Jemma's Audi TT Quattro 1.8 Turbo

Have you ever bought something on a whim?  A pair of jeans or a top maybe, how about something bigger like a tele or a stereo?  What about a car?  No!  Me neither.  But that's exactly how Jemma came to own this TT convertible.  Although, to be fair, and as is often the case with impulse buys, there had been a considerable period of idle speculation.  And some research too, although not by Jemma, the careful study of make and model options, or price comparisons and owner reviews, that some might consider imperative for such a purchase, was left to others to do.  Jemma's work in environmental conservation requires some sturdy 4x4 transport.  A proper mud slugger you understand, not some Chelsea Tractor, something that's going to get dirty and scratched, used and abused.  To that end she'd had a steady succession of utilitarian cars and 4x4's culminating in a freshly purchased 2002 3.0 Di Nissan Terrano.  So how did this TT end up alongside the Tonka truck on The Batten driveway?

That's more or less what husband Mat asked when he first saw it too!  To be fair, Dr J Batten is not some spoilt 'spend easy', prone to this type of extravagance.  She has been running her own business for several years and had been uber busy managing the Marlborough Downs NIA Project.  Peaks and troughs in work normally allowed for regular travel play, to offset all that hard work, but this latest project had curtailed that somewhat, so some thought had been give to another form of play, such as a sports car, well that's the retrospective version of the story anyway!  When the Terrano's predecessor finally gave up the ghost, any thoughts on another car for fun were kind of put on a back burner.  Possible options had included a BMW Z3 and such like, but not the TT which had seemed somewhat out of reach, even before the necessary transport purchase.  

So even Jemma was quite surprised to find herself seriously considering this TT having spotted it on a trip back to the dealers to get a minor problem rectified on the newly acquired work horse.  Although, it's easy to see why she liked it enough to make a fairly swift and (as its turned out) prudent deal there and then.  It's the right colour, inside and out, has the right sort of mileage and history, and even arguably has the right engine spec for this convertible configuration, with the 180bhp version of the 1.8 turbo petrol engine and 4WD (as opposed to the entry-level 150bhp or full fat 225bhp options).  Everything about the way this car looks urges you to jump in, drop the roof, and go blasting off into the countryside for a few hours.  And that was more or less our plan for one Sunday afternoon in August, except it was rather windy and threatening to rain, but that was the least of our worries.  Minutes down the road and it's clear that all is not well underneath that shapely bonnet with an engine hesitation at idle and it failing to rev cleanly.

We doubled back to my flat to regroup and explore the problem.  A quick internet search and some prodding around under the bonnet suggest that it might be a fairly simple issue such as a failed coil pack, but which one, and where are you going to get one at quarter to four on a Sunday afternoon?! With concern also focusing on how and when Jemma was going to get home from her weekend visit, we opted to call out her breakdown service and have a cup of tea.  For once my internet assisted diagnosis skills were about right, although the number one coil pack had not only failed but snapped in half somehow.  No replacement was forthcoming from the 'very nice man' however, so a plan was hatched for a days extension to Jemma's visit, an early morning start in search of parts, followed by an afternoons cross country drive to Penrith from where Dr B could resume her journey home.

And so, after some diversionary afternoon and evening activities, and a slightly delayed start, we finally got the 'little car' running properly, the small but usable boot loaded with Jemma's luggage, and bravely folded the roof down despite the strong breeze and passing dark clouds.  Moments later we're whistling along the A1058 towards Newcastle Upon Tyne, with Jemma behind the wheel, and me hunkered down in the comfortable and supportive heated leather seat. The curves that define the exterior, continue inside, with the beautifully sculpted dashboard. The round air vents, heating controls, and switches are neatly aligned, with striking brushed aluminium trims brightening what could otherwise have been an austere wall of black plastic.  There's various other aluminium bright work, the best of which is the lovely 'TT' scripted cover that folds down to conceal the stereo.  Making our way through town, we pick up the A69 and continue westward, chasing the summer sun.  Even from the passenger seat I can tell that there's a slight fidgetiness to the ride quality. It absorbs bumps fine, there's just some coarseness there in the background. 

After half an hour, we peal off the A69 west of Toon and stop near Hadrian's Wall for a quick look and to swop seats.  It makes a nice change to be sitting this low down behind a steering wheel, with my legs stretched out almost horizontal to the road. That wheel can be adjusted just so, with the stubby Aluminium gearstick just a hand drop away.  The first ten minutes are spent gauging just how strong that acceleration is and trying to figure out how to pick up the A686, as our plan for the rest of the afternoon is to drive as many of the twisty roads between here and Penrith, where I'll be getting a train home and Jemma will continue her journey South on a hopefully quiet M6.  I might have mentioned before, how much I love this road.  The variety of twists and turn, with the odd long straight, combine with light traffic volumes, to deliver a good driving opportunity nearly every time.  Other road users tend to be content to let any quicker traffic past as they take in the great scenery.

I finally find a road that I recognise and that slow moving hatchback is despatched with thanks the to the punchy delivery from that Turbo charged engine which revs strongly. The gearing is good, with no nasty gaps between ratios.  There's some sensation of turbo boost that comes on around 3500rpm but there's enough torque at lower revs to pull strongly.  And that 4WD system delivers some serious grip, corner entry speeds limited seemingly only by your nerve.  There is an ESP button on the dashboard, but I'm under strict instructions not to play with it.  I'd guess that turning the system off would lead to more understeer, as felt when pressing on hard through a particularly tight s-bend.  Although this understeer tendency is fairly neutral, with such high grip levels generally available, the eventual front end breakaway could happen at alarmingly high speed.  The front wheel bias of the drivetrain make rear-end breakaway seem highly unlikely, although with a fairly short wheelbase, and all that grip, oversteer could prove scarily vicious.

This cars performance and handling can be described as competent, highly competent, which should be a good thing, but as we stop in Alston for a cream tea and a mooch around, there's something niggling me.  The rest of the afternoon is spent buzzing along these great roads in good weather, with good company, stopping off here and there to enjoy the view, check the flora and fauna, and take a few photos.  Further miles go by and yet I can’t quite pin down what it is thats bugging me about the way this car goes and stops.  The caffeine and food intake at the McDonalds next to the train station in Penrith don’t help me figure it out, neither does the lone train journey home after waving farewell to Jemma - although I do finally manage to untangle my hair eventually.  In fact pinning down the route issue of what leaves me feeling somewhat disappointed by my time behind the wheel of this particular car is the main reason theres been such a delay between articles.  I’ve long been a fan of the way the TT looks and the concept of convertibles has been growing on me recently too.  

I had hoped to fail in love with this car, but I didn’t.  And I’m not very happy about it either!  Yes it looks great; yes its well put together; yes there’s strong, linear, performance; and that ability to corner is just phenomenal.  But (and this is a very big but for me) you always feel like you're still sitting in the passenger seat whilst driving this car.  Driving through a set of bends and experience that grip is grin inducing fun, but you end up thinking ‘Man this car just grips and grips’ rather than ‘Man I drove well there’.  Am I just being vain?  Maybe, but it’s that engagement with the car, that sense of inclusion and involve in the process when driving a car that turns ‘operating machinery’ into ‘going for a drive’.  Jemma still loves her little car and rightly so, as it turns a mundane run to the shops into a gala event.  I, sadly, have to cross the TT coupe off my mental list of cars to be owned some day.

Thanks to Jemma for the loan of her car.

For more information about the Marlborough Downs NIA check out: http://www.mdnia.org.uk
©Dan Ewing 2014