Audi TT (2014-2023) Review

By the time this third-generation TT arrived, Audi had already turned the car into a genuine design icon. The challenge was no longer simply to make it look distinctive; it had to feel worthy of the badge’s reputation, and it had to move beyond the criticism that earlier TTs sometimes looked more exciting than they felt from behind the wheel.

This version, first introduced in 2014, answered that brief very well. It kept the TT’s familiar low-slung, instantly recognisable shape, but added a sharper edge to the styling and backed it up with a much more polished driving experience. It became more precise, more capable and more satisfying to drive, while still keeping the everyday refinement and usability that made the TT such a broad-appeal coupe in the first place.

That all-round ability is the key to its appeal as a used car. Plenty of coupes ask you to sacrifice practicality, comfort or running costs for the sake of style, but the TT always made a better fist of combining those things than most. It may not have the purity of a Cayman or the sheer playfulness of an Alpine A110, but it asks far less of its owner in return.

Audi no longer builds the TT and there's no direct replacement waiting in the current range, so this final-generation car now stands on its own as a used car rather than as an outgoing version of a live model. That gives it a slightly different appeal today. It's not just a used Audi coupe, it's the last of a very recognisable line.

For most used buyers, the sweet spot is the 40 TFSI in Sport or S line trim. It gives the TT all the performance it really needs, keeps running costs more sensible than the quicker versions and suits the car’s broad all-round character very well.

If you want more pace, the 45 TFSI is the obvious step up, while quattro versions give extra traction and security at the expense of a little fuel economy and some of the lighter feel of the front-wheel-drive cars.

Trim matters too. Sport gives you the essentials and usually rides a little more sweetly, while S line adds the more aggressive styling many buyers will understandably want. Black Edition looks the part, but bigger wheels and firmer suspension can chip away at the TT’s everyday appeal.

Used Audi TT prices for this generation start from around £13,000 for older petrol examples, while later facelifted cars, stronger engines and richer trims sit notably higher.

There's a broad enough spread on the used market that you can afford to be selective. Specification makes a meaningful difference to how convincing the TT feels, and features like navigation, smartphone integration and wheel size are all worth paying attention to.

For many buyers, the best value sits in the middle of the range with a well-kept 40 TFSI rather than at the extremes.

The BMW 2 Series Coupe is the obvious alternative to the TT if you want more rear-seat space and rear-wheel-drive appeal, while the Toyota Supra and its mechanical sibling, the BMW Z4, are stronger choices if outright driver involvement matters most.

The Alpine A110 and Porsche Cayman are more focused sports cars if you’re happy to sacrifice some usability, while the Ford Mustang offers a very different sort of coupe appeal built around size and character rather than polish.

The TT’s still feels like one of the easiest coupes to recommend as an all-rounder. It may not be the most dramatic option, but it's one of the most complete.

If you are expecting the Audi TT to fill the role of a family car then it'll leave you disappointed. Measure it against its two-door rivals, though, and the Audi is a surprisingly practical choice, partly thanks to its four-seat layout.

True, those rear seats are small (even kids won't want to sit there for too long) and the sloping roofline and tiny side windows give anyone in the back a fairly accurate picture of what travelling inside a postbox might feel like. Clambering into them is also a real challenge, and the poor access makes trying to fit a child seat (using the integrated ISOFIX points and Top Tether) a proper wrestling match: you're unlikely to come away unscathed. 

Still, they'll often come in handy for stowing bags or thick coats during the winter months, meaning you don't feel as hemmed in as you would in a strict two-seater. They also fold flat, creating a much bigger boot area. 

With the seats up you can fit up to 305 litres of luggage in the back - about the same as a small hatchback - but if you fold the seats down you're left with a broad, perfectly flat load bay that can take up to 712 litres of stuff. That's big enough to carry awkward items like a bike with its wheels off, and the hatchback design makes it nice and easy to lower bulkier cargo inside without damaging the paint; giving the TT surprising flexibility.

You do pay a price for the low-profile exterior design, though, and more conventional looking rivals like the BMW 2 Series Coupe are roomier inside, especially if you often want to carry more than one passenger. Up front, Audi gives you a few places to stash loose items, including a shallow covered tray in the centre console and armrest, reasonably deep door bins, and a narrow glovebox.

Your takeaway coffee will fit neatly into the centre console, and there's a second flip-out cupholder hidden inside the armrest, but neither can hold a water bottle without blocking access to the gear stick and infotainment controls.

The Audi TT measures 4,191mm long, 1,966mm wide and 1,353mm high. That makes it a compact coupe by modern standards and helps make the TT easy to manoeuvre on the road, simple to park and much less intimidating to use every day than larger, more dramatic alternatives.

The TT’s technology was a major talking point when new and it still feels distinctive now. The single 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit display keeps the dashboard unusually clean and places key information directly in front of the driver.

That setup works well once you’re used to it, but it does come with compromises. Navigation was an option on many versions, so a lot of used cars won’t have it, and smartphone mirroring only arrived on later, higher-spec versions.

Even so, the TT still feels more thoughtfully designed than many cars that followed it, because everything is focused so clearly around the driver.

Material quality is exceptional for a car of this size and price point. The dashboard, switchgear, vents and trim all feel dense and expensive, and the whole cabin has the sort of precision that Audi does better than most.

