Audi bring the third-generation TT to India and though it’s more edges than curves, it’s quicker and has more fire-power. The question is: will you still love it tomorrow?
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
Appearances can be deceptive. What at first may seem like a perfect creation may just turn into a nightmare once you get to really know it. Then again, there are some which don’t seem all too special at first, but spend some time with them, and things start falling into place. What seemed a potential problem vanishes into thin air, because there are other measures that ensure that it would never really come into the picture at all. It isn’t new for a car to be perceived as attractive merely for its looks. Most people don’t get past that, because all they want to is be seen with it, and in it. Will it see a track? Probably never. Will it be pushed to its limits? Maybe. Regularly? Probably not.
Tastefully Tempting
Some cars make you fall for them because of how they look, I won’t deny it. Some of them have the ability to back their good looks with performance, while others are, well, tawdry, all cosmetics. Neither of the latter variety is ever appreciated, so let’s talk about the latest turbocharged four-cylinder, four-wheel-drive Tourist Trophy here. What’s changed? A lot on the outside, and quite a bit on the inside as well.
The most obvious change is the loss of curves and the arrival of edgy, sharp lines. Is that right? Actually, the curves are there in plain sight; one just has to notice them. The most prominent is the roof-line, while there’s the matter of the stance when you look at it straightforward, in the eye. There are the flared wheel-arches, and then there’s the little bump in the shoulder-line above the front wheel-arch. Everything seems different, yet you know it’s a TT, with a little bit of quattro Concept and R8 thrown in. The sharper grille, Matrix LED headlamps and aggressive, rakish lines on the bonnet and front air-dams all make it look distinctly unlike what a TT would be in one’s mind, yet it’s all TT. It’s compact, low, wide, and looks all set to go.
