TinkySD

I recently pulled my deposit on a 335 for european delivery. (Dom is going to love this thread ) There were great deals to be had, but it was becoming very problematic to be able to be able to make a trip to munich in conjuction with my girlfriends ability to travel.(Teacher, only gets the summer off for travel when flights are prohibitively expensive) Those expensive summer flights eat into the savings I would make on the car as well. Without the european delivery deal a 335 equipped how I would want was just a bit more than I wanted to pay.(It's not about what I can afford as I'm earning 100k this year)

As i stepped back from that 300hp beast I started to really analyze what i was really looking for in a car instead of being mesmerized by the spec sheet or as I would term it "shopping by numbers."

-- Balanced and tossable.(Fun to drive factor)
-- Good midrange toque and freeway passing power.
-- an excellent transmission.(AT)
-- Nice looking and comfortable interior.
-- Exterior styling I love.
-- Something I don't see on every corner.(THis one carries a bit of vanity but I figure I might as well be honest)

As the years have gone by and the HP wars heated up I've really sort of 'gone back to my roots" and started liking cars that meet the tried and true sports car formula. Lower curb weight, nicely tuned engine(not so much total power output) and high fun to drive factor.

That's how I started looking at the TT 2.0t. I initially was skeptical; I loved the DSG when I had driven it in others car but the TT being FWD and a two door were things that I thought would be "outs" for me in my shopping for a new car. The biggest draw for me was the concerted effort in the new TT to shed weight(it's now under 3000lbs in 2.0t coupe form). The 2.0t engine, which while not overly high powered, offers very good performance(0-60 6.1 1/4 14.6 @ 97) when paired with the awesome DSG tranny. The fact that there isn't ridiculous torque from a big motor and the light curbweight really made the FWD much less of a factor than I thought it would; to the point where rwd/awd was no longer on my list of "must haves." It also gets better milesage than my TSX which is a plus in my book. Space is actually less of an issue than I thought. While the back seats aren't good for much but use as a storage shelf but they fold down flush with the floor and when you open the back hatch you can easily fit two golf bags and several suitcases.

I know I could get an a3 or gti and get similar performance for less money but the looks were an out for me.

So at this point I'm getting very serious about ordering myself up an tt 2.0t... am I crazy or what?



PS THe TSX isn't going anywhere. It's paid off and a great car in it's own right so my girlfriend will be driving it and we will be selling her civic.

micvog

No. I was looking at trading in my TSX earlier this year and test drove the A3 with the 2.0t/DSG. It is the most amazing powertrain I have ever driven. If I wasn't looking for additional utility, I would consider the new TT as well (the A3 ended up being slightly too small).

dom

2.0T chipped FTW! (Can't get the TT 2.0T in AWD, only the 3.2)

But its FWD and you live in Cali Having said that C&D seemed to love the handling in a recent comparo.

Have a look at the G37 coupe. Or how about a 328 coupe? Great looks, less money and less power but still powerful enough.

jlukja

Good job on being open minded and doing a thorough evaluation of wants vs. needs. Its refreshing to see that somebody out there isn't blindly following the horsepower race.

TinkySD

Like I mentioned I intially was anti fwd, but at 2900lbs and not having a 3.5 liter engine it's not so bad. I would love a 2.0t awd and rumor has it we may see one in another 1-1.5 years.

I've looked at both those cars extensively and for some reason they just don't "feel" right for me. The 328 and TT will likely perform about the same.
The tt 2.0t can be had for like 35k and they have very low lease rates right now(1.9% and decent residual) so it's actually going to be comparable in lease cost as well. The tt will be a bit cheaper than a similarly optinoed 328 and while I think the 3 coupe is a gorgeous car I much prefer the interior and DSG transmission on the audi. If I was looking at a 3.2 tt it would be a no brainer to go bmw instead but the 2.0t dsg gives it that value edge in my opinion since I don't need the extra space and I'll still have the tsx around if I need to carry 4.

The g35/g37 are also great cars. Lease cost would be a bit more than a 2.0t tt and while efficiency is improved they are still pretty thirsty. Obviously they are significantly more powerful and extremely capable machines but after stepping back i think i would prefer a smaller tossable car than a 3600 or 3700 lb car even if it peforms better in a straight line.

I haven't seen any TT chipped timeslips but people with gti/dsg 2.0ts can easily hit low 14s which for 500 bucks makes i a pretty capable car for the money.

Regardless of numbers I have never been to a dragstrip and probably never will so I want something that is engaging to drive and sporting without really worry about the absolute numbers.

I think the uniqueness factor is also important to me... you just don't see a lot of TTs on the road and that is appealing.

