Audi TT (Mk3, 2014 - 2023) – interior and tech
A highlight of all TTs, but this one remains a superb example of design restraint and clever material use
Considering its style-led design, the TT coupe is reasonably practical. It’s almost exactly the same length as the Mk2 TT, but the wheelbase has grown by 37mm, liberating a teeny bit more interior space. The rear seats however are still tiny and only really suitable for occasional use, even by small children.
As before, the rear seatbacks fold flat, and the TT’s long tailgate provides good access to the luggage area. Think of the TT as a two-seater with a big (if shallow in terms of height) boot, and you won’t go far wrong. That gives you a very decent 712 litres of luggage space. And even with the rear seats in place you still get 305 litres – 13 more litres than the last-generation TT.
Everyone remembers the original round vents in the dashboard of the first TT, and in their latest iteration they look more than ever like beautifully miniaturised jet engines pinched from a Boeing. They’ve also been given a technical twist, with digital readouts placed at the centre of the vents.
Settle into the driver’s seat, and where you would normally expect a pair of dials to be peering at you through the steering wheel, there is initially only an inky blankness. Wake the electrics, however, and a beautiful 12.3-inch screen comes to life and fills the instrument cowling with jewel-like graphics. You can toggle between a conventional two- dial layout, a big central rev-counter (a view available only in the TTS), and, perhaps most impressively, a screen mostly filled with a satnav map that consigns the other information to the peripheries. The only downside is that it leaves your passenger slightly out in the cold.
Telephone, media, trip and car setting functions all appear on the screen and can be controlled using both the touch sensitive MMI controller or the multi-function wheel.
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The digital instrument panel appeared an absolute techfest when launched (the TT Mk3 was the first Audi to feature the company’s Virtual Cockpit dial treatment) but is now de-rigeur. In fact, it now feels rather quaint (and refreshing) to get into a car without a big touchscreen in the middle of the dash.
The TT’s displays, infotainment and basic interior functions are very intuitive – there are several ways to do everything, from buttons on the steering wheel to a trackpad/clickwheel combo on the centre console surrounded by shortcut switches. In many ways, this is a more user-friendly set-up than more recent Audis’ haptic touchscreens.
The optional Technology Package adds navigation with features like Google Maps traffic information, music streaming and internet access. Interestingly, the Virtual Cockpit’s flexibility means a dealer updating the software can add it at any time.
A decade on from launch, the digital instrument cluster’s graphics are now looking dated, especially the basic map graphics. The instrument panel’s bright display can be wearying at night – like sitting a bit too close to your laptop screen.
A prominent din of tyre roar can make larger-wheeled TTs quite tiring on a long journey. The driving position can be wearing too if you’re long-legged. The TT’s chop-top coupe dimensions mean it doesn’t have the same broad range of adjustment and spot-on ergonomics of the A3/Golf family it’s distantly related to; the steering wheel can’t come out quite far enough, meaning you may need to adopt a legs-akimbo driving position.
