Audi has relaunched the TT Coupe, powered by a 2.0-litre TFSI engine producing 214 PS of power. The TT now costs Rs 48.36 lakh, ex-showroom and will be available at Audi dealerships around India from June 2012.
The new Audi TT Coupe might have slightly less power (the earlier 3.2-litre FSI engine produced 250 PS), but the addition of a turbocharger has endowed the smaller-capacity TT with more torque, with the engine producing 350 Nm of max torque vis-Ã -vis 320 Nm available earlier. This has ensured the TT is quicker to 100 km/h, recording a time of just 5.6 seconds, which is a tenth quicker than the earlier car. Although we haven’t done a full road test, we expect the in-gear times to be slightly better as well.
The new TT also features Audi Spaceframe Technology, or ASF. The TT Coupe’s body-in-white weighs just 206 kilograms. Aluminium is used for the body panels and structure up to the B-pillar, while the rest of the car is made of ultra-high strength steel. The aluminium components account for 140 kgs of the body by weight.
The new Audi TT will hope to compete with the likes of the BMW Z4 and the Nissan 370 Z, bth of which have larger capacity 6-cylinder engines. In this class of car, image is everything, so Audi might face a challenge convincing customers to go for a 4-cylinder sports car. But the cheaper list price and lower running costs might just tempt a few buyers to go for it.
