Audi TT: It's NOT a hairdresser-mobile, the dash is too flash

Max headroom

There's nothing wrong with the handling either. Just imagine a fast Audi A3 with a lower centre of gravity. If you are a bit hamfisted it is possible to run out of grip but there’s a Quattro AWD option for those folks or people who live in places with terminally bad weather.

Unlike early Mk 1 TTs, the new model won’t try to kill you if you change direction at high speed.

Spoiler is manually extendable

The new TT is a reasonably economical wagon too. Audi quote a combined consumption figure of 47.1mpg on the optional 20-inch wheels. I managed just over 42mpg during my time with the car. If the car had been mine I’d have driven less manically more of the time and got more from each gallon.

If consumption is an issue you can have the TT with a diesel that should return over 60mpg on the open road and produced enough torque to rotate a medium-sized moon.

Load area long but shallow, rear seats token

The exterior styling of the TT is getting more and more Audi R8-ish (no bad thing) but the rear legroom and boot space are still pretty token. The load area capacity is quoted as 305 litres, or 13 litres more than the Mk. 2 car, but it’s a shallow space and not a lot of use for anything other than a few soft bags or a weekly shop. The rear bucket seats can accommodate two small people for a very short journey.

Visibility is still not great – nor is headroom to be honest – but unlike the original TT at least it’s not like looking out of the slit of a Second World War pillbox as you drive along.

Audi's satnav not perfect. Doesn't think that reservoir exists

What makes the TT more a driver's rather than a hairdresser's car is a combination of the chassis, powertrain and that virtual malarky. The minimalist cabin and LCD binnacle do actually focus your attention of the black top rather than all the toys that modern cars can laden down with.

Obviously I’m talking here about drivers who aren’t stupid enough to drive along reading their Twitter and Facebook feeds. The option to have the only information you really want in the binnacle – for me that’s the satnav and my music library – just a quick glance down away from the road, really does make for a more focused driving experience.

Best looking TT to date, if no huge leap from Mk 2 model

The Reg Verdict

It really is all about the dash. As a car, the new Audi TT is a very well made, very competent two door 2+2 coupé. But that's hardly a rare breed. It’s Audi's Virtual Cockpit that cuts it from the herd.

Apart from making the cabin look less cluttered than a Trappist monk’s overnight bag and more elegant than a Conran-furnished home, stuffing all the information into the LCD binnacle means you can keep your attention on the road while keeping abreast of all the information that flows toward – and, I sometimes suspect, overwhelms – the modern motorist. ®