This is one of the reasons the TT still feels special. Even years on, it's easy to get in and think that the interior belongs to something more high end.

The TT has been offered with a wide variety of engines over the years. For much of the car's life, the entry-level engine was a 180PS 1.8-litre turbo petrol, but the 2.0-litre turbo petrol was much more popular with buyers, developing between 200PS and 245PS depending on the version. There was also a 2.0-litre diesel giving 184PS.

In 2018 the range was simplified, and the 1.8 TFSI and 2.0 TDI diesel were discontinued. That was no great shame as the 1.8 wasn't quite as scintillating as a TT should be, and the diesel, although quite and smooth, didn't have the sound or the rev-happy nature that suited the TT. And besides, it was hard to look past the 2.0-litre petrol anyway. It's very quick and sounds fab, and despite being happy to rev, the turbo also gives it a vast slug of mid-range urgency. This really is all the TT you need.

These mid-range powertrain options could be had in a variety of forms, with either front-wheel drive or quattro four-wheel drive, while the gearboxes available included both six-speed manuals and the S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission. We prefer the front-drive cars for their lighter feel, and the manual gearbox for its greater level of engagement, but to be honest, you can't really go wrong whatever format you choose: it's simply a matter of personal taste.

With 306PS the TTS is quick enough to beat a Porsche Cayman off the line, with standard four-wheel drive to make deploying all that performance as simple as keeping the steering straight and flexing your right foot.

This third generation of TT is the best to drive of the lot. It adds significant dynamic substance to a car that in years gone by has relied more on its sharp looks than the way it could deftly tackle a challenging cross-country road.

It's clear from the off that Audi wants the TT to feel sportier than, say, an A3 hatchback. The ride is certainly firm, but tolerably so, as long as you avoid the temptation to fit the largest wheel sizes. Even with the lowered 'sports' setup that's standard on S line models and above, it absorbs crests and dips while keeping the body flat and level. Sharper ruts will still send a nasty jolt up through the steering wheel, though.

The TTS has adaptive dampers that let you adjust the suspension on the fly, using the 'drive select' button to switch between driving modes, which also alters the weight of the steering and throttle map on normal TTs. In its most relaxed 'Comfort' setting, the TT glides along nicely, but the 'Dynamic' option stiffens things up too much, making the car feel too jittery and unsettled at low speed and thudding over every lump and bump it hits.

The steering itself is lighter than in some rival sporty coupes, but accurate enough to position the car exactly where you want it to go. Turn the wheel and the front tyres respond snappily, simply latching on hard and carving a neat path around each twist and turn. Still, there are no hidden depths to discover with the TT: it rides and handles with accomplished ease, and it's stable and very effective at getting across country, but it's not as exciting as wringing the neck of a Porsche Cayman. In front-wheel drive cars, the tyres will eventually release their grip, but with Audi's quattro system fitted this car simply bites and goes without any drama, whatever the weather.

That won't matter to most buyers, who'll enjoy the TT's broad spread of abilities and accessible handling. They'll also prefer the fact that its light controls and small footprint make it easier to drive in town than rivals.

The TT scored four stars out of five when tested by independent safety organisation Euro NCAP in 2015. This was at a time when the testing regime had been made tougher, placing more emphasis on active safety systems such as autonomous emergency braking, which the TT did not offer.

That means the headline result looks weaker than some rivals, but the car still performed respectably for adult and child occupant protection. As always, it's worth checking the exact specification of any used example because some driver assistance features were optional.

Fuel economy is one of the TT’s stronger points relative to more traditional sports cars. The 40 TFSI is the sensible petrol choice and could deliver up to 40mpg, while the old diesel remains the efficiency champion if economy matters above all else – it’s capable of 60mpg.

The 45 TFSI and TTS are noticeably thirstier, though still not outrageous by performance-coupe standards. As ever, wheel size, drivetrain and how hard the car is driven will make a real-world difference.

Any remaining manufacturer warranty will depend on the age of the car, but Audi Approved Used examples remain the most reassuring place to start.

Audi Approved Used currently includes a minimum of a one-year Audi Warranty, one year of roadside assistance and a 30-day exchange plan, which adds useful reassurance.

Audi servicing is generally straightforward, but on used examples it's still worth checking the history carefully, especially on higher-performance versions and cars fitted with the S tronic gearbox.

With its premium badge and sporty image the Audi TT is not the cheapest car to insure. For instance, the 40 TFSI Sport starts in group 35; seven bands higher than the equivalent Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0-litre.

The most affordable version to cover is the 1.8-litre TFSI, which is group 32. Popular S line and Black Edition trims start in group 38, while the range-topping Vorsprung models go upward from group 41.

Pick the 45 TFSI, and manual Sport models sit in the middle of this range, with an insurance rating of 37. That compares favourably with the 2.3-litre Ford Mustang (39) but matches the much faster Toyota Supra.

For most Audi TTs registered on or after 1 April 2017, the standard annual Vehicle Excise Duty (VED or road tax) rate is now £200, or £17.50 a month by Direct Debit.

Some higher-spec cars originally crossed the £40,000 list-price threshold, which means they may also have been subject to the Expensive Car Supplement for five years from the second licence. That's more relevant on later, richer trims than on earlier mainstream versions, and will mean they cost a total of £640 a year to tax.

Models registered before April 2017 are taxed under different criteria, and depending on the engine can cost from £35 to £325 a year.