News: Third-gen Audi TT goes on sale packing extra tech and virtual cockpit
Three for T
THE ORIGINAL Audi TT stunned the world with its Bauhaus-inspired styling and now the third-generation car, which goes on sale this week, hopes to repeat the trick, this time with its hotly trailed virtual cockpit and advanced technology.
At launch there will be two specification levels, Sport and S Line, and a choice of two engines: a 179bhp 2-litre diesel and a 224bhp 2-litre petrol. Four-wheel-drive quattro and S tronic versions are available with both. A 1.8-litre version will arrive later in the year, followed by a convertible and a hot RS in 2015.
Without the cheaper 1.8 in the line-up, prices for the new TT start from £29,860 for the 2.0 TFSI Sport and top out at £35,335 for the 2.0 TFSI quattro S line with S tronic gearbox.
The model’s much-trailed virtual cockpit is actually a large 12.3in TFT monitor located in the instrument binnacle. In classic view, the speedometer and rev counter are in the foreground while in infotainment mode the virtual instruments shrink in size to make way for other displays such as the navigation map. The optional Technology Package brings additional services such as Google Maps and Street View, which fill the screen.
The car is the same length as the outgoing model but has a slightly longer wheelbase. Its structure uses the same Audi space frame construction blending steel with aluminium to reduce the car’s weight by 50kg.
Into all of this Audi has squeezed extra technology including a selectable quattro system and advanced electronic stabilisation control for more tailored torque distribution. In addition, the new TT gets a host of standard and optional driver aids including camera-based traffic sign recognition which can alert the driver to speed limits, and a pre-sense safety system that will close the windows and tension the seatbelts if it detects an impending collision.
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