Audi TT
The TT next to a Porsche Turbo Cab I used to own, and the interior
Art. Design. Craft. In some sense, these terms lie on a continuum. Critics and scholars tell us that art is more concerned with ideas while craft is more concerned with the expression of those ideas. No matter. The Audi TT qualifies for whichever of these categories you want to place it in. It is sublime. And I’m fortunate to have gotten one.
I first saw the TT on the streets of Carmel. That town is a good place to see new car models. I saw my first Mercedes S 2000 there, and at the same time I saw the TT, I also saw the new Jaguar S. The car was silver, and parked in front of the One Ocean Street glass store. What a total jolt it was to see it there. So perfect. So beautiful. So avante garde, yet retro chic at the same time. It was a silver bullet recently fired from a magnum of incredible caliber and come to rest in a perfect spot.
They’re calling it the “Bauhaus Car” after the famous design school, and its no exaggeration. Inside and out, this is the slickest car I’ve seen in a long time. Other than a slight horsepower paucity (coming from a man who owns multiple 400+ horsepower cars I may be jaded), I like it better than anything else I own. Factoring in the horsepower, it drops a few notches, but is still stellar. And the good news is that this car costs about $34K. If I have money, but can have only one car, it’ll be a Porsche Twin Turbo. My second car will be a TT. If I can’t afford the Turbo, I’d go straight to the TT.
It’s a tiny little car, with a 180 HP turbo 4-cylinder that drives the front wheels through a 5-speed manual transmission. There is a back seat for children, and a usable small trunk, but the car is smaller than a Porsche 911. A more powerful, 6-speed, 225 HP, 4-wheel drive Quattro version is also available. There is rumored to be a TTS version that may have almost 300 HP, at which point the horsepower issue should be licked. There is also a cabriolet version due out soon which looks quite smart. I started out with the 180 HP, and sold that to my brother and upgraded to the 225 HP. The difference is not huge, but one feels less appologetic about the car with the extra ponies on tap. You are stuck with the rear deck spoiler, a protuberance I find detracts from the otherwise pristine lines of the car. In compensation, perhaps, you get Audi's traction control system. The car handles reasonably well without it, but this car feels noticeably tighter between the 4wd and the TCS. It's not an especially good track car, but it's good fun to commute on a twisty road.
In my first 24 hours with the car I had a ton of attention and two strangers who volunteered it was the coolest car they had seen in their lives. My friends have heard me call the TT my “jelly bean” car because it falls in that category for me. Others include the Boxster, Z3, SLK (some mistakenly call it the “Kompressor”), and, of course, the Miata. The TT is the best looking of this lot, and the M-Roadster version of the Z3 is (currently) the fastest. I have read that in Europe the TT has edged out the Boxster in popularity very rapidly. If you want this form factor, you owe it to yourself to go check out a TT at the Audi dealer. If it isn’t quick enough buy an M-Roadster from BMW.