2008 Audi TT Coupe

If Apple built cars, they probably would look and feel a lot like the new Audi TT. Like the iPod, the new TT is a tailor-made tool for the digital age. It's oh-so-cool in appearance and character, it prioritizes efficiency over emotion, and it underpromises and overdelivers in a matter-of-fact style. The second-generation model combines a cool exterior and a classy cabin with a solid and competent chassis and drivetrain. In terms of sex appeal, the new TT outscores BMW's Z4 coupe and matches the Porsche Cayman. In terms of passenger and luggage space, it easily eclipses its iconic predecessor. And in terms of handling and performance, it's the only contestant in this class to offer four-wheel drive and a clever, dual-clutch transmission. This all sounds good, but there's more to the story. The genetic code of the latest TT is rather coarsely woven; the TT is a Volkswagen Rabbit--or an Audi A3, if you will--dressed up for the catwalk. So we must hold the headlines until after our twenty-four-hour test drive through the rainswept German and Austrian countryside.

When it was introduced in 1998, the original TT worked wonders as an image transformer for Audi. The sport coupe gained instant cult status and, together with its roadster sibling, found more than 270,000 takers worldwide.

That's a tough act to follow. Audi chief designer Walter de Silva has created an instantly identifiable but less geometric coupe that is more modern art than Bauhaus. Compared with the original, it has a longer, teardroplike greenhouse, a broader-shouldered lower body, and a more elegant silhouette cupped on both sides by short yet substantial end pieces. It's good-looking, with a more masculine stance, the proportions of a true sports car, and all the visual cues of a modern Audi.

When you open the long door and peer into the cabin, the added inches are instantly obvious. The 2007 model is 5.4 inches longer and 3.1 inches wider but only 0.2 inch taller than the car it replaces. This means more shoulder and legroom, but only for the front-seat occupants. The useless rear seats are best left folded. In this position, the trunk space increases from a modest 10.2 cubic feet to a very useful 24.7 cubic feet. As before, the liftgate cuts into the roof, but the loading lip is now lower.

The cockpit is an interesting mix of good and bad. The flat-bottom steering wheel is out of place (after all, this isn't a Le Mans racer); the air-conditioning controls are impossible to reach when the shift lever is in first, third, or fifth; and the small-screen navigation system is still CD-driven, not DVD. Nice touches include the clearly legible instruments, the comfortable and supportive seats, and the five round air vents. Build quality is exceptional.

When it goes on sale here next spring, the TT will be available with the A3's 200-hp, turbo-charged 2.0-liter four and a 250-hp, 3.2-liter VR6. In 2008, Audi will add a 300-hp, direct-injection version of the narrow-angle six. The TT 2.0 is front-wheel drive only, while the VR6 comes exclusively with Quattro four-wheel drive. You can choose between a conventional manual and a twin-clutch DSG automatic transmission, both with six forward ratios. We drove the TT VR6 S-tronic, which is a true energy bundle. According to Audi, it accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 5.7 seconds and tops out at a governed 155 mph.