TinkySD

Well I was as guilty as anyone of being read to plunk down money for a high HP number. When looking at a 335 via ED I could get a very good price(under 500 a month for a 15 k lease, no money down) it was a no brainer. Big power and good value
.
But as I've been trying to make that happen for a good 6-9 months and not been able to get everything lined up i've had some time to think about it I realize I really don't need that. I mean I've driven the tsx for almost 5 years and while I wish it had more go I've really enjoyed the time behind the wheel.


A TT would be a serious jump in performance from what I have now which I think is more than enough to make me happy. Plus I think they look pretty sweet... and if I ever get bored a 500 dollar reflash would make it like driving a whole new car.

rabican

i was looking at getting the a3 before the tsx, i only got the tsx because i could find the options i wanted, great car.

i only wanted the car if i could have found it in white with dual sunroofs, dsg trany, and sport package

i was going to chip it...gives it around 80 torque for about a grand.

CrazyCool[O]

iTrader: (1)

Wow...i didn't know new TT is that great. I did little bit research right before and i'm impressed. I knew it looks sick as hell and now I realized people are comparing TT to Porshe Cayman It was v6 tho. However, 2.0T not seems too far away from v6 in performance wise. I'll pull the triger if I have bullets to shoot

jlukja

I also googled the TT just to get a better look at it. Look at what I found in Jeremy Clarkson's review:

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol...icle673330.ece

here is an excerpt :

TinkySD

I've got the option 18s with high performance tires spec'd out.

You shoudl watch the fifth gear review of the tt 2.0t it's a good piece.

HoRRo

The new TT looks quite nice, I saw the video review, and it performed quite good as well. It's a good choice.

LOL at this part of the review:

"Let’s do some criticisms. Obviously the back seats are as useless as the poor sods who work in the factory making them. What’s the point in wasting your life sewing something that will never be used. And imagine being the cow that gave up its life to provide the hide. Of all the pointless deaths . . . "

supraken

iTrader: (1)

I too, looked into the new TT recently, saw a couple on the road and fell in love with it, pics looks great, even better in person. However, I find it a bit overpriced. I think a 2.0T priced out to be $36k-ish without many options. What turned me off was the lack of quattro on the 2.0T. I haven't driven it and I'm sure the FWD drives great, but still, quattro was what brought Audi back to live in the past decade.

btw, I think in a recent car&driver comparo they said that the 3.2 version didn't offer much more performance than the 2.0T, so I think 2.0T is a good choice. I think the 3.2 was a carry over anyway, while the 2.0T is a new(er) design.

Price aside, I think it's really a great car, good performance, nice interior, looks that you don't see much of, and that Porsche-like rear end

Good choice, I'd say

dom

rb1

2.0T: 207 lb-ft at 1800-5000 RPM.

Enough said!

vwong

Not a TT, but same motor....2.0T mated with 6MT and quattro. And my A4 isn't chipped yet. Since the TT is a FWD, it should be a bit quicker than the quattro. Even on Audi's brochure, it claims that FWD A4 is a bit quicker than the quattro A4 in 0-60mph.

rb1

Actually, I test drove an A4 quattro 2.0T before I bought my TSX.

Those crank torque figures are very impressive, but the TSX gearing is much shorter, which balance out the A4 torque advantage to some degree in every day driving.

TinkySD

Oh man RB1 with a tsx and possibly buying a tt...what is the world coming to?

The DSG actually has gear ratio which are very comparable to those in the tsx mt (i'll get the list from c&d) and thankfully weighs about 300 lbs less than the tx mt and 600 lbs less than the a4 quattro! A

gavinn58

what about waiting for the 1-series due out in Spring 08? I'm looking at the 135i, 300hp and 300tq in a small coupe resembling the old bmw 2002.

TinkySD

The 135 will be a blast to drive but I'm personally not huge on the looks. It also weighs in at over a portly 3300lbs. It's about the same size as the last gen 3 series. Don't get me wrong it's an improvement over the current gen and trend for all cars to gain weight.

wrussi

my friend has a 2003 2.0t quattro the car is awesome the new model looks even better. i say test drive it first get a feel for it and try out other cars before you make a desicion

TinkySD

I've driven all the cars I've talked about(minus the g37...drove a 2007 g35 sedan)

I'm going to go drive it at night one more time tomrrow or saturday then make my final decision!

yuhoo22

I personally love the 2.0t TT and if I didn't need to carry 4 people in my car as often as I do, I would be driving one now instead of the TSX. I think if you don't have the need for the extra room and can afford it (which you clearly said you can) I would say its a good buy!