Audi TT roadster
Road test - February 2008

When I went to collect the Audi TT, I was expecting the coupe. When I saw the roadster in the car park, I said to myself, “ I must ask them for that as soon as possible !” Imagine my surprise then when I pressed the button on the remote and the lights of the roadster flashed. It was as if I had just met Saint Peter at the gates of Heaven and he had invited me in. The sun was shining, I had my windproof jacket and cap, so everything was in place to drive off top down. I thoroughly enjoyed my drive home and after a quick lunch, I spent the rest of the day driving around, top down, getting to know the car. The top goes down in around 12 seconds, but you must keep your finger on the switch for the entire operation. You can do it on the move, if your speed is suitably low, provided you keep your finger on that switch. The sequence is not completed until the windows have returned to their fully up position, so if you want them down, you then have to do that afterwards. For some reason from fully down to fully up takes around 14 seconds. If you happen to take your finger off the switch during either operation, the whole sequence stops. The roof folds in a Z fashion, so no tonneau cover is required, which is very convenient.

Some people may say that February is not the best time to test a convertible, top down. For the week of my test, the air temperature varied between plus six to plus ten degrees centigrade, yet I was able to drive top down most of the time. I am not convinced that the heater has been optimised for fitting into a convertible. For example on an afternoon when it was plus six degrees centigrade, it was nippy enough driving top down, even with the heater at its maximum, but when I raised the windows the ambient temperature in the cockpit increased notably and when the top was raised it became positively tropical. Audi fit a backdraft screen that can be raised or lowered, automatically, from the driving seat. I tried it erected, but it appeared to make absolutely no difference at all, other than to darken and obscure your rear view. As a result I preferred to leave it in its lowered position.
Audi do an excellent wind and waterproof jacket, with a good collar, which is just perfect for driving top down, even in chilly weather. If you want to go the whole hog, they also do a baseball cap adorned with the Audi logo. Ask your Audi dealer to show you the range of clothing and accessories available.

My test car was fitted with the 2.0 litre TFSI, four cylinder, petrol engine. It is the same engine as fitted to the Volkswagen Golf GTI. It has plenty of power and gives a scintillating performance. However, I have certain reservations. On hard acceleration from rest, on a good tarred road, once the revs built up, I became aware of a worrying vagueness in the steering. The wheels were obviously not gripping all that well and as a result, the front end seemed to be skating on ice. With performance of this nature on tap, I think that this car needs Quattro all wheel drive.
Talking of performance, the TT is credited with a top speed of 237 kph (147 mph), while its 0-100 kph time is a very rapid 6.7 seconds. With a blistering acceleration like that, in a lightweight, front wheel drive car, is it any wonder the steering becomes vague and the front end seems to float, without much driver control ? Its power/weight ratio is 10.986 Kg/kW, putting it firmly in the sporty sector and just outside the super performance segment.
The engine is turbocharged, with direct fuel injection and is tuned to deliver a very impressive 74.092 kW/lt, with its 280 Nm of torque equating to a specific torque output of 141.129 Nm/lt. Torque wise it is not quite in diesel territory, but it is not all that far off either. Urban fuel consumption is respectable, in view of the performance and acceleration available, with a recording of 26 mpg (10.7 lt/100 km), which improves to an excellent 45 mpg (6.2 lt/100 km) on the extra urban cycle. This averages out at 36 mpg (7.8 lt/100 km) on the combined cycle. Considering that most people buy a car like this for its performance, as much as for anything else, those figures are more than satisfactory. After 1st July 2008, its carbon dioxide exhaust reading of 189 gm/km, will cost you Euro 600 in annual road tax, until the powers that be, decide to raise their tax revenue from the overburdened Irish motorist YET AGAIN.
Most Audis, although front wheel drive, have their engines mounted in-line. This model, uses a transverse mounting for the engine and six speed manual gearbox. The gearchange itself is beautifully smooth and precise, making the car an absolute pleasure to drive. The steering requires 2.8 turns from lock to lock, which gives a quick and positive feel. The 365 mm diameter steering wheel has a leather covered rim and a flat section at the bottom, to clear the driver’s legs. I like sitting low and I had the wheel positioned low, yet there was still plenty of space between by legs and the bottom of the wheel. Personally I found that flat section very annoying when making sharp turns or manoeuvring, as one moment your hands are following a smooth arc and suddenly there is nothing there. It reminded me of driving the Austin Allegro, many many years ago, and let me assure you, nobody wants to be reminded of that car.
The cockpit was well laid out, with all the main controls conveniently to hand. The two seats are superbly comfortable and well bolstered. Both seats are manually adjustable for reach, height and backrest angle. The steering wheel adjusts for reach and height. At times the seat belts can be a bit awkward to reach, if they slip behind the seats.

The instrument binnacle is under a hood behind the steering wheel. It has large analogue instruments for engine speed (tachometer) and road speed (speedometer) with small analogue gauges for fuel level and engine temperature. Other information is provided digitally in a space between the two large dials. The centre console houses the audio equipment with the heating ventilating controls below that. Audi thoughtfully provide heated seats for both driver and front passenger. Not only that, they supply three different settings for each seat, so you can choose from warm to very hot, whichever takes your fancy. The driver’s door has controls for the two electric windows, the electrically adjustable, exterior rear view mirrors and remote controls for opening the fuel filler and the luggage boot. The steering wheel has additional controls for the audio and the on-board information system.

Apart from that vagueness in the steering, when accelerating hard in first gear, the car generally handled and held the road well. Although it runs on very low profile tyres, the ride quality was comfortable. It is, with a few reservations, a very pleasant car to drive and enjoy the open fresh air.
It has a commendably large luggage luggage boot, with additional space below, which would make it ideal for touring, were it not for the fact that it has no spare wheel. Instead the manufacturers give you a small compressor and a bottle of latex. Having been let down by this type of provision before I have absolutely no faith in it whatsoever. If a compromise has to be reached, I would accept a Spacesaver wheel and tyre at the very least.

Above left : Generous luggage boot - Below right : Battery and additional storage below

Compared to its predecessor, this latest TT roadster is quite a lot bigger. While it still has smoothly rounded lines, it combines this with hard sculptured edges, to give an attractive and modern look. It is both longer and wider than before. This additional size only really becomes apparent, when you see this latest version beside its predecessor. It is actually larger all round than the Mercedes-Benz SLK with its folding hardtop. Its lighter weight and more powerful engine than the SLK, also means that it has a performance and fuel consumption advantage.

Above and below : Red original with silver current model

Technical data