# Finally ... the BIG after pickup posTT ...



## chrisabdn (Aug 15, 2007)

Finally found time to write a proper post on my new TT.

Have had the car 3 weeks now, and done over 1,300 miles ... so she's well run in already!

First things first, the car is fantastic, great fun to drive, and makes me smile every time I turn the ignition.

I purchased the car through Aberdeen Audi and they were a pleasure to deal with throughout, absolutely no problems at pick-up, the car was in perfect condition.

I placed my order last September, and picked the car up 2nd weekend in March ... I could have had it a couple of weeks earlier but wanted to wait for the 08 reg.

I've had fun plugging away on the forum, seeking advice, debating pros & cons, agonising over my spec ... I wanted to say a big thanks to anyone and everyone who's offered help, guidance, and friendship over the past few months ... I'm finally in the club!

Since then we've done quite a few lengthy blasts, primarily to get the miles up and run the car in ... including a round trip to Braemar on the day of collection, in the rain, a cruise with some fellow NE TT owners (and Matthew in an R8 ) over the Cairn o' Mount, and a trip to Dunkeld (via Braemar and Glenshee). All of which were great fun.

With the atrocious weather we've had recently suffice to say the car has been manky for a good couple of weeks, and unfortunately there haven't been any opportunities for cleaning, but I've not been too hung up on it. It's a black car, it shows the slightest amount of dirt, I know it'll take more effort to keep but I'm quite happy with that ... weather permitting she'll be washed every weekend, and she looks awesome when she's all shiny.

In the time honoured tradition here are my thoughts on the car in general, and my chosen spec particular, what I went for, what I omitted, what I should possibly have considered, like and dislikes.

So, what I went for ...

*Engine & Quattro*
It had to be the 3.2 V6 Quattro for me, for a number of reasons. Not to knock the 2.0 or start any riots, but it just didn't give me the same feel good factor as the V6. I've previously had powerful FWD cars and know from experience they can struggle to get the power down and gain grip, especially in poor weather - which is common up here. The V6 not only sounds amazing, but with the Quattro it just feels more sure footed to me and is better at getting the power down ... it's like it's on rails, and I just love it.

*Phantom Black*
Colour choice was a fairly easy decision for me ... it was always going to be black, I just think it looks amazing. I'm not a fan of plain blacks, they're too unforgiving, but I've had a mica black car before and knew the TT would suit it. It just makes the car look awesome, very menacing, very aggressive ... and plays into those childhood batmobile fantasies quite nicely - I haven't started wearing my pants outside my trousers just yet, but I'm getting there :lol: I do like the TT in silver, it's the classic/default choice, however my last car was silver and I desperately wanted a change. During my waiting period I saw quite a few red Mk2s going about, and whilst I initially thought it looked a bit cheap on a premium car I have to say it really started to grow on me to the point where I almost wished I could change my order, red looks great, and would probably be my 2nd choice. I do like Sprint Blue also, but personally I could never spend Â£1,600 on paint, Â£500 was bad enough. Ibis got a fleeting consideration, it's a real head turner, but in the end I wondered if it might just be a bit too feminine in a car that already has some stigma attached anyway. In the end, black it is, and I love it.

*Magnetic Ride*
IMHO probably the best option available for the new TT, the "must have" that makes the car what it is, and sets it apart from the alternatives. Combined with the Quattro this helps the cars handling and cornering abilities immensely, and in sport mode you can make some seriously rapid progress.

*18" 10 spokes*
I'm not much of a wheel freak, I've never spec'd different wheels on a car in the past, and I've never fitted after market wheels. The 17" Trapeze alloys, IMHO, are too small for the car and 18" are a minimum ... personally I think anything bigger might be a bit 'pimp my ride' for my tastes, and I wouldn't want to compromise ride quality ... so of the two 18" choices I far prefer the 10 spokes to the Turbines, so I was pleased that these were standard on the 3.2

*Black leather seats & black headlining*
To me, on a premium car like a TT (or even an A4 or a 3 series), leather is an abolute must. Nothing else will do. It lifts the car overall, I like the look it gives, and the saggy seat issue doesn't particularly bother me as I can't see it when I'm sitting on it. Thankfully leather is standard on the 3.2. I considered a contrast from the black exterior, but figured the cream or grey wouldn't wear so well, especially as I wear jeans a lot, I flirted with magma but when I saw it in the flesh I felt it was a little too orange/pink when I'd have preferred a deeper ruby red colour ... so in the end it had to be black leather, with black headling, for that cosetted enclosed sporty feel.

