Audi e-tron GT vs Audi TT

What's the difference?

Anyone lamenting the demise of V8 and V10-powered internal combustion sports cars will change their mind after driving the Audi e-tron GT.

It is a phenomenal car and you can feel the engineering expertise that’s gone into making it. 

The e-tron GT feels at home on German roads and autobahns, but a drive on Australian roads could well reveal some flaws. We will wait and see.

Until then, the e-tron GT is one of the most deeply impressive cars I have ever driven. And if you’re fortunate enough to be able to afford a car like this, perhaps it’s your next (very fast) family car?

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Audi is finally saying hooroo to this model which has made the world stop and stare like I did on that Parisian street all those years ago.

The Final Edition is a fitting tribute to this iconic sports car and I’m glad Audi didn’t go ‘OTT’ and deck it out with gimmicky features. 

At the same time the Final Edition’s big rear wing, blacked out badges, wheels and interior colour coding hint that this is not just any ordinary TT and those that know will know.

Farewell Audi TT, we hope something just like you but probably electric appears to stop us in our tracks again. 

You could argue the e-tron GT was already a stunner and didn’t require any visual changes, but Audi has still made a few tweaks. Thankfully, they are relatively subtle.

The 2025 e-tron GT gains refreshed front-end styling with a new front grille, headlights and lower bumper and air intakes. The look is inspired by Audi’s latest design language as seen on the recently revealed A6 Avant e-tron.

The S has more subtle front and rear styling, while the RS and RS performance take on a more aggressive and sporty look with a dramatic rear diffuser and different lower front styling. 

The RS performance further differentiates itself from the RS with an optional matt, darkened carbon roof and optional ‘carbon camouflage’ elements found in the embossed bumper, door trim, parts of the diffuser and side mirrors.

Audi has introduced some rather gorgeous new alloy wheel designs, some standard, some optional.

I had forgotten how stunning the e-tron is in the metal. You can see by its stance that it’s related to the Porsche Taycan - they share the 'J1' platform.

Despite the low-slung sports sedan vibe, they have their own distinct identities. If you’re after elegant clean design, you’ll likely favour the Porsche. But I am increasingly leaning towards the Audi on the design front.

Inside you get redesigned sports seats, a new steering wheel and fresh inlays, including sustainable wood on some grades. I love the new steering wheel, covered in Audi’s version of synthetic suede. BMW take note - you don’t need a big chunky steering wheel in a performance car. This rim is just right.

There’s new readout and graphics for the digital driver display and the carpet and floor mats are made of 100 per cent recycled nylon fibres. Audi’s used synthetic suede and leather throughout, and the non-leather grey cloth trim in the S is a knockout. But you can get real leather if you want.

Some of the grades we drove at the launch event come with Audi Exclusive elements which add unique touches and colours chosen by the customer, from the interior inserts, trim, stitching and more. Audi Australia isn’t saying too much but some of these Exclusive options might end up here eventually.

The Audi TT’s shape has morphed over the past 25 years from the cute, rounded bubble car that first appeared in the late 1990s to the more aggressively and sleek looking sports car with the sharp creases we see today.

Still, there are the familiar pumped-out wheel arches and, while not as prominent as it used to be, that arching roof and the way it flows down to those tail-lights and stumpy tail remains so true to the original TT.

The TT Final Edition has a more menacing and athletic look than the regular 45 TFSI its based on thanks to the S Line Competition Plus exterior package.

So you’re getting the big fixed wing, an aggressive front bumper, and the 19-inch alloy wheels in gloss black.

There’s a black package, too, which add the decals down the side, the blacked-out badges, the black exhaust tips and black wing mirrors.

My test car’s paint colour was Turbo Blue and you can see in the images of the cabin how Audi matches interior elements in the same colour. The contrast stitching on the seats also lifts the sporty feel into high-end territory.

It’s a simple cabin, though, free from busy buttons and giant screens and the incorporation of climate controls into the air vents is genius. 

If you’re wondering what the TT Final Edition’s dimensions are its 4191mm long, 1832mm wide and 1376mm tall. 

