Relive The Audi TT’s Glory Days With A V6 From £3500

The TT may be set for a shock switch to four doors, but there are loads of used examples out there to choose from – like the charming MkII V6
Relive The Audi TT’s Glory Days With A V6 From £3500

Audi is reportedly killing the TT as we know it, turning it into a longer, wider and more practical four-door apparently in line with customer demand, but we have a soft spot for the divisive little coupe. Especially for one of the rarer and more charismatic entries into the TT back-catalogue: the V6.

It was the initial range-topper for the MkII generation, sitting above the 197bhp EA113 four-cylinder unit with a handier 246bhp from its not-actually-a-V6 VR6 lump. This single-block, staggered line of six cylinders was shorter than a straight-six and narrower than a V6, making it easy to package into compact cars like two generations of TT and three shapes of Golf.

Relive The Audi TT’s Glory Days With A V6 From £3500

Compared to the four-cylinder versions the VR6-powered TT was in a whole different league of charisma. The EA113 was arguably VW’s last four-pot with inherent character, but the VR6 blew it away for aural charm and creamy, linear torque, even without the forced induction that gave the blown 2.0 a low-end advantage. Quattro four-wheel drive gave the V6 a traction advantage, too.

Unfortunately it had two major problems. The first was that it was a bit thirsty and expensive to tax, so in many European countries with emissions-based tax systems it wasn’t the wisest financial move. The EA113, after all, had enough punch for most people and would average over 40mpg on a run if you knew how to get it there.

Relive The Audi TT’s Glory Days With A V6 From £3500

The second problem was the TTS, which arrived in 2008 with a four-pot under the bonnet. It was based on the EA113 but had a new block, cylinder head, fuel injectors and more in order to pump it up to a reliable 268bhp. On a slight tangent, that’s why a 260bhp remap on those engines with stock internals might not be the best idea, whatever the tuners say. If Audi could have just remapped it safely, they wouldn’t have gone to the expense of all that work.

Anyway, with that much power the TTS quickly rendered the TT V6 obsolete and the latter was canned from the range. It was a move that split opinion. On one hand the TTS was more powerful, faster and could be tuned more easily if desired. On the other, the V6 was a GT-lite that ticked a lot of boxes including mature, understated class – which the brasher TTS didn’t.

Relive The Audi TT’s Glory Days With A V6 From £3500

Now you can own a TT V6 (VR6) for not a lot of cash. Starting at the very bottom, a 157,000-miler is as cheap as £3500, which, admittedly, is still about twice the price of a used A3 V6 with the same engine and the same output. We’ve picked a tidier, lower-mileage option from the classifieds, for £5790, with a few light cosmetic modifications like black wheels.

Yours in Brilliant Red with a black leather interior, this 90,000-mile manual model is packed with desirable (if expensive to fix) options like the Magnetic Ride suspension, rear parking sensors, heated seats and a Bose premium stereo. Trade seller iDeal Car Centre is offering a warranty in the asking price, which is good, because the MOT pass/fail history is a bit chequered – plus, the current certificate only runs to January.

Relive The Audi TT’s Glory Days With A V6 From £3500

Still, it’s a charming and capable coupe with a few handling quirks and a lot of equipment to enjoy. We say it’s a cracking buy – and it’s cheaper than a MkV Volkswagen Golf R32…

Comments

Slyline guy 09

It’s very nice

11/10/2018 - 11:56 |
0 | 0
Jakob

That’s pretty cool, I didn’t know they sold the second generation with a VR6 too. The turbocharged inline-5 is arguably the more desirable engine, but an Audi TT with a VR6 is cool nonetheless.

11/10/2018 - 12:21 |
46 | 0
Anonymous

Neato
But I don’t want to be the type of person who spends 5 hours getting ready to leave the house

11/10/2018 - 15:12 |
34 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Ha I get it

11/10/2018 - 16:38 |
2 | 0
CannedRex24

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

i mean at least with a Z3 or an MX5, you’d take around 3-4

with an SLK, its worse at 6-7

11/10/2018 - 18:28 |
0 | 0
James 33

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I GET THAT REFERENCE!!!

11/11/2018 - 00:15 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Haha, nice golf buddy!

11/10/2018 - 20:07 |
2 | 10
RotaryBlade

They already have 4 door fast cars like the magnificent rs5 and the rs7. But oh well only great thing about the TT was the engine and gearbox combo imo. Practicality aside the 370z trumps it.

11/14/2018 - 15:13 |
2 | 0

Two points I’ll make for the TT: AWD and better corrosion resistance makes it ideal for cold climates.

12/02/2018 - 21:34 |
2 | 0

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