Audi TT Roadster 3.2 quattro
S tronic review
by David Finlay (26 February 2007)
Two pieces of background information make the TT Roadster as close to being a safe bet in this country as Audi could reasonably expect. The British enthusiasm for convertibles - regarded as perverse by motorists in warmer countries - remains as strong as ever, and the TT has always received a hearty reception. No wonder Audi UK is able to claim, even before the Roadster officially goes on sale, that it already has a six-month waiting list.
Other derivatives will no doubt follow, but for now there are just two models, as there still are for the Coupé introduced last year. The cheaper option is the 2.0 TFSI, currently available with front-wheel drive only, and above that comes the 3.2-litre V6 quattro, tested here with the S tronic (formerly DSG) transmission rather than the standard six-speed manual gearbox.
S tronic adds £1400 to the TT Roadster's price, but there are compensations. Gearchange times of as little as 0.2 seconds improve the acceleration, fuel economy is enhanced and the CO2 emissions are lower. If this sounds familiar, that's because it applies to all Volkswagen Group cars with this gearbox, including of course the TT Coupé.
In fact, the Roadster follows in the Coupé's tyremarks to a very large extent, but at the same time there are some significant differences. The most obvious is that the roof can be folded down in an automatic process which takes 12 seconds and can be performed while the car is travelling at speeds of up to 19mph.
Made of cloth, but with a rigid front section, the roof has an extra layer of soundproofing compared with that of the previous Roadster, and it does a marvellous job of preventing exterior noise from coming in, but it still seems faintly old-fashioned compared with the large number of coupé-convertible systems which have come on the market in the last couple of years.
But Audi has no plans to build a coupé-convertible version of any of its models. This is largely a question of weight - a complete folding metal roof, along with all the machinery required to operate it, would add many kilogrammes to what is meant to be a relatively light and sporting car.
Inevitably, though, the Roadster is heavier than the Coupé. For a start, removing a solid roof from the structure requires remedial action in the form of extra stiffening. And although the Roadster still uses a combination of aluminium and steel in its chassis, there is less emphasis on the lighter aluminium than there is in the Coupé (the proportion having fallen from 69% to 58%).
Since the new TT has a far more advanced form of construction than the old one did (it's no longer just a low-slung A3/Golf/Beetle/Octavia etc), the penalty for taking the roof away is not as severe as it used to be. Indeed, Audi says that the torsional rigidity of the current Roadster is more than double that of its predecessor.
Maybe so. The new car certainly doesn't feel as if it's trying to shake itself apart. But a little extra body movement is apparent even in town, and when you start pushing the Roadster along country roads you soon realise that it's quite far behind the Coupé in terms of handling. Bumps are a bit of a problem, and even on smoother surfaces the car doesn't feel as secure as the Coupé, since the more flexible structure doesn't allow the suspension to work as well.
That calls into question the need for the optional magnetic ride system. Very briefly, this allows the driver to stiffen the damping by pressing a button which starts up a magnet whose purpose is to excite metal particles in the shock absorber fluid. It was quite right of Audi to make it available, as it is in the Coupé, and I'm sure a lot of customers will specify it, but I don't think there's much point to it.
You can still feel a definite change; the ride becomes a lot firmer the moment the system is activated. Any beneficial effect on the handling is less clear, but I suspect that if you want more cornering ability you shouldn't spend more money by having magnetic ride fitted - you should spend less money and buy a Coupé instead.
Ah, but I'm underestimating the Mad Dogs And Englishmen love affair with convertibles. Of course there are people who will buy the Roadster rather than the Coupé simply because they want to drive around with the roof down when the rain eases off.
Like the last one, this Roadster adds an extra level of choice to the range. If the driving experience is high on your priority list, it's got to be the Coupé; if you want a TT for the sense of style it conveys, then it comes down to your personal choice of which version looks better.
And I wouldn't want you to think that the compromises are too serious. This TT is a resoundingly better car than the last one, and nearly all the things that make the Coupé so appealing are carried over to the Roadster. The interior is smart, without the old car's fussiness, and taller drivers are less likely to feel claustrophobic than before (not that that's an issue at all when the roof is down, of course).
The impression of quality is very high, too, and in the case of the 3.2 quattro you get a lovely engine note, great low-down performance and excellent grip levels regardless of whether or not the roof is permanently attached to the rest of the car. Oh, and S tronic remains a delightful transmission to use, quite apart from its performance, economy and emissions benefits.
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