The e-tron GT is a big car, so it has potential for family duties, but it’s also a sports car, and that means some compromises. 

The new front sports seats in any of the various trim options offer incredible levels of comfort, ample support and they’re well cushioned. This is a Grand Tourer so comfort is important and that box is well and truly ticked.

It’s low to the ground which helps with feeling connected to the road, and the multi-adjustable seats and steering wheel mean it’s easy to find your perfect driving position.

With the addition of new air suspension as standard, the e-tron GT has a neat trick. When you touch the door handle, the set-up automatically increases the vehicle’s ride height by up to 77mm to make it easier to get in and out of. \

Don’t expect much visibility out the tiny rear windscreen, but you can rely on the clear surround-view camera display. 

From the driver’s seat, everything comes easily to hand. The multimedia screen isn’t a stretch to reach, nor are the buttons on the stack and console. Thanks for keeping buttons, too, Audi.

Audi’s current multimedia setup is solid. It has big menu icons, logical menu steps and you can swipe across for more.

The ‘Virtual Cockpit’ digital instrument cluster is also excellent and easily customisable. The built-in sat nav shows up in multiple places if you like, such as the head-up display, instrument display or multimedia screen. During our extensive drive from Frankfurt, it didn’t miss a beat.

The optional panoramic glass roof has a cool feature. You can switch from opaque to clear with the touch of a button. And you can even have a mix of the two. Clever.

To maximise space, Audi moved the phone charger to inside the central bin. Given it is hard up against the side, it doesn’t consume that much room.

Elsewhere up front, smaller bottles will only fit in the door pockets if they are lying flat.

In a smart bit of design from Audi, the battery pack is split to accommodate deeper footwells for the rear passengers. So many electric cars, especially sedans, suffer from having the battery pack under the entire length of the vehicle's floor which means your legs sit awkwardly upright. Hello Tesla...  

As a result, you can sit like a normal human in the back of the e-tron GT, and there’s ample legroom behind my six foot-plus driving position. That’s helped by scalloping the rear of the front seats. Headroom is tight but that’s expected given the swoopy roofline. 

There’s no bottle storage in the rear doors, only enough room for a phone. You get lower air vents, seat heating controls and a central fold-down armrest with cupholders. 

The boot is long and the 60/40 split seats fold flat which is handy for loading long items. There are a number of nooks and a handy cargo net, too. Luggage space ranges from 405 litres for the S e-tron GT to 350L for the RS performance. There’s a sizeable front trunk for housing charging cables.

The Audi TT isn’t going to cut it as a family car, but it’s more practical than a lot of people might think.

First this is a '2+2' sports car meaning those two rear seats are there for the odd occasion when you might need them, because the space back there is limited.

But for most of the time having a place to throw a jacket or extra luggage and not have to ask your co-plot to rest it on their lap will feel like absolute luxury.

Up front head and legroom is good, even for me at 189cm tall. Being a coupe the doors are long and although the car is low I found getting in and out easy.

There’s a pretty clever use of space when it comes down to cabin storage. You’ll find door pockets, a glove box, a covered centre console box and a hidey hole/wireless phone charger in the dash.

Back seat passengers have built-in shelves near their armrests. Surprisingly there are four cupholders - two of which fold out of the dash.   

The boot isn’t huge at 305 litres but you can fold the rear seats down to open up the cargo capacity to 712 litres.

So, compared to its two-seater sports car rivals, the TT is relatively and pleasantly practical.

Audi has taken the $84,000 TT Coupe 45 TFSI quattro and created this TT Final Edition with extra features for a list price of $88,749. 

Here’s what you’re getting. First there’s the 'S Line Competition Plus' exterior package which beefs up the TT’s looks with the big, fixed rear wing and 19-inch Audi Sport wheels in gloss 'Anthracite Black' with red brake calipers.

There’s also the black exterior package which brings the black Audi rings badging, black chunky exhaust tips, black side trims and Audi logo decals.  

Inside there’s Nappa leather S sport seats; an Alcantara and leather flat-bottomed steering wheel with paddle shifters; while the armrests, door handles and the centre console are covered by the 'Leather Package' which includes contrasting stitching.  

