Today is

By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Author: Matthew Carter

Audi TT

Concept cars are meant to be wild. They are meant to be stde Tenements and the more impractical features they have the better. Ater all, they're never going to get buiN, are they'll So thank the Lord for the Audi TT which first appeared as a wild concept at the 1~~5 Frankfurt motor Show. The iconic coupé was a show- stopper, taking Bauhaus design language to the streets. And, as Audi will proudly tell you, within a couple of years it moved from spotlight to traffic light with barely a change.

That was both its strength and its weakness_ It looked fantastic - 8WI does 11 years on - but was never as confident on the road as it should have been. Part of the problem was its short wheelbase which made it twitchy when driven hard, quattro four-wheel drive notwithstanding. Nor was it aerodynamically as clever as it should have been: after a spate of high speed accidents on the German Autobahnen early on in the car's life, Audi was forced to stick a small spoiler on the car's rump.

It always looked like the afterthought it was. And the interior was, shall we say, cosy. Such was the lack of rear headroom that passengers were warned to duck if the rear hatch was being shut or risk a nasty bang on the head. All these problems have been eradicated by the latest tT, which has just gone on side. Although still clearly a TT - that signature sharply raked rooflike remains - the newcomer is new from the ground up and bigger all round.

It's longer, wider and taller than before, has a longer wheelbase and a wider track front and rear. In other words, the wheels are planted further apart. It also carves its way through the air more efficiently, with a much lower Cd figure than before. Any high-speed stability issues have been addressed both by a sophisticated new rear suspension layout and - as before - by a rear spoiler. This time, however, it's no add-on but neatly integrated into the tailgate... until the speede hits 75mph that is, when it automatically deploys to keep the rear glued to the road. Should a traffic cop be reading this however, just because a new TT- spoiler driver is breaking the speed limit.

There's a manual over-ride button and should the driver so wish, he can have the spoiler sticking up when bumbling around Canary Wharf. Bigger usually means heavier. And heavier means slower and thirstier. Not this time. Audi has used its ASF concept for the body... which essentially means lots of lightweight aluminium has been used in the car's construction. Audi uses the same principle when building the A8, but this time it has added high strength steel into the mix.

Steel is used for the doors and tailgate as well as for parts of the rear floor panels to optimise weight distribution. The result is still 48 per cent lighter than if the car had been made purely tom steel. (Jlearly th)en, a great deal of attention has gone into the second generation TT... more, it might be argued, than went into the first when the shape was the thing and never mind about the driving experience. As a result, the new TT looks as stunning as ever but is a whole lot better to drive.

There are two versions available at launch a front-wheel drive turbocharged 2.0 TFSl with 200bhp and a 250bhp 3.2 V6 quattro. Prices start at C24,625 for the 2.0-litre and C2~,285 for the V6. In terms of outright performance the two engines are surprisingly similar. The VG is marginally quicker ~5,7 seconds to 62mph versus 6.4s, 155 mph top speed versus 14~mph), but in the real world the difference is even closer. In fact, I'd say the 2.0-litre is more fun; a little noisier but far more eager than the smoother, more refined V6.

Of course, if you want quattro four-wheel drive you'll have to go for the V6 and it certainly provides extra composure when attacking a demanding stretch of tarmac... but the humble front driver Is far from out of its depth when driven in anger. The new rear suspension and bigger footprint both help keep the 2.0 TT tied down while the electric power steering provides plenty of feedback. Another trick up the TT's sleeve is a E1,150 option that Audi calls the Magnetic Ride system.

It uses special shock absorbers filled with a magnets-Geological fluid and tiny magnetic particles that when charged,.. look, never mind how it works, what it does is stiffen the dampers for a firmer ride with less body roll. It works well - though when left in Sport mode, will rattle your fillings - and makes the car feel more settled when tramping on. Another worthwhile option is the S tropic twin clutch automatic transmission (it used to be called the DSG gearbox] in place of the rather clunky six-speed manual.

It's C1,400 well spent and gives the comfort and refinement of an automatic with the super fast gearshifts. There's even a DIY option via steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters The good news continues inside where there's more head, leg and elbow room in the front and more head and elbow room in the rear, leg room remains non-existent however: it's best to think of the TT as a two seater with a couple of perches for very short journeys.