Roadster Adds Open Air Style to TT

Roadster Completes TT Range

Audis second generation TT has been getting nothing but positive remarks and glowing reviews. The original was beautiful and avant garde inside and out, but it felt a little soft around the edges, especially compared to its sports car contemporaries. Not so with the new vehicle; it retains the shape and much of the cutting edge style, but theres more to it than just a new skin. Importantly, the new TT has been engineered to satiate motoring enthusiasts. From its semi-aluminum hybrid chassis, to its available magnetic ride control, the TT now performs as well as it looks. But to sports car purists, the new model wasnt complete until now, with the announcement of the drop-top roadster version.

To keep things simple and light, the TT Roadster will use once again use a cloth roof, although the system has been updated from the previous car. At the touch of a button, the roof neatly folds up under a slick tonneau cover in just twelve seconds. Whats more is that the roof mechanism is strong enough to be operated at speeds of up to 30 mph, so no more pulling over, stopping, or even slowing down excessively when dropping or raising the top. The roofs shape is also more upright than the coupes graceful, tapering profile. But aside from the roof, the TT Roadster has stronger A-pillars, plus underbody reinforcements to limit chassis flex and scuttle shake. Safety equipment includes front and side airbags, ABS brakes, ESP stability control and sturdy metal hoops to protect passengers during a rollover.

As with the coupe, the Roadster TT is not only a better driving vehicle, but its also more practical. The trunk, for example, has grown in volume from 7.4 cu-ft to 8.8 cu-ft, a reasonable amount for a vehicle of this size. Also available is an optional ski sack which allows objects as long as 75 inches in length to be carried on board, meaning that the TT Roadster should at least be capable of fast jaunts to the snowbelt (especially when equipped with quattro AWD). Of course, the adaptation of the convertible top means that the car has been reduced to a two-seater, so your après ski entourage will need to be limited to one.

From launch, the TT Roadster will be available with two engines, the 2.0T inline-four and the 3.2-liter V6. The former provides 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque, which is good enough to propel the fashionable two-seater to 60 mph in just 6.4 seconds when equipped with the twin-clutch S-Tronic (read: DSG) gearbox. The larger six-cylinder motor with 250 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque does the same dash in an impressive 5.8 seconds, with S-Tronic and standard quattro all-wheel drive. Average combined city and highway fuel consumption for the 2.0T is a thoroughly acceptable 30 mpg; and 24 mpg for the V6.

The new TT is set to launch in North America next spring; both the coupe and the roadster should be available for purchase at about the same time.