That’s right, the Audi TT is exiting its teenage years in 2018 and is in the best shape of its life. A consistently top-performing car that has been hugely popular since it’s inception and is now better than ever before. Let’s have a quick walk down memory lane and recall just how and why we’ve become so fond of the impressive Audi.
First Generation
The first generation, codenamed ‘8N’, was introduced to us all the way back in 1998 and it remained unaltered until 2006. The first gen model arrived initially as a coupe but the cabriolet was introduced a year later in 1999. There wasn’t really anything like the TT on the market at the time and there hasn’t really been anything like it since. It was a classy convertible with reasonable running costs, high levels build quality and plenty of go. Even entry-level models were excellent to drive and packed plenty of performance. While the BMW Z3 and Mercedes SLK were comparable in terms of market share, the Audi was far more agreeable to live with than both of those models, which were rear wheel drive and very aggressive, whereas the TT shared its platform with the Audi A3 and it was perfectly comfortable to live with.
Second Generation
In 2006 came the second generation of the car and the tweaks and improvements that Audi made were faultless. Audi recognised that the market had shifted and the TT could become even more popular if it weren’t as feminine, so the TT was given aggressive headlights, muscular shoulder lines and big, imposing alloy wheels. Audi also decided to make the TT out of Aluminium which reduced the overall weight of the body so that more effort could be put into making the interior and onboard technology more advanced. The second generation TT was another roaring success but the most notable alteration for the second generation model was the introduction of the TT RS. Audi took the TT and turned everything up to 11. The 335 horsepower RS was capable of doing the 0-60 mph sprint of just 4.5 seconds, matching some Ferraris on sale at the time. The TT RS was so good that the competitors, Mercedes and BMW, didn’t even bother trying to compete with it.
Third Generation & TT 20 Years model
And finally, the third and current generation which has been on sale now since 2014. Interestingly, it’s the diesel versions of the third generation TT which are the best ‘all rounders’ so to speak. The 2.0 TDi unit offers plenty of power (180 horsepower) as well as loads of torque which makes the driving experience extremely characterful. Of course, with it being a diesel engine, users can easily achieve over 50 mpg on motorway journeys too. This is the current model that has taken the TT through the tail end of its teen years and now into its twenties. To celebrate which Audi have launched a special 20th anniversary model of the TT. Only 999 models of the ‘TT 20 Years’ and it is available as both a coupe and a roadster. The most immediately obvious change is the new baseball leather quilted seats but there are tweaks to the front grille and side vents too, which are now considerably more angular. There are also new, limited edition wheel designs available, as well as a new rear spoiler which certainly looks the business. There is ‘TT 20 years’ badging dotted around the bodywork as well as on the floor mats and the steering wheel too, which sets this car apart from the rest of the TT.
This special edition ‘TT 20 years’ is on sale now and prices start around £30,000 whereas the standard TT is on sale from the slightly cheaper price of £28,855
