Audi TT Roadster : ONE FOR THE ROAD

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The TT Roadster doesn't need to be great to succeed. That doesn't mean Audi are taking any chances. Andy Enright reports

There's a recurring theme abroad that Audi don't know how to make sports cars. It's been going a while and the R8 supercar should finally have powered a few nails into its coffin. While these mutterings have doubtless capped sales of the RS models to the advantage of the crew from down the road in Munich, cars like the Audi TT Roadster, somewhat intriguingly, may have benefited. Sawing the top off a pure-bred sports car usually ruins it. Decapitating something a little less focused is, by contrast, decidedly excusable.

Let's not gild the lily. The old TT was no great shakes as a sports coupe, the chassis being dumbed down after the scares that early owners had involving the car spinning off and punching a hole in the background. Where the TT did excel was in offering a car that looked great, felt very special and which aged beautifully. The Roadster model was perhaps even more desirable than the Coupe, offering little in the way of compromise from a driving perspective but plenty of advantages when it came to checking out who was checking you out. And therein lies the problem for the latest Roadster. Audi has made no secret of its intentions to hone the current TT into something that can bloody the nose of cars like the Porsche Cayman, the BMW Z4 and the Nissan 370Z and the hard-topped version gets within fingertip distance of matching these purebreds on a twisty road. As an ownership proposition, it's arguably the best of the bunch. Therefore in theory, the Roadster version, with its lesser chassis rigidity, extra weight and added complexity, takes the TT's edge and dulls it by several degrees. So what's the point? Vorsprung durch technik is as apt an answer as any. Compared to the old TT Roadster, the latest model's chassis is 100 per cent more resistant to torsional deflection and a very low kerb weight of 1,295kg for the 2.0TFSI model compares very favourably to the coupe's figure. Compare that weight to the Nissan 370Z Convertible and you'll see why Audi aren't too flustered about accusations that drop tops are usually a little on the lardy side.

''More of the same only better. Simple.''

The chassis of the TT Roadster isn't enormously different in fundamental layout to something like a Volkswagen Golf but whereas the Golf uses steel for its suspension components, the TT uses expensive and lighter aluminium. What's more, Audi have pioneered a method of using aluminium and steel components in tandem with each other, overcoming the electrolytic corrosion issues that have plagued other manufacturers who have tinkered with this approach. Some 69 per cent of the body is aluminium with the other 31 per cent steel, which means that the 2.0-litre turbo model is 60kg lighter than the first generation 1.8-litre six-speed car. The S-tronic twin clutch gearbox option (the gearbox formerly known as DSG) adds 20kg to that figure while the 3.2-litre car tips the scales at 1,445kg. The hood is a traditional fabric affair, one of the key reasons why the weight penalty has been kept to a mere 35kg over the Coupe. Electrohydraulically operated, it uses a steel and aluminium framework to pare further grammes from its bulk. Were it not for an additional layer of soundproofing, it would be even lighter. It's easy to see where weight could be saved. Instead of the heated glass rear window Audi could have used a vinyl item and rather than opting for a powered mesh wind deflector they could have opted for a pull-up screen. This being Audi, however, they didn't and you won't begrudge the extra few kilos these features add when driving the car. A clever Z-fold system means that the rigid forward section of the roof folds down on top of the remainder, eliminating the need for a tonneau - so often the inelegant engineering solution on convertible cars. What's more, the roof operates in a mere 12 seconds and can be operated at speeds of up to 30mph. While the guy who bought a convertible with a metal folding hard top roof is amazing passers by with its origami tricks, he's not only missed the lights but will also get the stink eye from his lady after a snap shower made her blouse go see-through. The TT Roadster requires no manual clipping or latching to the header rail either. Just fire and forget. The Roadster is offered with six engines and two drive layouts. There's a 160bhp 1.8 TFSI model, a 200bhp 2.0-litre TFSI variant, the TTS with the same 2.0-litre engine bored out to 272bhp, the 2.5-litre TT RS and the now rather redundant-looking 250bhp 3.2-litre V6. You can even have a 170bhp TDI diesel version. Only the two TFSI-badged petrol models come with the option of front wheel drive: the others are all 4WD quattro-driven. The 1.8-litre turbo takes 7.4s to hit 60mph and the 2.0-litre turbo posts a 6.7 seconds time (6.5 with S-tronic twin-clutch sequential gearbox) before running on to a top speed of 149mph. The 3.2-litre car makes 60 in 6.0 seconds (5.8 with S-tronic) and hits an electronic limiter at 155mph. The TTS is even quicker, hitting sixty in just 5.6s but not as quick as the TT RS which has 340bhp from its 2.5-litre turbocharged engine. That's a whole new plane of performance for the TT and also represents a more sensible product mix. It was slightly bizarre that the old TT quattro Sport with 237bhp was, due to its lighter weight, quicker and more capable than the flagship 247bhp 3.2-litre car. At least now there's a product hierarchy that's easy to grasp. One of the reasons why the TT promises so much comes from its dampers. Bear with me here, because I appreciate that dampers may not seem the most eye-catching part of the TT's specification sheet but they're well worth a mention. Press a button on the gearlever and a voltage is applied to tiny magnetic particles swimming in the damper oil, changing their polarity and, in turn, either firming up or softening the damper in milliseconds. The cabin of the TT also has high standards to live up to. Even today, the old TT's cabin feels anything but old. Yes, all-round visibility is woeful but that fascia still feels smart and the much-copied aluminium finishes and buttress bars remain slick pieces of detailing. The latest car reprises the old model's look and feel, with the chrome-ringed speedo and rev counter housed in their own cowl and the round air vents, but also adds a few contemporary design touches such as the flat-bottomed steering wheel, the angled centre console and a sportier seating position. The uninformed may well debate about whether Audi does indeed know how to make a sports car. The debate on whether they can make a desirable roadster, however, is firmly over.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Audi TT Roadster
PRICES: £23,915-£44,880 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 16-20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 159-250g/km
PERFORMANCE: [3.2] 0-60mph 6s / Max Speed 155mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [3.2] (combined) 29.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS / stability control
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4178/1842/1352