Not so clever

his Kuga has auto headlights as standard. At no extra cost. Free. Many people surely would be thrilled by this information. Sadly, I am not among them. Mainly because they infuriate me.

Driving up the A41 on my way home, the Kuga is either dazzling oncomers with inappropriate main beam or getting cross that I’m asking it for main beam when it thinks I should just be sitting there not making such important decisions.

Therefore, I am a frm believer in choosing my own lighting settings. After all, I know full well when I need to use main beam or dipped beam or, on the odd occasion, sidelights.

However, auto headlights do have one (yes, just the one) redeeming feature. I switch them on as I arrive home so I can use the Guide Me Home function. This lights the pathway to my house, which would otherwise be pitch black.

T1997cc, 4cyl turbodiesel, 4WD, 161bhp, 251lb ft 47.9mpg, 154g/km CO2 0–62mph in 9.9secs, 123mph 1692kg £28,795/£32,865 omewhere north of Glasgow in the new Audi TT. Ahead lie 450 miles of mixed terrain, and beyond that, several months of getting to know the new TT. Yesterday, I had one of those drives up here in the RS6, a drive that made it all the harder to say goodbye and exchange the 552bhp estate for this 227bhp coupe.

So I drove the TT south on the same roads I’d driven the RS6 north. And nope, it was neither as fast nor as much fun. But it’s all about expectations, isn’t it? The TT is half the price, does a very diferent job and was more entertaining than I expected – and that’s what matters. It’s small, light and agile, less noseled than previous generations and largely unfappable on difcult roads.

But while I was in Scotland I also drove a TDI version, and the nagging thought at the back of my head is that, because you expect still less of it, the TDI is actually more fun to drive. The fact it rode on smaller wheels seemed to sweeten the dynamics, and the diesel was impressively smooth.

So here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to run this TFSI quattro for three months and then switch it for a diesel. This one is an S line-trimmed car with the S tronic twin-clutch gearbox, and because we’ve got it early, our colour choices were restricted to either this Daytona Grey or bright red. TTs have always looked their best in more monochrome, industrial colours, so that decision was easy, but to my eye the multispoke wheels don’t really suit it. They’re also 20s, which explains why the diesel (riding on modest 18s) felt more fuent…

STG happens across another great Scottish road – the B743 from Muirkirk to Strathaven

Aside from the puzzling absence of cruise control, this one is loaded with LED lights (£945), B&O sound system (£1,590 as part of the Comfort & Sound pack), electric front seats (£945) and Rotor grey nappa leather super sports seats (£1,390) which I was nervous about but they actually look really good. There’s also keyless entry (£455), a Technology pack (£1,590, for Nav Plus and Audi Connect), heated seats (£325), Parking System Plus (£410) and a couple of other bits that takes the total to a rather frightening £45,335…

But, thanks largely to the frankly stunning interior design and layout, eight hours of TT seat time breezed past. Personally I’m a bit disappointed Audi has played it so safe with the exterior that you can barely tell it apart from the old one, but the cabin…

REPORT 11

£

21,468 Esther Neve

Is this the ideal mix of of-road and on-road capabilities? HELLO 1984cc, 4cyl turbo, 4WD, 227bhp, 273lb ft 43.5mpg, 151g/km CO2

0–62mph in 5.3secs, 155mph 1335kg £ £34,545/£45,335 Total mileage 2577 Driver Ollie Marriage Why it’s here Is the new TT a genuine sports car?

AUDI TT TFSI QUATTRO