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MAZDA 2
Verdict on sharp new supermini that’s taking the fight to the Fiesta.
Pete Gibson
With top down and wind deflector in place, TT is impressively refined at speed
Audi TT Roadster
FIRST DRIVE Why cool new drop-top is set to be this summer’s hottest buy Ja Jack Rix
Jac Jack_R Jack_Rix@dennis.co.uk @jack_rix
AUDI isn’t taking any chances with the third-generation TT Roadster. It’s the lightest, fastest and cleanest car in the class – blowing away both the BMW Z4 and Mercedes SLK in a game of Top Trumps – and we can confidently say it’s the best looking of the bunch, too. We know the new TT’s design isn’t revolutionary, but it’s hard not to be seduced by its perfect proportions and angular surfacing. The Roadster loses the Coupé’s cramped rear seats and gains a flatter boot deck plus a pair of rollover hoops. However, it retains its sibling’s precision-sculpted bodywork, sharp front grille and criss-cross LED light signature. If convertible sports cars were purely about desirability, there’d be no need to take the TT for a test drive. The slimmed-down, twin-motor roof mechanism weighs 3kg less than its predecessor’s and the fabric takes just 10 seconds to fold neatly behind your head, where it doesn’t cut into the shallow 280-litre boot (25 litres less than the Coupé’s). You can drop it at up to 31mph, and doing so shows off the TT’s greatest asset – its superb interior. New additions include a £1,695 ‘open-top driving package’, consisting of head-level seat heating that blows warm air down the back of your neck,
30 Special Issue
an electric wind deflector and heated ‘Super Sports’ seats. We’d recommend opting for it if you plan on getting the roof down any time other than during the height of summer. The rest of the interior is carried over from the Coupé, but it’s worth reiterating the quality of the materials, plus the brilliance of the 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit behind the wheel and the aircon controls integrated into the vents. There’s a reassuring depth of engineering, too. Thanks to the adoption of the steel and aluminium MQB platform, the new TT Roadster is roughly the same weight as its predecessor, despite heaps of extra kit. Reinforcements along the sills and across the rear bulkhead add 90kg over the equivalent Coupé, but at 1,395kg for the front-wheel-drive manual 2.0 TFSI, it’s still impressively light. Engine choices include the 181bhp 2.0 TDI Ultra, which is only available with a six-speed manual box and frontwheel drive and capable of returning 65.7mpg and emitting 114g/km of CO2. At the other end of the scale is the quattro-only 306bhp TTS, while the entry-level 227bhp 2.0 TFSI comes with front or quattro four-wheel drive and the choice of a manual or sixspeed dual-clutch S tronic gearbox. We drove the 227bhp 2.0 TFSI S tronic quattro, and it’s safe to say
Essentials Audi TT Roadster 2.0 TFSI quattro S line Price: Engine: Power/torque: Transmission:
0-62mph: Top speed: Economy: CO2:
£37,555 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo 227bhp/370Nm Six-speed twin-clutch auto, four-wheel drive 5.6 seconds 155mph 42.2mpg 154g/km
ON SALE Now that four-cylinder turbo engines don’t get any freer-revving than this, or indeed sound any better. There’s a throaty bark whenever you prod the throttle, especially in Dynamic mode – the sportiest of five Drive Select settings for acceleration, steering and gearbox, plus suspension if adaptive magnetic dampers are fitted. The box is beautifully intuitive, too, shifting right on cue in auto mode and pinging instantly up and down when using the paddles behind the wheel. With 370Nm of torque, only 10Nm less than in the TTS, the car can be
DRIVE SELECT Five driving
modes tweak throttle, suspension, exhaust, steering and gearbox for better economy or a sharper drive
