There's something unsettling about 195 kph. It's an automotive twilight zone, neither here nor there, very much like a batsman stuck at 98 runs. Everybody, including the rivals wish he'd hit a century and get it over and done with. Which is why my co-driver was egging me on to push the throttle pedal a few mm more, to get to the 200 kph mark and beyond. I obliged him and even the Audi TT 1.8T Quattro I was driving seemed relieved.
It hunkered down even further, raised the pitch of the exhaust note a wee bit, the tyre noise intruded into the cabin a little more and gigantic Mercedes Actros and Volvo trucks quickly disappeared in my rear view mirror... or maybe I was just imagining things. 200 kph does that to you.
It's not that 200 kph is something new to me, but driving a TT on the autobahn heading to Audi's Ingolstadt headquarters definitely is. I was in Germany recently, to sample some of Audi's finest offerings, including the new A6 and the A8, and to attend a driver training programme as well.
Audi had organised a fabulous 78 km route for us to drive the TT, which had bits of the autobahn and some beautiful, traffic-free roads through the Altmuhl valley. I don't know about the valley, where it came and where it went, but all I can say is that the Bavarian countryside is a nice place to drive a TT (any car actually, but don't tell this to Audi). The only problem was that I had to share half the route with my co-driver. I could have driven this car all the way to India by myself.
Audi, you see, is ready for an Indian debut. This December, they will launch the A8 4.2 Quattro, a V8-powered luxurious but sporty barge that's directly competing with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and in January, the 218 bhp A6 3.0 petrol (hello, E-Class) and the 150 bhp TT 1.8T coupe will be ready for Indian roads. For a driving impression of the A8 and the A6, you will have to pick up the December 2004 issue of Business Standard Motoring. As for the TT, well, here it is.
Okay, the version of the TT I was driving is a little different from what we're getting in our country. Priced between Rs 32 and 35 lakh, the 1.8T for India is a 150 bhp 1781cc four-cylinder petrol version with a manual gearbox. Audi claims a 0-100 kph timing of 8.6 seconds and a top speed of 220 kph for this model. Um, does the engine seem familiar to you? Yes, indeed it's the same five-valve per cylinder turbocharged unit that powers the Skoda Octavia RS.
And it's the same engine that powered the TT I was driving, only in a higher state of tune. Here, the turbocharged petrol powerplant develops an awesome 180 bhp at 5500 revs (actually, not that awesome, considering a 225 bhp version is also available!) and 23.8 kgm of torque from just 1950 rpm onwards.
The torque makes all the difference, it is on tap all the way to 5000 rpm. Which makes the TT a brilliant car to drive on the autobahns or on little two-lane winding roads. At slow speed however, the TT is a mite uncomfortable, though turbo lag is barely noticeable.
It tends to bounce around rather than smoothly drive, and would rather you finish off with the little human settlements as quickly as possible. And once you do that and floor the pedal, it steadily becomes less grumpy and is happy to get wherever you want in a hurry.
Audi claims this TT can attain a top speed of 226 kph and dismiss off the dash to the century mark in 7.9 seconds. While it may be certainly quick, I feel that the four-cylinder engine can be pushed only up to a certain point, even with turbocharging and even if its output can be stretched to an atrocious 225 horses.
At 200 kph, even though you could extract some more juice from the engine, it was feeling stressed. And you experience it best when you are sitting on the fast lane of a high-speed autobahn "� a zone in which you have six-, eight- and 12-cylinder engines for company. As the Americans say, nothing can beat cubic inches. Which is why Audi has a 250 bhp 3200cc V6 version of the TT too.
The car I was driving had a six-speed manual transmission, with a stubby, rounded short-throw gear lever that was fun shifting. Because of the torque readily available, the vehicle pulls even when you are in fourth. You have supreme confidence in executing overtaking manoeuvres all the time too. A Mark IV Golf presents itself in front of me, he's not moving fast enough and the view is clear... one slick downshift and I have left him far behind. Good fun.
Another reason for the supreme confidence with this particular car was that it featured Audi's famous quattro technology. With permanent four-wheel drive, the torque is distributed across all four wheels, making it surefooted across all conditions and helping the 205/55 16-inch rubber grip tarmac more effectively.
Plus of course, there's an electronic differential lock, ABS with EBD, Electronic Stability Programme, traction control and all doo-dahs that make fast driving enjoyable yet safe.
The TT's suspension setup consists of McPherson struts with lower wishbones, a subframe and an anti-roll bar. At the rear, the Quattro gets a double wishbone and anti-roll bar. The standard TT however makes do with a torsion beam setup.
This car was stiffly sprung, in keeping with the TT 1.8T's overall sporty outlook, and the minor bumps, though marginally experienced, were well muted. For India however, I expect Audi to loosen it up a little bit without losing its sporty appeal.
Like in all modern automobiles, the dash stretches well in front of you, and you sit low in the car and the sheetmetal completely envelopes you. It's quite a cosy atmosphere to be in, only the drilled pedals and the sporty instruments indicate that it's an affair to be had only between you and the TT. You'll fall in love with it the first time you see it anyway.
When it was first launched in 1998, virtually unchanged from the concept car shown at Frankfurt Motor Show in 1995, I was mesmerised by it instantly. I just loved the roof arch and the overall rounded shape of the car. And in silver, it looked avant garde, fit to be displayed in an art museum.
Though nothing has changed since in the intervening years, except for a little boot spoiler to create more downforce and keep the car planted on the road, the TT is slowly losing its sheen.
That's because its competition, in the form of fellow Germans like the Mercedes SLK, BMW Z4 and the invincible Porsche Boxster, are all-new. It's time for a new TT, and Audi officials say that it's two more years away. Still, heads will turn when we'll see it on our roads, doing 200 kph or even 2 kph.
