Official: Audi TTS Revealed Ahead of NAIAS Debut

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Audi

Page 1: Overview
Page 2: Drivetrain
Page 3: Chassis / Body
Page 4: Interior / Features / History

The Interior

Awaiting the passengers inside are deep-set sports seats featuring seat heating and height adjustment. They come as standard with leather/Alcantara seat covers in either black or black and silver, plus silver-colored contrast stitching. The sports seats are optionally available in Silk Nappa leather upholstery. There is also the option of the Impulse leather package, comprising black trim with silver stitching in the Coupe or chennai brown trim with espresso-colored contrast stitching in the Roadster.

The cockpit in the TTS is molded around the driver like a sleek-fitting suit. Its clean-cut, sporty design and uncompromising quality of construction is another Audi trademark. Instruments with a gray background and white needles, metal pedals, aluminum trim panels, plus a multifunctional leather sports steering wheel with a rim that’s flattened at the bottom add further styling touches.

The driver information system with its new, high-resolution white display concentrates all important information where it can be clearly seen by the driver, and includes a timer function that is able to record lap times on race tracks. Mobile entertainment out on the road comes in the form of the chorus audio system with CD player.

As well as being great fun to drive, the new sports car from Audi boasts a host of credentials that make it eminently suitable for day-to-day use. The Roadster is available with an optional load-through facility complete with removable ski bag for added practicality. The trunk has a capacity of 250 liters (8.83 cubic ft). The rear seats in the Coupe have a split-folding design, allowing luggage capacity to be increased from 290 to 700 liters (10.24 to 24.72 cubic ft.).

The Features

Sales of the TTS will begin in the early summer. The Coupe is priced at 44,900 euros and the Roadster at 47,750 euros. The TT line's dynamic top model comes generously equipped. Its list of features includes quattro permanent all-wheel drive, the Audi magnetic ride adaptive suspension system, 18-inch aluminum wheels, xenon plus headlights with LED daytime running lights, plus – on the Roadster – the fully automatic soft top including power wind deflector.

The interior is dominated by the multifunctional leather sports steering wheel. The extended aluminum styling and heated sports seats with their leather/Alcantara upholstery are further highlights. An automatic air conditioning system and Isofix child seat mountings on the front passenger seat are designed to enhance both comfort and safety.

The list of optional extras includes two navigation systems, a Bose sound system, an iPod port, an LED interior lighting package, electrically adjustable seats, as well as the Audi adaptive light dynamic cornering light system. The S tronic dual-clutch transmission is an Audi technology that remains unmatched by anything the competition has to offer.

Ten Years of Audi TT – A Decade of Success

The unveiling of the TTS marks something of an anniversary for Audi: It was 10 years ago that the TT Coupe first took to the road, swiftly acquiring the status of a design icon. Ever since then the TT has been going from one strength to the next, in both hard-top and open-top form.

The prototype that was premiered by Audi at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1995, painted in silver gray, instantly captured the imagination of the show visitors. The strict consistency of its puristic form drew on the Bauhaus style of the 1920s. The solidly built body, the sleek glass house, the strict geometry of the shoulder line and circular arcs, the large wheels and the aluminum tank cap – all of these elements added up to deliver a new statement from Audi, the innovative technology brand. A few weeks later the Roadster appeared at the Tokyo Motor Show where it was also a tremendous hit.

The Coupe started to roll off the production line in 1998, followed one year later by the Roadster. The shortened floor assembly of the Audi A3 proved to form an ideal base for the car – its wheel suspension endowed the TT with dynamic handling characteristics. The puristic design was also retained for the interior. Here, the classic emblem of the TT concept, the circle, had a leading role to play, featuring in the styling of the air outlets and many of the controls.

The first TT was powered by the turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder drive unit, which came in two different versions. The basic unit delivered an output of 132 kW (180 hp) and the top version 165 kW (225 hp). The more powerful engine was available exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission and quattro drive. Customers buying the basic version had the choice of either the six-speed technology again or front-wheel drive combined with a five-speed transmission.

Audi started to expand the range of drivetrain options in 2001. First came a new version of the 1.8-liter unit generating 110 kW (150 hp), followed in 2003 by a 3.2 liter V6 developing 184 kW (250 hp). This new engine could be matched with the S tronic dual-clutch transmission as an option. The six-speed tiptronic transmission became available for the 132 kW (180 hp) four-cylinder model with front-wheel drive. In 2005, this engine's output was increased to 140 kW (190 hp) and the power output of the entry-level unit jumped to 120 kW (163 hp). Production of the coupe and roadster versions of the first TT model series ended in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

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