The AUDI TT is dead… Why? скачать в хорошем качестве

The AUDI TT is dead… Why?

The Audi TT is a success story. Beyond its sales and sporting achievements, the TT played a decisive role in providing Audi with something it lacked until this car arrived in 1998. I’m not the one saying this—it was Audi’s chief designer, Peter Schreyer, who stated it at the time. #cars #audi #auditt Become a member of this channel to enjoy exclusive benefits:    / garaje hermético   I can assure you that there are few cars I know as well as the TT in all its generations. I saw the prototype debut live at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show, attended its international launch, tested it thoroughly… and even ended up owning one—a TTS, no less. Then in 2019, Abraham Schot, who was urgently appointed in 2018, announced that Audi would stop manufacturing the TT to, literally, "be replaced by an electric car." In my opinion, yet another mistake by the VW Group. This TT has fallen victim to electrification, like so many other great cars. That’s why I’m already announcing that we’ll make a video titled: “Models Victimized by Electrification”. We are already working on it, and the TT will hold an important place in that video. In the mid-'90s, Audi was already making very good cars. Its lineup was mainly structured around the 80 and 100 models—excellent cars but not particularly exciting. BMW offered vehicles with a strong sporty character, while Mercedes was the ultimate premium brand. Lexus had just been born, and no one expected what was about to happen. In that context, Audi cars were convincing but not thrilling. The brand wanted to change that. First, in 1994, they launched the A8, an impressive sedan with an aluminum body that marked a new direction in Audi’s naming strategy: the 80 became the A4, and the 100 became the A6. They already had a luxury sedan, but at the same time, they were working on a sports car that would rejuvenate the brand and inject excitement into both the model and Audi as a whole. The Quattro era was long gone, and something had to be done. By 1995, we saw the results of those efforts, and three years later, the production car was born. Before we begin, I have a warning: everywhere you look, you’ll see references to three generations of the TT—the first from 1998 to 2006, the second from 2006 to 2014, and the third from 2014 to 2023. In my view, the third is merely an update of the second. The first also had a facelift in 2000, but it was not considered a new generation. So, I will only consider two generations. Production of the Audi TT began in Győr, Hungary, in 1998. The process was quite complicated—painted bodies were transported by train from Ingolstadt to the Hungarian factory, where final assembly took place. In 1999, Audi introduced the convertible version, the TT Roadster, featuring a retractable soft-top and a two-seater interior. Although the first TT looked stunning, underneath, it was built on the Audi A3 platform, which was actually the same as the VW Golf IV’s—and, for that matter, the first-generation SEAT León’s, a well-known model. In fact, most of its engines were shared with the Golf, including the excellent 1.8-liter 20-valve turbocharged engine in versions ranging from 150 to 225 horsepower. And, of course, there was the Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Even though the original Audi Quattro's fame had faded, Audi had carefully maintained the legacy of that name—a brilliant decision. It also inherited the VW 3.2-liter VR6 engine with 250 horsepower. This engine had the advantage of being compact, making it easy to fit into these cars, but it was never truly outstanding. Not bad, but not great either. I had the chance to test this model in all its versions in Germany, exceeding 250 km/h and driving on track. I remember that most of the press agreed on one criticism: at high speeds, it lacked the stability of other cars, even the Golf itself. This has been somewhat forgotten, but the truth is that at 200 km/h, even a light gust of wind made the steering feel floaty. On the track, in fast corners, the rear end felt too light—far too light. This issue was more pronounced in the more powerful versions and slightly tarnished an otherwise beautiful, efficient, and dynamically capable car. Audi addressed the problem in 2000—some may think they reacted quickly, while others, like me, feel it was a bit slow. In 2006, the second generation appeared, and just two years later, I bought a TTS, which I have great memories of. As I mentioned, I don’t consider the 2014 TT a new generation—it’s even hard to distinguish from the previous model visually. Then, in 2016, the RS version was launched with a 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo engine producing 400 horsepower, along with a seven-speed DSG transmission and all-wheel drive. I liked this one more than my own, but it wasn’t available when I bought mine… and I wouldn’t have been able to afford it anyway.