Metallic paint is also included as part of the Final Edition’s features. Ours was 'Turbo Blue'.

Much of the rest of the Final Edition’s features are shared with the TT Coupe 45 TFSI quattro and includes a 12.4-inch 'Virtual Cockpit' digital instrument display, sat nav, CD and DVD player, eight-speaker stereo, digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging and proximity unlocking.

Our car had a couple of options fitted - the privacy glass which is $950 and the 20-inch gloss black alloy wheels for $1600. 

Rivals to the TT include BMW’s Z4 which lists for $99,200, and its Toyota GR Supra twin for $87,380, while the Nissan Z Coupe is also part of that sporty coupe club at $75,800.

You might already know this but the TT doesn’t have a central media screen and that can appear odd in a new car world where big screens dominate the dashboard. 

The fully electric e-tron GT has two motors - one on each axle, ensuring ‘quattro’ all-wheel drive traction.

For the S e-tron GT, the total system output is 430kW of power (or up to 500kW in launch control mode) and 740Nm of torque. 

That’s more power than the previous RS e-tron GT, and enough to get it from zero to 100km/h in 3.6 seconds.

The RS now pumps out 500kW (630kW in launch control mode, no total torque figure available) and can hit triple digits in 3.1 seconds, while the new RS performance flagship boasts impressive outputs of 550kW/1027Nm (680kW in launch control mode) for a dash time of 2.9 seconds. These 0-100km/h times improve in launch control mode.

A newly developed air suspension is standard across the range, and tech wizardry like active suspension and rear-axle steering are optional.

The TT Final Edition has the same 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine as the regular 45 TFSI TT Coupe with the same 180kW and 370Nm outputs.

The TT is light, though, at only 1460kg and that grunt is enough to slingshot it from 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds.

The transmission is an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic which sends drive to all four wheels.

Sure, the TTS has more grunt and the TTRS is nothing short of wonderful with its five cylinder powerplant, but the 2.0-litre engine in the Final Edition feels perfectly suited to what is a fun and engaging sports car.

Audi has reduced the weight of the battery pack by 9.0kg while also increasing energy density.

Audi has also improved the charging rate which now peaks at 320kW, up from 270kW.

The 105kWh lithium-ion battery on all grades can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in just 18 minutes using a high-power charging station, according to Audi.

AC charging is 11kW and doing that at home will take about 11 hours from depleted to 100 per cent.

The update to the information in the instrument cluster includes details about current operating state of the battery, including temperature, a quick-charging forecast and the pre-conditioning status.

Driving range is impressive and runs from up to 609km on the WLTP cycle for the S e-tron GT, up to 599km for the RS e-tron GT and up to 592km for the RS e-tron GT performance.

Energy consumption ranges from 18 to 19.7kWh/100km for the S, 18.4-21.1 for the RS and 18.7-20.8 for the RS performance.

Audi says that after a combination of open and urban roads the TT Final Edition should use 7.0L/100km.

My own testing took in a combination of the best country roads and worst city traffic and at the fuel pump I measured 10.9L/100km.

But most of my time was spent in 'Dynamic' drive mode with the fuel-saving idle stop system switched off. 

The TT's 55-litre fuel tank means you should have a range of about 785km.

Having the air suspension increase the ride height to get into the e-tron GT is useful, given how low to the ground it is. Once you’re in, you’ll nestle into the sports seats and feel a real connection with the road.

Audi’s generated EV noise sounds like the low, deep growl of a V8, but dialled down. It’s very cool.

The new RS e-tron GT is quick but it delivers acceleration in a smooth, linear manner. There’s no neck-snapping ‘Ludicrous’ moment here. Just straight line performance that will elicit the word ‘wow’ multiple times.

Picking up pace at speed is a breeze - as we discovered on Germany’s autobahns - thanks in part to a ‘push to pass’ button on the steering wheel that adds 70kW of power for 10 seconds, when you need to overtake quickly.

The steering is sharp, but almost a little too sensitive in the RS, to the point where you need to be conscious of your steering inputs. You don’t want to overdo it, but if you do, the onboard electricals should keep things in check. That beautiful steering wheel adds to the engagement.