*Heated seats*
Never had these myself before, but have experienced them, and in general would never have considered spec'ing them previously. They're standard on the 3.2 and I have to say I do really like them, it's nice when you're chilled to the bone and get back into the car, the heated seats warm you through in a way the air con could never do. They're far from essential, even with leather as it doesn't take long for the chill edge to pass even without heated seats, and if I had to pay for them I doubt I'd spec them again, but I'm glad I've got them - they're great.

*Parking Sensors*
I've never felt a need for these before, my previous cars have been hatch backs and it's been pretty obvious where the car stops at the back ... however I was concerned that rear vis on the TT wasn't that great and it may be difficult to judge where the rear end was, I'm sure I'd have gotten used to it but for the sake of a couple of hundred quid I was happy to get PDC for peace of mind - my fiance was also keen on these as she'd be driving it occasionally and wouldn't have been at all comfortable reverse parking it (especially as she'd have less opportunity to get used to it).

*MFSW*
Bit of an expensive indulgence this one, to some extent. I've got a thing about wanting to have something on each new car that I've never had previously, I've always wanted steering wheel mounted controls, so many manufacturers do this as standard these days and I feel Audi should too ... this was just something I wanted, I use it and I really like it. I also have my Nokia car kit plumbed through this too, essentially the steering wheel button and volume control replace the old Nokia bluetooth "button" which some may be familiar with - functionality is limited, you can't scroll your address book, but I next to never make calls from the car anyway - this allows me to answer/end calls at the push of a button, and control the volume - perfect.

*iPod Connection*
Despite the well documented limitations of this option I still wanted it, still like it, and would still order it again. To be fair, I rarely listen to my iPod on short journeys, but when I do I hate the iTrip as the quality is crap. Also, I just want to select an album or a playlist, and let it play through, I'm not in the habit of scrolling through to find tracks, etc., so I don't need to see track names. Overall the iPod connections works well for me as it lets me use the iPod, gives good sound quality, and also keeps it charged. Great.

*ISOFIX*
This was perhaps marginally pointless, but I felt it better safe than sorry. I'm getting married this year, and although have no immediate plans to start a family there's a chance a sprog may appear before it's time to give up the TT ... in which case I may well change it for a family wagon, but at least with ISOFIX there's a degree of practicality should I decide to hang on to it.

What I deliberately didn't go for ...

*DSG*
I tried this on an extended demo and had a lot of fun with it, I did have some reservations however, and ultimately I quite like being a bit more engaged in the driving, and changing gear myself ... I know you can put the DSG in 'manual' mode and change gear yourself, but for me I thought I'd stick the manual shift. Add to that the fact that my fiance will likely drive the car, and would be nervous about using the DSG, especially not getting much chance to get used to it ... and I myself could be chopping between the TT and her car, which is a manual, it made more sense just to stick with the manual transmission this time round. It's doubtful I'll get another TT but on the off chance I do, I may well consider trying the DSG gear box as despite my reservations I can see benefits also.

*Short Shift*
I toyed with this for a while, didn't seem too expensive, and I like the idea of a rifle bolt short change ... however, thanks to this forum, I discovered it wasn't all it's cracked up to be ... so I'm more than happy to stick with the standard shift, it works fine for me - I've no intention of fitting an aftermarket kit.

*Extended Leather*
Whilst this looks nice, personally I really like the standard finish. IMO the extended leather is far far too expensive for what it gives, compared to the price for leather upholstery in a 2.0 the extended is a rip off ... if you spec leather, or it's standard, then this should include extended - at most it should be a Â£150 option, not Â£350.

*Xenons*
Regardless of anything else, I just felt these were too expensive to justify ... if they'd been half the price I might have gone for them, but as it was I just didn't feel they were worth it. I confess to initially being a little worried about not speccing them though, the standard beams in my Golf were woeful, and although Powerbulbs vastly improved the situation, they still left a lot to be desired. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to discover that the standard beams in the TT are excellent in my opinion ... and easily as good as the Golf with Powerbulbs, if not better ... it just goes to show that it's not just about the bulbs, the housing plays an important part too. For all the night time driving I do this is more than sufficient for me, and I'm glad I didn't shell out for the Xenons.

*BOSE*
To be honest, I'm not much of an audiophile, I enjoy listening to music but as long as the sound is decent I'm fine with it. A lot of the time I listen to the news on the radio, and some of time I just prefer silence. When I do listen to music I find that the standard stereo is more than adequate, especially once you tweak the bass and treble settings. Bose would undoubtedly be an improvement but, judging by opinions on here, it's certainly not worth the price asked of it. If I, or anyone else for that matter, wanted better sound the money would probably be better spent on aftermarket ICE than Audi's BOSE offering.

