John Ireland

The 180 hp FWD version is the stripper, the entry level based on a good but not great hatchback, the A3. Add quattro, and you've got a SLOWER car. On top of that, the 180 hp engine is also the same engine in the 2000 model A4...so all you are getting with the TT is their base model motor...nothing special about it. Now...in about a year, if the 225 comes off the boat costing as much as the S4 version of the A series, this "super" TT will be the most over-hyped pretender since the Karmen Ghia or Mercedes 230SLK. While I was initially enthusiastic about the TT, the longer I wait, the less it seems worth the wait. On the positive side, this summer we get a 265 hp S4 able to go 0-60 in 5.7 and carry four people and have a six speed. That's even better than the Boxter S and much better than any TT I've read about so far. The point is, while we're all waiting for the boat...Audi may have missed the boat.

Ben

True, the S4 is a faster car than either version of the TT. That's about it, however. Braking, handling and style are all inferior, IMHO. It is still a very nice car, but one pitched to a different audience. If you want a four door, by all means, get one, and I'm sure the S4 would be very rewarding, however, I think that most of us awaiting a TT are looking for something else. The style of the TT is a big selling point, people either love it or hate it, but is undeniably fresh, much unlike an M Coupe, which is just weird. The S4 is very close in appearance to my wifes' A4, a very good car, but not overly exciting to look at. The intimacy of a two seater (try to fit a human in the back of a TT!) is appealing to some, much more so than the practicality of a four door. Don't forget that you'll have to wait for an S4 also. If all you're looking for is a fast, fairly cheap car with forgettable styling, buy a Corvette or an M3. If you want something new and unique, stay in line, I'm sure someone else will take your spot if you don't. I think you'll find Audi will still manage to please many of us with the TT.

Brad Willis

I should be driving my TT in a week to 10 days, and I'm thrilled. I know that you are knowledgeable, and you should know better that to equate the TT to an A3 because they share the same platform. Over 80% of the parts are different. Using a single platform for several different models makes one heck of a lot of sense, and I am confident that other automobile manufacturers will follow VW/Audi's lead.<p>I'm pretty sure that the decision has not been announced as to the 2000 A4 engine, but even if it is the same, they are two very different cars each with their own special qualities. My advice all along has been to buy the 180 FWD, and if something better comes along, sell it. The 180 FWD should hold its' value quite well for the immediate future due to the lack of availability. Anyone who can't handle the wait ought to buy something else. There are a lot of good cars out there.

Rob Cernak

Platform sharing has allowed Audi the ability to bring the TT to market at what I consider to be a relatively reasonable cost. If this car was designed from a "clean sheet" with all parts only being used on this one model the price would at least be double, probably more. . . if Audi would even produce it. <p>By the reasoning of some "purists," if a car is not designed 100% from scratch with the sole purpose of being a sports car then it is just some bastardized wannabe. I don't buy that reasoning. Heck, if I not mistaken Healeys(maybe it was Jensen) used light truck engines due to durability and driveability (torque) considerations.<p>Just because a platform is shared you cannot assume each model's "flavor" cannot be distinctly different. I agree w/ Brad it does make a heck of a lot sense for the manufacturer and I would add, also for us consumers. As far as leadership goes, Toyota has been doing this for quite some time. . . witness the Sienna Minivan /Camry / Solara / Avalon / Lexus RS300 SUV /ES300 and I am not sure if the Celica uses the same platform but it uses many of the same components.<p>In closing, I don't give a damn about the parts, I am buying the whole and from where I stand the whole looks dynamite.

John Ireland

my point was that after five years, I expected more...I expected the 225 as the base car...and then to take off from that point. I haven't had a 4 door in a long time...and when I got my A4 1.8t, I suddenly was reminded how good a modern sport sedan is...if only the A4 weighed 250 lbs less and was rear wheel drive. <p>I appreciate good design...and I think the BMW coupe and roadster are two of the ugliest failures since the former Soviet Union's knock off of a Packard. My concern with the TT is that the base model (design of interior and exterior aside) isn't any better a performance car than the 150hp 1.8t New Beetle w/ a chip upgrade. Also, in a street car...there are really only two good reasons for AWD...to deal with snow and the like ...or to compensate for the basic bad performance characteristics of FWD. FWD has always been and will always be the "cheap" way to make a car, not the best way. So while I really thought the NM looked neat...it is hard to take it seriously as a performance car. As for the 225 version, the longer it takes to get to market, the farther it falls behind the competition.

Stefan Lundkvist

This monday i had the privilege of collecting our new company car, a new S4 Avant. I also, finally, got to drive the TT 180 FWD. The TT was, in my opinion, nothing like the A3. It felt much more like a real sportscar and I really liked the handling of the car. It was pretty fast too, but anyway I'm glad I ordered the 225. (not happy about the waiting!) The reason? The S4 is one h*** of a car! The engine has so much power and torque, in any gear, at any speed - the car just goes and goes and goes... I hope the 225 will have some of that, because I will become addicted. In Sweden the S4 is about 15 000$ more than the TT 225, though, otherwise I my choice would have been so much harder. It will for sure be easier to fit my dog in the S4...

Lou

John<p>Listen to Brad and Ben, and also, believe me when I say that you can’t compare the S4 with a TT!<br>Even though I’ve expressed that being a race driver I would have appreciated a little more balance, steering response and some others in the TT, the S4 is far behind! <br>Yes the S4 has more power but weight (heard that one before? :-) makes acceleration favor very small. The brakes are bigger in the S4 but the TT stops faster and feels better doing so. The S4 suspension is more modern but still cornering and handling is far better in the TT. The S4 is a fast car, no doubt about it, but still a family car! For me, looking at the sports values of the two and how much they fulfill my needs the TT is 97% and the S4 less than 80%.<br>Writing this I saw your latest posting even compared the TT with a chipped Beetle???<br>No way! Doing the same percentage evaluation to the Beetle would be an insult to the Beetle people.<br>Your opinion about the TT, for the moment, is based on OTHER (mine) peoples opinions and my ability to express myself as an individual AND in English. As the “sports car” issue is an important one for you (and me), you really should make up your mind based on your own experience.<br>Very soon now you should be able to take a TT for a test drive, and hopefully you will get an hour on your favorite road. After that, I’m very curious to hear about your opinions as I find your observations and preferences about the cars you’ve driven very insightful and similar to my own.<p>GreeTTings Lou<br>

Bman

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John Ireland

weight can still only do so much. I trust your advice because you are so much closer to the cars than I am...and you have driven them at 100% of their performance ability...but I still sense that the first TT's to arrive will be not much more than a German Miata...cute and competent and more show than go. We all have our own styles of driving and what we look for in a car. The TT FWD and AWD in the 180 version could have been more driving machine and less boulevard cruiser, and done it for the same price. I would have preferred to see 210hp , the 6 sp transmission and either AWD or RWD as the base car...if that added $2000 to the price I think everyone of us would have paid it. I feel the way Audi is bringing the car out is just milking the market. I really sorry Alfa Romeo left the USA market. They built some of the strongest cars I've ever put on a track.<br>Regards

audiboy

The TT and the S4 are two very differnt vehicles.<br>If the S4 does it for you...then go 4 it.<br>You can't compare the two.<br>Ps....get your moronic, nothing worth reading posts out of this forum...ya Jibroni.