFSI engine. With video
11 May 2015
Audi TT LED Matrix Beam demonstrated on video
News

Audi TT LED Matrix Beam demonstrated on video

See how Audi’s innovative LED Matrix Beam lights work in this new video
16 Jan 2015
Audi Sport TT Cup race car pictures
News

Audi Sport TT Cup race car pictures

Audi Sport’s DTM inspired 335bhp TT Cup race car gets its own race series in 2015. Meet the angry sounding racer here…
2 Dec 2014
B&B's Audi TT offers TTS beating performance
News

B&B's Audi TT offers TTS beating performance

German tuner B&B has produced three stages of tuning for the Audi TT to boost peak power to 355bhp
24 Nov 2014
Audi TT Sportback concept: Paris motor show 2014
Audi TT Sportback at the 2014 Paris motor show
News

Audi TT Sportback concept: Paris motor show 2014

Audi has revealed the new five-door TT Sportback model, ahead of the 2014 Paris motor show
2 Oct 2014
Gumpert Explosion
Gumpert Explosion at the Geneva motor show 2014
News

Gumpert Explosion

Gumpert, creator of the mighty Apollo, has produced a new Audi-based Coupe called the Explosion. Details and pictures here
5 Mar 2014
Skip advert
Advertisement
Audi Allroad Shooting Brake concept video
Audi Allroad Shooting Brake concept
News

Audi Allroad Shooting Brake concept video

Audi has unveiled the Allroad Shooting Brake concept, giving us an idea of how the next TT will look. Video, details and live show pictures here
16 Jan 2014
Audi TT Ultra Quattro
Audi TT Ultra Quattro cuts weight
News

Audi TT Ultra Quattro

The Audi TT Ultra Quattro demonstrates new weight saving tech and a Nissan GT-R slaying power-to-weight figure
25 Apr 2013
Audi TT mk1 buying checkpoints
Audi TT mk1 buying checkpoints
Advice

Audi TT mk1 buying checkpoints

What to look out for when buying a used mk1 Audi TT
22 Feb 2013
New Audi TT Sport
Entry-level Audi TT 1.8 TFSI Sport
News

New Audi TT Sport

Audi aims for the Peugeot RCZ and Mini Coupe with its new TT 1.8 TFSI Sport
17 Oct 2011
Audi TT RS racing car
Audi TT RS DTM touring car
News

Audi TT RS racing car

Raeder Motorsport unveils its Audi TT RS racing car. It's a customer race car for VLN endurance racing
12 Oct 2010
Audi TT RS by MTM: 194mph
MTM Audi TT RS quattro coupe
News

Audi TT RS by MTM: 194mph

Audi's TT RS quattro not potent enough for you? Try MTM's 194mph, 466bhp version...
7 Oct 2010
Paris video: Audi quattro
Audi Quattro concept
News

Paris video: Audi quattro

Audi has unveiled a modern-day quattro with 400bhp and 4WD. We introduce it on video
30 Sep 2010
Audi quattro Concept
Audi quattro Concept
News

Audi quattro Concept

Audi's fantastic homage to the Ur-Quattro with 400bhp should make it to production
30 Sep 2010
Project Veyrog
Audi TT
Features

Project Veyrog

The first stage of our mini Veyron’s engine upgrade is complete, with unexpectedly good results, while stripping out unnecessary weight has had an int…
23 Nov 2009
Project Veyrog
Audi TT
Features

Project Veyrog

The parts for our TT-based mini Veyron have arrived, and the work is now under way. Here’s how we’re going to get it up to 300bhp – and that’s just fo…
27 Oct 2009
Project Veyrog
Project Veyrog: Audi TT
Features

Project Veyrog

A TT with RS performance but for a fraction of the cost? We reckon it can be done. This month we outline the plan for our mini Veyron and get some ben…
25 Sep 2009
Project Veyrog
Audi TT
Features

Project Veyrog

We intend to transform our Audi TT base car into a track-snorting, cutting-edge, racing tool...
20 Jul 2009