*Sat Nav*
The cheaper version seems pointless to me, and the better one is a horrendously expensive bit of kit but, to be quite honest, I don't need it. I know where I'm going most of the time, if I'm going somewhere I've never been before I'll prepare in advance by checking the map or AutoRoute, I can read street signs and have a fairly good sense of direction and if all else fails I have Â£200 portable unit that does a beautiful job that I can upgrade/change whenever I like several times for the price of the Audi unit - plus I can use it in another car if necessary.

*TPM*
Even though this isn't a particularly expensive option I needed to draw the line somewhere, I just didn't see a huge value in this, it's efficacy is arguable, and I just don't care about the blank in front of the gear stick. I'm sure it's great for those who have it, but I'm not bothered.

After a few weeks of ownership there are a couple of things I should have spec'd ...

*Storage Pack*
My Golf had quite a lot of cubby holes as standard, even without speccing the storage pack, and for some reason I thought the TT might at least have one or two. In almost every other car I've driven there's been a little pull down cubby hole just by your right knee under the steering wheel which is perfect for your wallet and your house keys. To be honest it didn't occur to me to check, but I was surprised to see the TT didn't have this. On the Golf the 'ashtray' in front of the gear stick is a great usable space for change, mints, or whatever ... it's a virtually useless space on the TT. The door pockets are far from generous either. In the Golf the handbook stowed nicely on a shelf in the top of the glovebox, but this is monopolised by the iPod connection in the TT, so the handbook renders the glovebox unusable - hence it's now stowed in the boot. Looking back I wish I had a few more places to stash stuff and, for all it costs, is the one thing I'd recommend any new buyer should opt for.

*Cargo Net*
The 'spare wheel' indent is a great space for stowing little bits and pieces you don't need all the time, like the hand book, oil, tyre pressure gauge, etc. The boot itself however, doesn't offer much in the way of grip/resistance for holding other loose items, like shopping/whatever, in place ... even more so in the TT than anything else I'm inclined to go round corners rather quickly resulting in boot items being slung about all over the place, a cargo net would be neat and dandy for holding everything down ... so, I've rectified that omission, and ordered one.

There's a whole lot I like about this car, not many actual 'dislikes' as such, but things to mention for the sake of it would be:

*Cleaning*
Ha ha, despite phantom black looking awesome when it's clean it's unfortunate that it quickly looks dirty ... I'm not anal about it, it's not a huge problem for me ... but compared to my silver Golf, it's going to be a lot more work. The Golf could, and would, go for months without being cleaned, and really not suffer particularly for it - the TT is going to require weekly attention, which doesn't appeal to my inner lazy bar steward! To be fair, the problem with cleaning the Golf was primarily due to it not being convenient to do so, what with living in a flat, I now have my own house and driveway and the few times I've washed the TT have been a pleasure, and it hasn't taken long just to give it a quick once over ... I'm looking forward to it, it's just unfortunate that my efforts won't last too long. The dark interior is inclined to attract dust as well, so that'll need a bit more attention than I'm used to as well.

*Fuel Consumption*
I've come from driving a 2ltr diesel Golf averaging 40/45mpg to a 3.2ltr petrol V6 averaging about 22mpg ... which is something of a shock to the system. To be honest, I was fully prepared for this, and budgeted to essentially double my monthly fuel bill, it's just an eye opener to actually have it driven home though (no pun intended). When driving the Golf I'd struggle to remember the last time I filled up, now I'm visiting the garage every 4 or 5 days ... I've done 1,300 miles and I've spent Â£250 on fuel, in 3 weeks! To be fair, I've been doing far more miles than usual, trying to get the miles up and run her in, getting out and having some fun, showing the car off to friends and family, so that should all settle down soon to more sensible levels - I imagine I'll be filling up about every 10 days, twice as often as the Golf at every 20 days. When we had the Golf we'd use it for everything, and I'd drive everywhere, primarily because the missus' Fiesta was pish and not at all comfortable - she picks up a new Honda Civic this weekend though which is much much better, and is our replacement 'sensible car', so we'll just have to be strict with ourselves and use it more often for mundane trips to the shops, etc., which should help balance things out.

