2017 Audi TT

Its influences have become, more directly, the R8 sports-car family rather than that original TT. Overhangs have been tucked in, and from overheard it's more squared-off overall. It's a little more hunkered-back, too. Given that, the impression is that the TT is a little wider before; it's actually slightly narrower. And all these changes add up to a profile and proportions that are more sports car than touring coupe.

The new TT looks a good deal more expressive than the former version, and up-close details are the key to that. In front, LED matrix headlamps, a trapezoidal "singleframe" grille, and new hood creasing add to a racy, R8-influenced look, while the chiseled corners and sheet metal sculpting help visually bring up the car's midline without getting too much in the way of visibility from inside.

Although you might say that the exterior of the TT is a continuation of existing styles, the cabin layout and interface of the TT is truly revolutionary. Audi's radical redo of the TT's interface delivers a sports-car vibe in a way that the TT never had before; the layout is low-set and enveloping around the driver, while the infotainment screen and center stack have been nixed completely—moved in front of the driver, into a new Audi Virtual Cockpit display, employing a 12.3-inch high-contrast display, voice controls, steering-wheel toggles, and a center-console capacitive touch pad.

Details abound, and they're well-coordinated and seemingly either aerospace or racing influenced. Round, nicely detailed vents have middle areas that display climate-control settings, and they press and twist. The dash hangs back at a slight angle over the passenger’s legs like an aircraft wing, with the array of round dash vents like engines. And distinctive trims and more interior colors add to a look that's performance-oriented and purposeful.

The Audi TT is powered by a 2.0-liter inline-4 with turbocharging and direct injection, making 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet. The engine in the high-performance TTS might have the same displacement—2.0 liters—but there’s more turbo boost, and all the core moving parts are stronger to suit, bringing its numbers up to 292 hp and 280 lb-ft.

The TT is offered only in all-wheel-drive quattro form for the U.S. It has the latest, Audi-tuned Haldex clutch-pack system, which will send more power to the rear wheels when it’s needed, or preemptively to make the car more balanced in sporty driving (it responds not only to accelerator inputs, but steering too). Audi's 6-speed S-tronic automated manual gearbox does the shifting, and while you're not rowing your own, the gear changes are quicker and just as satisfying.

These might not be full-fledged sports cars by some gauges, but they're sports-car quick. Audi TT models get to 60 mph in as little as 5.3 seconds, while the TTS does it in just 4.6 seconds. That's a big improvement over the previous version, thanks to a new aluminum-and-steel composite construction that builds both on the VW Group’s MQB platform and engineering expertise from the R8 sports car—resulting in a weight reduction of up to 110 pounds versus the outgoing model.

The 2017 TT indeed drives with a lighter-and-leaner feel in most ways—and it keeps with the promise of the sportier cockpit layout in delivering a more neutral, balanced feel that lets you take advantage of its baked-in handling abilities.

All TT and TTS models will come with a progressive steering system that matches a variable ratio with variable electric assist—adding to that nimble feeling in quick directional changes and mountain hairpins, but feeling settled and stable on the highway.

Keep in mind that TTS models include an Audi magnetic ride suspension that, while tauter than the TT's setup, actually helps do a better job of keeping road harshness out. The only thing we wish for, after having experienced this system several times, is a bit more feedback from the road—and that complaint becomes exaggerated in the TTS, as while its magnetic suspension filters out a lot of road din, it also cancels out some of the sensations at the wheels and the seat of your pants.

To help keep you inspired, there's some mood supplementation in the TT and TTS. In both models, a sound actuator feeds "sporty" sounds into the cabin when you drive enthusiastically. TTS models add to that with exhaust flaps to assist in the soundtrack. Audi Drive Select offers Dynamic, Auto, and Comfort modes that affect throttle response, transmission behavior, steering boost, and behavior of the stability and all-wheel-drive systems, and this all plays a role in making these cars where you can "tune in" the driving experience for your mood.

As in previous TT models, a powered spoiler extends at 75 mph or retracts at 44 mph; and it generates about 110 pounds of downforce at 155 mph. It’s not something that’s going to make much of a difference at U.S. freeway speeds, but it’s a bragging right—as is a new launch control feature.

We gave the TT a 6 out of 10 on our ratings scale thanks to good front seats and top-notch interior materials, but took away a point based on its useless back seat. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

Well, technically the 2017 Audi TT is a four-seater; but whether or not you call it a true four-passenger model or a 2+2 depends very much on the size of your passengers. In coupe models, shorter-than-average adults will find just enough space for knees and legs when in back, but their heads will likely be mashed up against the top of the hatchback glass (yes, watch out when closing the hatch).

Convertible models have room for two—and that's it. The front seats of the roadster are the same story as the coupe, more leg room in front than in most other sports cars or sporty coupes, as well as a good driving position for a wide range of sizes.

