The chances of me driving a car like the Lamborghini Gallardo - or even fitting into it - are pretty remote. But I have just had a taste of what life might be like piloting this Audi-developed sportster as I have just been driving the Audi TT coupe. The physical link between the two is the steering wheel, a flat bottomed device that's common to both cars. What's not so common is the price. The Gallardo from tractor maker Lamborghini will set you back the wrong side of £100,000 while you can have the TT on the road for less than £25,000. Viewed like that, it almost makes the Audi seem like a bargain. And when the price of Audi rivals like the Porsche Cayman is considered, it makes the Audi look even better value. You won't get a Cayman on the road for less than £36,000, which is more than you will pay for the top spec Audi with a 3.2 litre V6 engine and quattro four wheel drive. Some sports car fans might throw up their hands in horror that I should even mention the Porsche and Audi in the same paragraph but Porsche itself recognises enough of the pedigree of cars like the Audi to have bought around 30 per cent of Audi's parent, Volkswagen. Family driving enthusiasts have an instant problem with the Cayman or, for that matter, the cheaper Nissan 350Z, which also costs more than the Audi. Neither car has rear seats but the Audi manages chairs for two in the back, albeit items that are only suitable for children and will not accommodate adults, even for short journeys. Fold the seats in the Audi and you get 700 litres of load space, too, which adds to the practicality of this coupe. Two people could seriously consider using it for a long holiday and not stint on their luggage. I'm not sure the Audi would be viewed in quite the same way as the Cayman by serious driving enthusiasts, who would reckon the mid-engine layout that denies the Porsche its rear seats to be the best for ultimate handling. But for drivers who merely want to enjoy themselves in a more subdued way and still drive a very stylish coupe then the TT more than fits the bill. For them, the 2.0 FSI model is probably ideal. It costs £24,645 and so could be theirs for the price of a second hand Nissan 350Z. What it wouldn't bring is the Nissan's performance and brutal exhaust and to get more of that type of thrill you would need the £29,285 3.2 quattro TT instead. This TT is an obvious successor to the previous TT, which became an instant style icon. But the new body is smoother to look at and takes advantage of Audi space frame technology to blend aluminium and steel together. This combination results in a lighter body shell than would be the case if the car was all steel and Audi has been careful to place the steel where it brings good weight distribution, such as in the rear floor. Strangely, the doors and tailgate that are so often made of aluminium in sports cars to save weight are steel items in the TT. The 3.2 litre engine gives the Audi good performance, with 0-62 mph in 5.7 seconds with the optional DSG gearbox and a top speed limited to 155 mph electronically. Audi also says the car is impressively economical with up to 30 mpg on the combined cycle but I was only getting around 23 mpg, less than the bigger-engined Cayman I drove and a disappointment. In other respects, though, the Audi was a good and enjoyable choice. Maurice Hardy Annette's View One of the things that appeals about the Audi TT 3.2 quattro is that's it's not a frenetic sports car. It's more civilised than most and while there is some harshness to the ride it's nowhere near as severe as it is on the Porsche Cayman. But, and it's a big but, there were things about this Audi that just did not appeal. One of them was the extremely sensitive throttle, which required very delicate treatment. Combined with a sharp clutch, it made the car very difficult to drive in traffic and this manual TT is not the car for urban use. Far better to go for the DSG, which has an automatic mode that's ideal for round town motoring. I liked the body-hugging seats of the TT, which were very comfortable and kept me well-located during enthusiastic driving. The car was also pretty easy to slip in and out of but the vertically sliding back rest releases to allow access to the rear were too fiddly to be practical. They could lead to broken nails being the curse of many owners. Boot space impressed me, though, and if you like your sports car to have a practical edge then the TT will appeal to you. Lifting things into the boot was not so easy, but once there the Audi had plenty of room to accommodate them. It's a very well thought out design. Car: Audi TT 3.2 quattro Does it fit your ego?... 0-62 mph: 5.9 secs Top speed: 155 mph Bhp: 247 @ 6300 rpm Torque: 236 lb ft @ 2500 rpm ...and your wallet?... Price: £29,285 Urban: 19.2 mpg Extra urban: 36.2 mpg Combined: 27.4 mpg CO2 emissions: 247 g/km Insurance Group: 19 Best bits: sleek styling; generous boot for a coupe; sports car for the family man.