The really just leaves me with one final thing to talk about:
*The Drive*
This car is immensely easy and pleasurable to drive. Personally I felt the 2.0 steering was a little light, the 3.2 has a little more weight to it (likely due to the heavier block up front), which I prefer. 
Whether you're horsing on, or just pootling about town, the car is smooth and controlled, and an absolute pleasure to manoeuvre.
As I've said, I've done quite a few decent runs over good driving roads, plus some general back road japery, and the TT is just incredibly entertaining ... find a road you know, pray that it's clear and dry, engage mag ride, and floor it ... the thing just keeps going and going, sounding sonorously gorgeous as she goes, wailing like a banshee, zipping along and dispatching corners with consumate ease ... truly a revelation, and so much fun, the loud pedal engages smile factor 10 and laugh factor 12, and you're away ... everyone should buy one of these, it's an abolute hoot!!

And now, per tradition, here are the pics ... nothing too artistic I'm afraid but, for what it's worth, this my baby ...
































































Over and out ...

Chris 

P.S. I would recommend nobody quotes this in full if they want to reply, or we're going take up a loooooooooooot of space (sorry, I know I'm a windbag!) :lol:


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## RK07 (Jul 31, 2007)

I'll let you know when the net arrives - off to scan expedia a bit more


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## phope (Mar 26, 2006)

glad you're enjoying it


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## jbtco (Feb 13, 2008)

Great review thanks.

I will no doubt have along wait for my TTS (also from Aberdeen Audi) hopefully it will come before the Summer ends.

I find it very difficult to understand why the view is taken that DSG means less involvement with the car. I had an SMG BMW M3 and drove a TT with DSG at Silverstone on the Audi experience. It is surely to be regarded as a faster manual change and not an auto. I think I only used the auto mode in the M3 a couple of times.


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## Fac51 (Feb 4, 2007)

Nice write up, and mostly agree with you especially on the extended leather - I prefer the 'bog standard' finnish myself.

RE: Heated seats. For ANY car with leather I'd say these are essential - I wouldn't be interested in a leather car without them. Just you wait to those cold December mornings - arse warmers are worth their wait in gold!


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## chrisabdn (Aug 15, 2007)

Fac51 said:


> Nice write up, and mostly agree with you especially on the extended leather - I prefer the 'bog standard' finnish myself.
> 
> RE: Heated seats. For ANY car with leather I'd say these are essential - I wouldn't be interested in a leather car without them. Just you wait to those cold December mornings - arse warmers are worth their wait in gold!


  the heated seats are fabulous ... but i've had leather before, and the lack of heated seats didn't bother me ... i must just have more 'insulation' on my ass!! :lol:

it's been pretty cold/wintery up here since i got the car, including lots of snow, and i've hopped into the TT and forgotten to heat the seats, within a few minutes that initial slight chill has gone and it's not a problem ... for me the heated seats aren't so much about taking the chill off leather, as for heating you up when you come in out of the cold (which would be the case whether the seats were leather or not) ... a fabulously indulgent bit of kit though, and great for making old people think they've pissed themselves ... :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## chrisabdn (Aug 15, 2007)

RK07 said:


> I can't read your last line :wink:
> 
> I'll let you know when the net arrives - off to scan expedia a bit more


ha ha ... very funny :lol: ... there's always one :roll:

now be a good boy and 'edit' :lol:

got your PM, enjoyed the vid thanks ... will hear from you re: the net, cheers! enjoy your weekend.

C.


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## Singletrack (Aug 1, 2007)

Chris - the car looks terrific. Clearly I'm with you on the Phantom Black. Keep it clean! Follow Janitor's advice on care and you'll keep it looking great.


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## hitchbloke (Jan 28, 2007)

Nice write up Chris, considered and informative. Agree with you on heated seats, it's only us 'southern poofs' who are in need of them. You 'sweaties' are a hardy bunch :wink:

Disagree on the storage pack and xenons but hey, each to their own.

Happy motoring


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## FinFerNan (Feb 28, 2007)

Well done Chris, 22MPG   You must be enjoying it


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## Whack01 (Feb 23, 2008)

Fantastic write up chief! Have to say I was also a bit worried about not speccing the Xenons as i do a lot of late night and early morning driving and have read numerous threads on here about how necessary the Xenons are. I was delighted to hear that the normal lights are good, makes me feel happier, this option was just a bit too expensive for my budget. 8)


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## ginger69 (Jan 3, 2008)

I'd have gone for the Xenons.......they're....errrm.....brilliant? 

