streak
12-22-2008, 07:37 AM
The specifications of the car may not floor you ¬there is more power in many cars, the top speed is restricted unlike some of the cars, the engine is not most modern. Looking at the Audi TT in flesh still might not floor you - and believe me, you'd be the very odd man out. You might not even be impressed with the interiors, the space, the steering wheel, the S-tronic gearbox, the gear-shift pedals on the steering wheel, the red stitches on the seats, et al. Ok, I might even grant you all that even though I completely disagree with you then, on all counts except maybe the seating position. But once you switch on the engine and blip the throttle, if you haven't still fallen in love with the car, then I would most certainly disown you, excommunicate you from my fraternity or even sack you if you worked for me. Unless you got me a certificate from your doctor stating explicitly that you were deaf.
This 3189cc engine, essentially from the olderTT, sounds terrific. The rumble of the V6 at idle is just the beginning of this classic symphony composed by Audi. And unlike the sweetly tuned exhaust notes that one hears on most modern cars, this symphony is in stereo, with the intake chipping in and keeping the exhaust com¬pany on stage. If it were Indian classical music, then this would be the perfect jugalbandi.
I first drove the car a few months afterits launch in Europe middle of last year and instantly fell in love. Driving it again was like falling in love again. The car after having been around in Europe still turns heads there and in India, its sexy enough to cause a riot, of strangers dropping in and complimenting me on the car. Apart from the proportions I particularly like the futuristic tail-lamps with the rectangular lights, the muscular haunches, deft touches like the fuel filler cap and the sexy alloy 18-inch wheels.
97
If the exteriors are nice then the interiors are a master class on what appeals to people like me who drink eat sleep and drive cars. The steering wheel is my all time favourite and I like the circular aluminium air regulators on the air con vents, the pedals, the TT badging on the instrument cluster, the red stitching on the seats and even the dash.
All of that would come to naught if the car did not drive as well as it promises but put your fears to rest. The engine is a live wire, having bite throughout the rev range which is superbly transmitted into the wheels by Audi's version of the dual clutch gearbox, the 6-speed S-tronic. For those of you who have become used to DSGs on tardy diesels, the TT is the car to drive and you will realise the difference a quick-shift makes to the driving experience. In fact, the car with the auto box posts quicker acceleration times than the manual one.
Quattro and launch control mean that you can do some blistering starts while a sport suspension mode makes the already stiff suspension like a rock. On German roads it added to the experience but on Indian roads it is a back breaker - maybe magnetic damping options from the new A4 would be a better idea.
This 3189cc engine, essentially from the olderTT, sounds terrific. The rumble of the V6 at idle is just the beginning of this classic symphony composed by Audi. And unlike the sweetly tuned exhaust notes that one hears on most modern cars, this symphony is in stereo, with the intake chipping in and keeping the exhaust com¬pany on stage. If it were Indian classical music, then this would be the perfect jugalbandi.
I first drove the car a few months afterits launch in Europe middle of last year and instantly fell in love. Driving it again was like falling in love again. The car after having been around in Europe still turns heads there and in India, its sexy enough to cause a riot, of strangers dropping in and complimenting me on the car. Apart from the proportions I particularly like the futuristic tail-lamps with the rectangular lights, the muscular haunches, deft touches like the fuel filler cap and the sexy alloy 18-inch wheels.
97
If the exteriors are nice then the interiors are a master class on what appeals to people like me who drink eat sleep and drive cars. The steering wheel is my all time favourite and I like the circular aluminium air regulators on the air con vents, the pedals, the TT badging on the instrument cluster, the red stitching on the seats and even the dash.
All of that would come to naught if the car did not drive as well as it promises but put your fears to rest. The engine is a live wire, having bite throughout the rev range which is superbly transmitted into the wheels by Audi's version of the dual clutch gearbox, the 6-speed S-tronic. For those of you who have become used to DSGs on tardy diesels, the TT is the car to drive and you will realise the difference a quick-shift makes to the driving experience. In fact, the car with the auto box posts quicker acceleration times than the manual one.
Quattro and launch control mean that you can do some blistering starts while a sport suspension mode makes the already stiff suspension like a rock. On German roads it added to the experience but on Indian roads it is a back breaker - maybe magnetic damping options from the new A4 would be a better idea.