FINAL REPORTWe say farewell, not just to a much-loved car, but to an era
Steve Sutcliffe mail@autoexpress.co.uk
SAYING goodbye to our Audi TT Roadster Final Edition does genuinely feel like the end of an era. For the TT has been on sale for over a quarter of a century, gaining – and mostly maintaining – many fans. Deservedly so as far as we’re concerned.
The TT isn’t just a sportscar, it’s an icon. Or at least it was. Its time is officially over, not just with us in the case of this 40 TFSI Final Edition Roadster we’ve very much enjoyed, but also for the brand, the era, the car itself. Because once the TT is gone, there will be no turning back. Audi has no plans for a hybrid or electric TT in the future.
So why did we enjoy this car so much, and what was it about the Audi TT generally that clicked so well with its target audience?
On the surface it’s just a great open-top sports car. It wasn’t the fastest TT (it only had 194bhp from its turbocharged engine) nor was it the most luxuriously specified. But that didn’t seem to matter much overall.
TTs have never been about rule-bending performance anyway. In fact, the less power they have, the sweeter they seem to be, probably because the lesser versions have never tried to be something they are not.
Balanced
Whatever the truth of it, our Roadster seemed to strike a great balance dynamically. It wasn’t quick, but it was fast enough. Its chassis was crisp but not to the point where the ride was too stiff, even if its traction on some surfaces wasn’t great. Its steering and brakes were also unusually well judged for an Audi. Overall it drove every inch as good as it looked. And riding on a set of Audi’s optional 20-inch diamond cut black wheels, it looked pretty damn good, too.
But what I liked most about the TT was its cabin – the way it made me feel every time I climbed aboard. The slightly old fashioned way its climate control system worked so well. The simplicity of its instrument display. All of these characteristics seem predictable enough to expect in isolation, but together they really did blow me away. Plus the fundamental quality – at the press of every button or the rotation of any dial – always made this car feel special. As if it was punching well above weight.
It looked and felt like a class act inside, as it always has, to be fair. And if anything, it’s got better with age in this respect, mainly because cars aren’t made or designed like this anymore. From this point of vi
