Test Car Specifications
Model tested: Audi TTS Roadster S-Tronic
Price: £42,455
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol
Transmission: four-wheel drive, six-speed automatic
Body style: two-seat roadster
CO2 emissions: 159g/km (Band J, £265 per year)
Combined economy: 40.9mpg
Top speed: 155mph
0-62mph: 4.9 seconds
Power: 310hp at 5,800- to 6,200rpm
Torque 380Nm at 1,800- to 5,700rpm
What's this?
The new Audi TT Roadster, in flagship S form - until the inevitable RS comes at least. With the S-Tronic six-speed auto added that makes this the most expensive TT you can buy. Its 310hp goes some way to compensate for that, allowing the TTS to reach 62mph in just 4.9 seconds from rest, while its standard quattro four-wheel drive system makes this sunshine special an all-season proposition.
How does it drive?
The new Audi TT coupé surprised many by finally delivering a drive that lives up to its good looks. That's no different in the Roadster, where the loss of the roof adds even more visual appeal, yet not to the detriment of the driving experience. We'll bung in a proviso here: despite launching the car in Mallorca, the roof was only dropped once - in a tunnel - as the rain was biblical, and the roads more like rivers.
If anything those less than perfect conditions revealed more of the TTS's character. Where its rear-wheel drive rivals would have had traction and stability lights blazing in their instrument binnacles, in the TTS it can be driven with them off. Traction is incredible, the quattro system juggling the ample power and torque, allowing the TTS to make indecent progress despite the inclement weather and plentiful standing water. The S-Tronic transmission shifts quickly and smoothly too, while Audi's drive select system allows the TTS's settings to be tweaked. The Comfort setting on the magnetic dampers help with that traction, while everything else is best turned up to Sport.
Three hundred and ten horsepower from a blown 2.0-litre might sound like a lot, but it's not an engine that feels compromised by its output. If the spec didn't say so you'd be convinced there's more under the bonnet, be it in capacity or cylinders, and that feeling is backed up by a sound that's pleasingly muscular in its tone. You'd hear it better with the roof down, but that's not happening on this drive. That roof is beautifully finished; it's easy to forget you're in a Roadster such is its isolation from wind and road noise.
As in the coupé it's based on, the Roadster's steering is decently weighted and quick to respond, though it's lacking in any real feel. The chassis feels more properly sorted than any TT before though, with the TTS even allowing a bit of corrective lock on exiting corners - albeit in conditions where grip is at a premium. So t has improved, yet still is not a match for the class best, by which we mean Porsche's Boxster, but the TTS isn't disgraced, and in the conditions we drove it in, it'd monster that Stuttgart rival. The interior is in a different class, too, being innovative and beautiful in design and finish in equal measure.
Verdict
The Audi TT has finally evolved into a car that can be taken seriously by keen drivers as well as those drawn by its design integrity and sensational build. Below the TTS it is up against rivals that are more involving and engaging behind the wheel, but it's no longer disgraced in such company. It's more difficult to make a case for the S, fun as it is, as the best TT choices are a touch further down the price range.
Exterior Design
Interior Ambience
Passenger Space
Luggage Space
Safety
Comfort
Driving Dynamics
Powertrain