Just one day after the hotter version of Audi's diminutive coupe, the TT RS, was spotted, our spy photographers captured the base model kicking off its testing season with a drive in the snow.
The current iteration of the coupe, which happens to be its third generation, was introduced in 2014, which, with 2018 literally days away, is suddenly starting to feel like a long time ago. Looking at the TT and the rest of Audi's lineup, you wouldn't think it was in any desperate need of a facelift, and yet life must follow its course and the coupe (and roadster alike) will have to suffer a mild refreshing.
However, it would appear the people in charge at the Ingolstadt-based carmaker also thought it would be OK for the TT to carry on as it is, so they were very discreet in their upgrade. As with the RS, the two points of interest as far as exterior design goes are the front fascia and rear bumper.
It's either that the camouflage does a very good job of hiding the changes or they are indeed very discreet, though they are indeed slightly easier to detect on this vanilla TT than on the RS version. One thing that seems to differ is the lower part of the front bumper, which now borrows in style from the TTS. It makes the car look more aggressive, something that's always welcome on the slightly feminine TT.
Though we can't really see it in these pictures, expect the lighting units to have different graphics both front and rear, a modification that should be more obvious on the models equipped with the more expensive LED options. This particular car appears to make do with standard halogen lamps.
We don't get to see the interior but there doesn't seem to be any of that black fabric covering the dashboard, suggesting any changes Audi might have operated are few and hard to spot. You can expect some new or different trim options, some tweaks on the infotainment system and some more driving aids added.
The powertrain department shouldn't bring drastic changes either. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder both gasoline and diesel engines will continue to dominate the lineup, so the best we can hope for is some better power or fuel efficiency figures. Nothing to get too excited about, though.
Since Audi started testing the car already - and since there isn't that much to test - we think the refreshed TT will be launched in the second half of next year, perhaps during the fall. Four years on the market seems like enough to warrant a facelift, especially one that's shaping up to be as shallow as this one.
However, it would appear the people in charge at the Ingolstadt-based carmaker also thought it would be OK for the TT to carry on as it is, so they were very discreet in their upgrade. As with the RS, the two points of interest as far as exterior design goes are the front fascia and rear bumper.
It's either that the camouflage does a very good job of hiding the changes or they are indeed very discreet, though they are indeed slightly easier to detect on this vanilla TT than on the RS version. One thing that seems to differ is the lower part of the front bumper, which now borrows in style from the TTS. It makes the car look more aggressive, something that's always welcome on the slightly feminine TT.
Though we can't really see it in these pictures, expect the lighting units to have different graphics both front and rear, a modification that should be more obvious on the models equipped with the more expensive LED options. This particular car appears to make do with standard halogen lamps.
We don't get to see the interior but there doesn't seem to be any of that black fabric covering the dashboard, suggesting any changes Audi might have operated are few and hard to spot. You can expect some new or different trim options, some tweaks on the infotainment system and some more driving aids added.
The powertrain department shouldn't bring drastic changes either. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder both gasoline and diesel engines will continue to dominate the lineup, so the best we can hope for is some better power or fuel efficiency figures. Nothing to get too excited about, though.
Since Audi started testing the car already - and since there isn't that much to test - we think the refreshed TT will be launched in the second half of next year, perhaps during the fall. Four years on the market seems like enough to warrant a facelift, especially one that's shaping up to be as shallow as this one.