Category: Affordable Sports 
Price Range: No data available
Ride, refinement; all the TT's usual attributes in a fuel-and tax-efficient package.
Not terribly exciting to drive.
It's a good engine, but not best-suited to the TT's character - we still prefer the 2.0 TFSI.
The Mk2 TT range is far stiffer in its construction than the first-generation model, with a lower centre of gravity, lighter-weight body, and wider front and rear tracks, all contributing to a much sportier, more rewarding drive.
This 2.0 TDI engine is strong and torquey - 258lb-ft, peaking in the broad rev range 1,750-2,500rpm, with lots of low-down grunt and mid-range pull: with the overdrive-style sixth gear, it also makes for civilised cruising at motorway speeds. Flexible for overtaking, with plenty of power in reserve for sudden bursts of acceleration, it's certainly not slow - but the laudable sound-proofing measures do mean that it doesn't give back much by way of a sports car sound.
It also lacks the sheer joie de vivre of the turbocharged petrol engines, which seem better-suited to the TT's character. This is a great engine in the Passat and A4, but not necessarily the heart of a sports car.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Audi TT
wrote on 13 09 2007