TopGear has hated the Audi TT for as long as anyone can recall. Sure, this is part of their countercultural appeal, as the UK was one of the TT’s biggest global markets. The car was absolutely everywhere and wore many people out.

It represented a “tarted up Golf,” as the guys said so, so many times.

So for the new 2016 model-year TT to win the mag’s Coupe of the Year award is quite surprising indeed. Granted, they gave more than a dozen of these awards out in many categories, with heavily subjective and qualitative assessments deciding who won and who lost.

Even so, it is a big turn-about and a promising sign for the all-new generation’s dynamics and overall market appeal globally.

As far as arrival times and pricing, the US Audi lineup has a 2015 TT still in the range as the prehistoric-looking existing model — so expect a 2016 badge as a sure thing.

First UK deliveries are set for April 2015, and US arrivals could come as soon as that timeframe as well.

Pricing is likely to stick close to the current TT’s $40,000 base price, but climb rapidly for the desirable 310-horsepower TTS Coupe. The S3 Sedan has base prices between $42,000 and $47,000, before options, to give you a sense of Audi’s latest pricing.

But if the TopGear team is right, we are eager to see the little slugger take to the streets and earn back some fun-to-drive credibility.

2016 Audi TT

LED Lighting

2016 Audi TT

Interior

 2016 Audi TT Roadster

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The 2015 TT is less of a clean-sheet exterior overhaul than many expected, which may in fact be a great thing for shoppers.

Why? It means Audi has labored even longer on the underlying chassis and interior — both of which have been a bit floppy since the first-gen car debuted to wide eyes in the late 1990s.

Overall, the new production TT and TTS (the Audi S version of the TT Coupe) feature evolutionary styling improvements and updates outside, which the unique and striking LED treatments the most noticeable difference.

The TT roadster has not yet broken cover, but is likely for the upcoming New York auto show.