The TT's front seats are generally above and beyond what you might expect for a sports car or a stylish little touring coupe. They offer plenty of lateral support for the thighs and back, as well as back support, and with the S line package you also get distinctive diamond patterning on nappa leather, and there are various grades of cloth, leather, and Alcantara (faux-suede) elsewhere in the lineup. Special accent lighting (and noteworthy change for the interior's ambience) comes with an available lighting package.

Interior trim and cabin materials are, on the whole, a lot more expressive than they've been in previous TT models. You'll find a padded, textured material for the upper dash, while there's a raised, honeycomb-patterned material on the TTS that looks more than a little retro. In addition to a flamboyant Express Red interior leather hue, there are black, Rock Gray, and Palomino Brown interior themes, and a second contrasting color available in some builds.

We haven't rated the TT due to the lack of official data. We'll update this page once it becomes available. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

With its full redesign this past model year, the Audi TT lineup was built on a new body structure. And while it starts out in some places with the company's MQB architecture that is being phased in for a wide range of VW and Audi products (including the A3 lineup), the TT isn't really close enough to compare to any of those vehicles' safety results. That's because the TT includes far more aluminum—in everything from sheet metal to the body structure itself, supplemented with high-strength steel in areas like firewall and some of the floor structure.

For 2017, a rearview camera has become standard on the entire model line. Secondary collision brake assist, which keeps the vehicle from continuing to roll when it’s been in an accident, is included, too. Blind-spot monitors and an lane-keep assist system are both available—with the latter now offering a gentle pulse-warning through the steering wheel. If that's not enough, a higher-intervention mode actually helps steer the vehicle to keep it in the travel lane.

With it, you get three different unique layouts: Classic, Progressive, and Sport (TTS only). Classic has a traditional gauge layout, with speedometer and tachometer, while Progressive gives you a navigation/map visual in the areas between. Sport gives you a choice of several performance layouts. 

So far we've found it to be mostly a step in the right direction, switching between layouts with a "view" button on the steering wheel, using the left toggle to navigate between main choices, and the right toggle for task-specific needs. The continued hesitation we have with this system is that it's driver-centric to such an extreme that it might require too much attention from the driver; it doesn't permit delegating DJ duties to a passenger, for instance.

With the MMI Navigation Plus package, you add the capability to display smooth-scrolling maps on the high-contrast color screen, as well gauge-cluster layouts—simultaneously. That package also adds Audi Connect, with an embedded LTE data connection and showy Google Earth and Google Street View displays, real-time traffic information, and Facebook- and Twitter-integrated interfaces. There's 10 GB for storing music files, and of course, and Bluetooth audio streaming.

Where the Audi's interface features really leap a step ahead of all the rest, as we see it, is in a new search function that lets you input free text, scanning everything from navigation destinations to songs, podcasts, or phone-book contacts. Now after several encounters, this system impresses as the closest fully-vehicle-integrated system to what Google offers in Android handsets or Apple with Siri. The only gripe remains that backing out of some functions, if they don't deliver what you need, should be more straightforward.

While it may be a startling level of tech to throw into a driver-focused car, this is actually in line with what Audi says: that today's sport-coupe and sports-car buyers have higher expectations when it comes to infotainment and connectivity. Compared to other sports cars it really isn't an either/or dilemma—you can have some of the top tech wizardry, in a way that doesn't detract from the sports-car flavor.

Otherwise, the feature content for these models is quite generous. The TT includes keyless ignition, remote locking, an alarm system, a garage-door opener, cruise control, rear parking sensors, and automatic wipers and headlamps; and for 2017, Audi has added a rearview camera plus auto-dimming, power-folding side mirrors. And on TTS models you add the more powerful engine, a magnetic ride suspension (which we have mixed feelings about, as you've likely read in other sections of this review), wheel and brake upgrades, front and rear parking sensors, and Audi side assist.

At the top of the lineup, Bang & Olufsen surround-sound audio offers 12 speakers and 680 watts, with a processor that optimizes sound based on cabin noise.

New for 2017 is a Black Optic package, which is mainly an appearance package that brings a black grille surround, black side mirror housings. On TTS models with the package there's an additional black rear diffuser, while both models get special titanium-finish wheels (19-inch double-spokes for the TT and 20-inch V-spokes for the TTS).

Based on those numbers, we're giving the TT an efficiency score of 7 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)

That rating makes the TT Roadster one of the most fuel-efficient models on the market with a convertible top.

Front-wheel-drive versions of the TT have been the ones with the best mileage ratings in the past, but the lineup has gone all-wheel drive, all the time. There are no plans to bring the diesel TDI inline-4 that's offered in Europe.

Otherwise, TTS models, with their higher-output engine, earn 23/27/25 mpg for 2017.

You might argue that these models aren't that competitive when you figure in passenger and cargo capacity; yet they are among relatively few models on the market where we've managed to meet or beat the EPA ratings in real-world driving. We averaged nearly 31 mpg in a TT Coupe over a 340-mile highway trip, for instance.