I was expecting a degree of snootiness about a diesel engine in a sports car, but it seems times have changed.
No-one’s raised an eyebrow about the existence of a Audi TT TDI, with the stock reaction being a simple, “Oh, I didn’t realise they did one of those.”
Go back a few years and it would have been unthinkable. However, probably helped by Audi winning the Le Mans 24-hour race with a diesel car, drinking from the black pump is no longer frowned upon for sporting models.
Especially when they’re this good. I’ve waxed lyrical on previous occasions about how good the TT TDI is on paper, with CO2 emissions of under 140g/km, a claimed average fuel economy figure of 53.3mpg, and yet a 170PS engine under the bonnet. It’s no sheep in wolf’s clothing, and almost negates any point of the turbocharged petrol version.
If anything, it’s the running costs that impress more than the performance. Ignoring the excellent 49.7% RVs, we’re averaging more than 40mpg real-world, which is rare for any of our long-term test cars. And that’s for 9000 miles, so is representative of what can be achieved over a lifetime.
We’ve even managed more than 500 miles out of a tank of fuel. On a run from Kent to Manchester and back, the TT averaged 44.1mpg and only needed a refill after 515 miles. There wasn’t much left in reserve at that point admittedly, but that sort of range is something pretty much any other sports car could only dream about.
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