Audi TT: Little bit of new, a little bit of old

As expected, the third generation Audi TT does not throw away the now familiar TT silhouette but rather chisels the edges while bringing back a few elements from its past. Certainly the biggest changes are upfront with a more pronounced hexagonal grille and slim angry head lights inspired by the recent quattro concept that are a departure from either of the previous generations of the TT. From the profile, the more pronounced fender flairs are more MKI while the roofline appears just ever so slightly more upright but is very much MKII. A very sharp character or tornado line in Audi speak is one of many that crisp up the TT. The slight kink at the C pillar is a new, if perhaps superfluous design element. At the back, the regular TT has twin exhaust pipes moved closer together a la the original while the TTS has a more traditional wider stance. The hatch mimics the front with a hexagonal design element for the license plate area while the retractable spoiler juts out just a tiny bit when down as on the A6. This time around the TTS receives wider rocker panels and emphasizes the grille with bright work, setting it farther apart rom its base model. The current TTS is too easily mistaken for its regular brother. Overall, the first impression is remarkably familiar but a closer look reveals an advanced design. How well this translates to the real world is yet to be determined but the first few live shots give the TT more credit than the media shots. The current TT is still an attractive design so it's hard to fault Audi for not messing with the shape but rather working on the details even if you are left with wanting a little more.