Topless TT unveiled
Newswheel staff :: 20 October 2006 :: Filed under Four wheel drive, Roadster, Audi, Audi TT, Europe & UK, US
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Audi roadster out next year
Remember the rave reception the updated TT coupe was buried beneath earlier this year? Well, batten down the hatches and prep yourself for a veritable flood of hyperbole. The topless TT has landed…
The first TT Roadster was launched to a salivating pack of UK press and buyers alike circa 2000. Stunning looks and fastidious build quality went a long way to cover up a driving experience lacking any major sparkle. Harsh but true, it was essentially a pram for poseurs. The task for the new model, therefore, is clear enough: resurrect the TT Roadster’s rep as a serious driver’s tool.
And sneer ye not. For starters, the lightweight aluminium and steel hybrid construction translates into a 100 per cent boost in torsional rigidity and a sprightly 1,295kg kerb weight. Then there’s the powerful (if over familiar) VW-sourced engines. Not to mention the much-vaunted (but optional) magnetorheological fluid filled suspension. Try wrapping your chops round that after a couple… In short, a thoroughly respectable list of driver-centric credentials to compliment the still beautifully Bauhaus, if slightly blander, corporate look.
Of course, spurning the current trend for a folding metal top surely helps in the fight against automotive obesity. It also preserves the purity of Roadster’s lines, as demonstrated by the perfect flushness of the rear bodywork. None of the current crop of folding metal hardtops can honestly claim to have the arses they really want. But the TT’s pert behind is surely exactly as intended.
As for the electro-hydraulically operated fabric roof, it’s fully automatic, only takes 12 seconds to drop and operates at speeds of up to 30mph. The mechanism is lighter than before, yet has an extra layer of insulation. An electrically powered wind deflector is standard, to boot. Needless to say, this list electro-gymnastic gubbins wipes out any hope of even the tiniest pair of rear seats. But let’s be honest. To cram a living soul into the coupe’s rear pews is risk a human rights offence. No great loss, therefore.
Launch models precisely mirror the existing coupe line up: A front-wheel drive 2-litre TFSI engine with 197bhp, and a 247bhp 3.2-litre V6 backed by the Quattro all-wheel drivetrain. Starting at £26,915, the four-pot is certainly priced to sell and is claimed to hit 62mph in 6.5 clicks with the optional S tronic ‘box, top out at 147mph and still return an impressive 36.2mpg. The 247bhp V6 demands fully £4,620 more of your folding, drops to 27.9mpg but launches to 62mph in 5.9 and hits the wall at an electronically-limited 155mph. The six-pot also gets an 18-inch hoop upgrade (it’s 17-inchers for the four-banger), a, er, brakier braking system and heated leather seats. Oh, and an exterior light styling pack. Classy!
So, the new TT looks seriously cool, should drive exponentially better than its predecessor and costs less than expected as well. A winning combination? Audi is on a major roll at the moment with the well-received RS4, the new TT Coupe, the R8 and now this. so don’t bet against it. Orders are being taken from November, with deliveries in spring ’07.
Posted 23 October 2006, by george
Looks pretty cool. I drove the new TT coupe today (2.0T) ... thought it was phenomenal.