Got to say that I enjoyed reading your write up Chris...nice one [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


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## Janitor (Jul 2, 2007)

Great write up Chris... 'Officially Approved' [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Thanks for sharing and keep it to hand to offer newbies who may be toying with which way to go


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## Hev (Feb 26, 2005)

Obviously still enjoying it then? 



chrisabdn said:


> (sorry, I know I'm a windbag!) :lol:


Really??? We hadn't noticed :lol:

Hev x


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## syc23 (Jun 17, 2007)

Nice write up even though I would disagree with your thoughts on short shift - it works fine for me but horses for courses 

I use my TT pretty much weekends only and 22mpg is pretty much the norm as it's driven in a spirited fashion when I go out for a proper blast. A sports car is wasted doing the everyday mundane stuff like commuting and shopping. Still happy to potter about in my Polo TDi.

Hope you continue to enjoy your car. I know I am 8)


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## ricka (Mar 31, 2007)

Liking it Chris [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Are Xenons not standard on the 3.2 anymore then??


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## StuTTer (Oct 13, 2007)

Good write up.

Interesting to read that the 3.2 steering is a bit heavier. I find my 2.0 a little light for my tastes. I wish there was a "power-steering off" button so I can exercise my arms while driving.


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## smartartkid (Aug 20, 2007)

Great write up Chris. Lovely looking motor too!! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


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## TTSFan (Jan 10, 2008)

> MFSW
> Bit of an expensive indulgence this one, to some extent. I've got a thing about wanting to have something on each new car that I've never had previously, I've always wanted steering wheel mounted controls, so many manufacturers do this as standard these days and I feel Audi should too ... this was just something I wanted, I use it and I really like it. I also have my Nokia car kit plumbed through this too, essentially the steering wheel button and volume control replace the old Nokia bluetooth "button" which some may be familiar with - functionality is limited, you can't scroll your address book, but I next to never make calls from the car anyway - this allows me to answer/end calls at the push of a button, and control the volume - perfect.


Thats what I don't get about the car in the UK its similar price to ours here in South Africa and ours comes standard with MFSW, TPM etc I think the MFSW is a must have a in a car like the TT.

Great looking car btw  hope you have many safe and fun miles!


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## sane eric (Jul 19, 2007)

Great review, nice pics.

Black - good. 18" 10 spokes - good.

Have fun.


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## GhosTTy (Oct 10, 2007)

The mpg will get better as the engine beds down. Mine was around 20 at the start. After 8,000 miles its nearer 28.


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## Snake Pliskin (Apr 11, 2006)

Thoroughly enjoyed reading that Chris [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Black with the standard 18" none-bi-colour alloys looks good - I like how the alloys stand out, whereas the bi-colour's can tend to look mucky with their darkened style - so standard wheels set off nicely on the black paint.

Interested in your comments on the storage pack and cargo net - how much are these options and what extra storage does the storage pack bring ?

Glad you getting so much enjoyment from the car 8)


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## chrisabdn (Aug 15, 2007)

Thanks folks ... glad you all enjoyed the write up ... 

I am certainly enjoying the car, it's great fun ... I do tend to drive the car quite spiritedly, so that explains the shocking MPG ... plus I'm lucky enough that my commute is on twisty back roads so I get to give it some boot and always arrive at work smiling (then start looking forward to the drive home) ... so I don't hold out too much hope of the MPG improving, but if it does get a bit better after it's bedded in then I won't complain 

Glenn - I'm not sure what comes with the storage pack, I've not investigated, I've just gone from lots of stash places, to none ... so whatever the storage pack offers has got to be an improvement


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## GhosTTy (Oct 10, 2007)

Storage pack is netting holders on both seat backs and in passenger footwell. Plus fold-down storage drawers under both front seats and a cargo net in the boot. So that's 6 items for Â£115. Bargain!


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## jakeman (Jan 30, 2008)

Drooooooooool the same colour as mine with the same wheels looks so good i'm glad i did not change to silver now.

Great write by the way.


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## Flyboyben (Apr 6, 2007)

Glad all is well Chris. Hope to catch up and see it in the flesh at the next NE bash!


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## 257andy (Jan 19, 2008)

TT looks ace, nice one [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


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## chrisabdn (Aug 15, 2007)

Flyboyben said:


> Glad all is well Chris. Hope to catch up and see it in the flesh at the next NE bash!


cheers ben ... keeping my eyes peeled for jokers in z4s at the moment :lol:


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## Flyboyben (Apr 6, 2007)

chrisabdn said:


> Flyboyben said:
> 
> 
> > Glad all is well Chris. Hope to catch up and see it in the flesh at the next NE bash!
> ...


  Check in your rear view mirror 

or wrapped round the nearest tree on a wet day


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