Safety - even higher than legal requirements

In addition to the currently valid crash test standards, the Audi TT Coupé already complies with the new European and American frontal and side-on crash requirements.

Audi, however, goes well beyond anything the law may demand. Forthcoming European frontal crash legislation, for instance, calls for an impact at 56 km/h against a deformable barrier, with 40 percent overlap. The Audi TT Coupé has been tested at the higher speed of 64 km/h, in accordance with the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) which has been brought into being as a new vehicle safety standard. In addition to FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard) 208, which is mandatory in the USA, it is used by American passenger-car insurers (the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety or IIHS).

The European side crash requirements as laid down in 96/27 EU are also fulfilled. This regulation calls for a barrier impact test using a side-impact dummy for measurement purposes. US side impact protection requirements are also complied with. The door intrusion and side impact test requirements differ in many respects from those imposed by the European Union.

Last but not least, the Audi TT Coupé already satisfies the more stringent US head impact regulation FMVSS 201 which will be imposed shortly. A freely suspended dummy head is propelled against the roof and posts of the car's interior, to simulate the loads which could be encountered by the car's occupants in an accident, if their heads come into contact with the car's body structure.

The body's exceptional rigidity is a basic pre-condition for a crash-resistant occupant zone. Various specific measures have been adopted as well to ensure greater safety in a variety of different types of accident.

The possible effects of a side impact on a typically low-slung sports car, together with the absence of a centre roof post, are undoubtedly a serious challenge to the engineers' skill. A most effective solution has, however, been found for the TT: high-strength aluminium side intrusion bars, door sills of ample cross-sectional area and the side panel together form a strong composite assembly. A tubular reinforcement behind the door ­ referred to as the "trumpet" because of its unusual shape ­ supports the side panel against the floor and largely prevents any intrusion by another vehicle if a "sideswipe" collision takes place. Should the car roll over, roof frame elements of generous cross-section resist intrusion in a similarly effective way.

Front airbags for the driver and front passenger provide protection in a frontal crash. Using the car's ignition key, the passenger's airbag can be de-activated at a switch in the glove box. This permits a rearward-facing child's seat to be installed on the front passenger's seat if required. A yellow telltale lamp on the centre console confirms that the airbag has been switched off.

Should a side impact occur, the driver's and front passenger's head-and-thorax airbags come into action. They protect the occupants from the head down to the ribs. These airbags are installed in the front seat backs and therefore always ideally positioned relation to the seat occupant's body, regardless of seat position or seat back angle.

Pyrotechnic-action tensioners at the front keep the seat belts taut against the wearer's body if a collision should occur. Additional belt force limiters prevent the load imposed by the seat belt from becoming too high, even in a severe frontal crash. The front seat belts are also tautened in a side-on collision if this is violent enough to trigger off the side airbags. This keeps the occupants in closer contact with the seats, which tend to move towards the centre of the vehicle after an impact. This reduces the risk of rib injuries.

The rear seat is authorised for use as a Group 3 child's seat (age approx. 4 - 12) and according to ECE-R 44 safety standard. Children between 1.30 and 1.50 metres in height may occupy it without a raised seat and be secured by the regular lap-and-diagonal seat belt. Furthermore, ISOFIX child's seats can be installed on both the car's rear seats; the car has provision for the standardised mountings to be fitted.

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