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With top down and wind deflector in place, TT is impressively refined at speed AudiTT Roadster

FIRST DRIVE Why cool new drop-top is set to be this summer’s hottest buy

Jack Ja Rix

Jack_Rix@dennis.co.ukJack_R @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, 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: £37,555 Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo Power/torque: 227bhp/370Nm Transmission: Six-speed twin-clutch auto, four-wheel drive 0-62mph: 5.6 seconds

Top speed: 155mph

Economy: 42.2mpg CO2: 154g/km

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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

ROOF Pull the button in the centre console up, and the roof retracts in a lightning-fast 10 seconds. Plus, it can be operated at speeds up to 31mph Performance

0-62mph/top speed 5.6 seconds/155mph Running costs

42.2mpg (official) £59 fill-up

“If convertible sports cars were purely about desirability, there’d be no need to take TT Roadster for a test drive”

n n ee ee dd tto o k kn no ow w...... “Surprisingly, given the UK’s love“Surprisingly, given the UK’s love for convertibles, Audi expectsfor convertibles, Audi expects the Roadster to account for onlythe Roadster to account for only 20 per cent of new TT sales” 20 per cent of new TT sales”

EQUIPMENT

Optional ‘Super Sports’ seats feature head-level heating; boot is shallow but has net to hold bags in place, while exhaust note is sporty for a four-cylinder car BIG WHEELS

Huge, 19-inch rims contribute to the firm ride, but TT Roadster doesn’t crash into bumps in the road

driven in a variety of ways: either ither by riding the torque in a higher gear and keeping things smooth, or unlocking the engine’s full potential higher up in the rev range. We also had a go in the TTS, and while it punches significantly harder down the straights, it’s the less powerful version that feels sweeter on public roads, because it lets you deploy more of its performance, more of the time.

The updated four-wheel-drive system, which can send up to 100 per cent of torque to the rear axle, is a nice security net, especially on greasy surfaces.

However, don’t assume Audi’s claims that “safe, controllable drifts are possible on low-friction surfaces” mean it’s now a match for the Porsche Boxster dynamically. The handling is secure and

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stability in corners is superb, but the TT still tends to understeer on the limit and always feels best being driven at seventenths, rather than on the ragged edge.

The variable ratio steering, which quickens up the more you turn the wheel, helps the Roadster feel more agile than either of its predecessors, but there’s barely any feedback on what the front wheels are up to. Despite the 19-inch alloys on our S line test car, the ride has a reassuring firmness for a sports

car,car, yetyet didn’t didn’t crash over every crack and hollow. That’s because the firmer and 10mm lower sports suspension (a no-cost option) wasn’t added. With the roof up, refinement is good, but not perfect. There was an annoying whistle from wind over the left wing mirror, plus more tyre roar on rough motorways than you get with the Coupé. Drop the roof with the windows and wind deflector in place, and the cabin is remarkably calm, though. You can even make hands-free calls using the microphone built into the seatbelt. “Variable ratio steering helps the Roadster feel more agile than either of its predecessors”

Verdict

THE TT Roadster is a beautifully designed package. There’s a feeling of solidity to everything you touch and cutting-edge tech wherever you turn. The addition of a folding fabric roof hasn’t affected the Coupé’s handling too much, but it’s still no match for a Porsche Boxster. Drive swiftly but sensibly, though, and the TT’s smooth turbo engine and four-wheel-drive grip allow you to carry effortless speed through corners, while making you look and feel fantastic – which is what a sports car is all about. ★★★★★