Audi’s engineers deserve plaudits because they’ve somehow made a five-metre long, 2.3-tonne electric sports sedan feel light and nimble. 

It is dead flat in corners without a hint of lean or body roll and navigates tight bends with a surefootedness that is astounding. 

Accelerating out of a corner is executed without fuss and will bring a smile to your dial, helped in part to the optional rear-axle steering.

The technical wizardry that is active suspension - it uses cameras and radars to analyse the road surface ahead and moderate the dampers and the like accordingly - is impressive.

The ride quality of this heavy car with 21-inch rims is a surprise. You’ll notice road joins and bigger corrugations but overall it's quite composed.

And that’s part of the beauty of the e-tron GT. Its Porsche Taycan cousin is a more focused sports car. Whereas the Audi e-tron GT is a Grand Tourer or Gran Turismo if you will.

Yes, it’s incredibly powerful and is blisteringly fast, but it’s also a comfortable cruiser, and something you could easily live with every day.

The S e-tron GT could be all the Audi you need. It’s still incredibly quick, but not as powerful as the RS. It is the more subtly styled model which will appeal to an understated buyer.

A brief stint on a makeshift track in the e-tron GT performance grade highlighted how the active suspension, rear-axle steering and other tech gubbins help it hold the road so well.

It’s an extraordinary car to drive and taking a different approach to Porsche has served Audi very well indeed.

The advanced safety gear is well calibrated and not intrusive. While the speed limit alert can be annoying, the speed sign recognition is spot on. Let’s see how it goes with Australian speed signs next year.

There are plenty of sports cars out there which are dynamically superb yet uncomfortable to sit in.

But the TT’s cabin is as ergonomic as it is stylish with a great, low sitting position and good pedal feel, a steering wheel that can be adjusted to be just right and still with plenty of space underneath for long legs like mine.

The shifter feels the right distance away, good visibility even out the rear window and plenty of ventilation.  And we haven’t even started driving yet.

The TT Final Edition felt to me how a TT should. Fun. Not overpowered nor brutally firm and not ridiculously loud.

Instead, my drive in the Final Edition, which took me along some of my favourite country roads, was one of the most enjoyable runs I’ve had in any car. 

This is a car which ‘listens’ to you and replies with exactly what you’ve asked for in the way it turns into corners and accelerates out of them, and pulls up when you need it too. 

There’s so much connection to the road, you can hear the sticks and stones flying up into the guards, you can feel the coarse chip bitumen through the steering wheel.

But it’s all so easy, too. The suspension is firm but soft enough that you can drive this daily. The steering is light but still with great feedback. 

Some sports cars leave you feeling exhausted, like you’ve just wrestled a bear but the TT Final Edition just leaves you feeling like you've been on a ride and all you want to do is run back around to line up and get back on it again.

This could be a deal breaker for you. The Final Edition, like all Audi TTs, falls short in terms of safety equipment compared to its rivals.

This third generation TT only managed four ANCAP stars out of a maximum of five when it was assessed in 2015.

This was due to the model not having AEB or lane keeping assistance or rear cross-traffic alert.

The only assistance features it has are blind spot warning and self parking (which is handy). It doesn’t even have adaptive cruise control.

There are two top tether points for child seats in the second row but please be aware that the TT was also scored low by ANCAP for child occupant crash protection.

If you do have children and are looking for something safer but still small and sporty, the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe or Mercedes-Benz A-Class are excellent choices. 

Something to think about.  

The e-tron GT comes with Audi’s five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty which is fairly standard for the premium segment. The battery warranty is eight years or 160,000km.

Impressively, the outgoing model comes with six years of complimentary servicing by Audi, and the schedules start at every two years or 30,000km. This should carry over for the new model but will be confirmed when the rest of the pricing and specs are locked in.

The TT Final Edition is covered by Audi’s five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

Serving is recommended every 12 months or 15,000km and although Audi doesn't have capped price servicing there is a five-year/75,000km plan which will cost about $3000 in total for regular maintenance. Yep, that's $600 per workshop visit.