Free rein on the Isle of Man
DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN— If you know the history, you would doubtless agree that to introduce a new version of a car named TT, a logical place would be the Isle of Man.
If you don’t know the history, here’s a brief primer:
The small island in the Irish Sea which boasts the oldest continually operating parliament in the world, is roughly equidistant from Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. Thanks to favourable tax rates, its economy is based largely on insurance and eGaming.
And it is home to the famed Tourist Trophy (yes, that would be “TT”) mo- torcycle races which have been held here annually since 1907, apart from the war years and 2001, when hoof-andmouth disease reared its ugly head.
Not coincidentally, that first TT event was contested on an NSU motorcycle — it placed sixth. In the 1960s, NSU actually produced cars using the TT model designation.
The NSU brand is a distant predecessor to Audi, so when Audi introduced their sporty two-door coupe in 1998, they resurrected the TT label.
And so here we are, driving the 2019 Audi TT coupe on the Isle of Man TT circuit.
The third-generation TT was launched in 2015. It gets a mid-cycle refresh for the 2019 model year that goes on sale early next year. Pricing has yet to be announced, but it is expected to be not far off the current starting price of $53,990 for the base car, $63,400 for the more powerful TTS model.
You might have to be something of a trainspotter to notice the differences in the refreshed car, as the sheet metal remains the same. Tweaks to the grille and rear fascia and new wheels are intended to give the car a more masculine look.
Some new colours have been added to TT’s palette. We chose one in a brilliant Turbo Blue, which suited the car perfectly.
The TT shares some oily bits with the brilliant Volkswagen Golf R, but that’s no bad thing.
Our mount was the high-performance TTS version, whose 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine generates 306 Euro-spec horsepower at 5,400 r.p.m. and 295 lb.-ft. of torque from 2,000 to 5,300 r.p.m., improvements from last year by some 14 and 14.8 respectively.
It is mated to a new seven-speed S tronic paddle-shiftable transmission driving all four wheels, of course.
The proffered 0-100 km/h time isn’t markedly different — at 4.5 seconds, it’s about a tenth quicker than before. But the extra torque makes it feel punchier than that, and the extra gear ratio helps keep the engine on the boil.
Audi has long had the best interiors in the business, and the TTS is no exception.
The digital cockpit will take some getting used to, as do all these modern systems.
But Audi has been at this longer than most, and the graphics are clear, bright and easily decipherable.
The seats fit me perfectly, being comfortable and supportive for the sort of driving we were about to experience.
There is a pair of rear seats, but they are of the “extremely occasional” variety. You will most likely fold them flat to augment the luggage space, which, despite the car’s modest dimensions, is reasonable.
Our first drive was through the town of Douglas and on to Creg-ny-Baa, where the clockwise race course normally turns west from the southward run coming down from Snaefell Mountain.
The entire 60.7 km layout, often referred to as the most dangerous race circuit in the world, contains some 200 corners, most of which seem blind and impossibly dangerous.
There are no run-off areas anywhere. No gravel traps. Few guardrails. Pads are placed around telephone poles and other obstacles, as if a few centimetres of foam rubber are going to help much if you take one out at a buck-fifty.
This place makes the Nurburgring Nordschleife look like a shopping centre parking lot.
These public roads are closed off for the bikes during the two-week race event in May and June, and again for another event in the fall.
We ran a 16 km section of it the “wrong” way to Ballure, turn around, come back, switch drivers, then reverse above procedure.
Audi had arranged for this section to be closed to other traffic so we could tackle it at speed. This had never been done before. Audi and Isle of Man, from the bottom of our flinty hearts, we thank you.
Even for a non-bikey like myself, this drive was special. For my compadre Costa Mouzouris from Montreal, for whom motorcycles are a lifelong passion, it was a dream come true. Even in a car.
Interestingly, Isle of Man is one of the few places left on earth with no speed limits outside of built-up areas, but for us, they made an exception. To improve the chances of all cars and drivers getting home safely, we were given a speed limit of 90 m.p.h. Yes, m.p.h. — they still use ‘m’ in these parts — which translates to 145 km/h. Probably wise. We were given some tips on the course by someone who would know. Richard “Milky” Quayle is one of only three event winners (and the most recent) who was born on the island; he still lives here.
In our drivers’ briefing, he emphasized the importance of smoothness and carrying speed through the corners.
“Think of it as classical music,” he said. “There’s a flow and rhythm to the course.”
We drove in convoys of two to three cars, preceded by a pro driver from Audi, and I can confirm we hit that speed limit twice — once on the way up, once on the way down.
No, actually we were pretty good little boys. And, there were a few sprinkles of rain during my runs just to add to the fun.
Considering that the fastest speed hit by the bikeys during the races is more than 300 km/h — well, you just cannot imagine.
Trying my best to keep images of becoming part of the scenery far from my mind, I was able to enjoy the performance of this car.
It is downright quick, and the turbo boost comes in early, strong and suitably accompanied by a throaty exhaust note. I shifted the transmission manually with the paddles, still clinging to the false hope that I could somehow beat the car’s computer.
Audi has had more experience with four-wheel drive in performance cars than just about anybody else, and it shows. The car simply goes where you point it; the feel-full steering is a delight.
At one point we encountered a flock of seagulls. No, not the 1980s synth-pop band; genuine seagulls, apparently bent on self-destruction. One of them sadly succeeded in its mission underneath our car. The good news — no damage to the car’s body work. Can’t say the same for the seagull.
After our high-speed runs, we were given full rein of the island, so we chose to do an entire lap of the circuit. At considerably less elevated rates of speed, needless, perhaps, to say.
Our cars were all left-hand drive, and Isle of Man of course drives on the left, so we had to be particularly careful on the narrow roads, especially when making right-hand turns.
“No, no, stay left!” became a familiar cry from the right seat.
The TTS is equally at home in less-stressful driving, the magneto-rheological dampers doing a fine job of, well, damping.
The TT has been a success for Audi, selling well in all markets. For those who can ignore the siren call of SUVs — and I wish there were more of you — and who want a car that is nimble and quick, yet practical and all-weather friendly, the Audi TTS takes some beating.
Wonder if they have an Isle of Man delivery plan?