Audi TT

The Audi TT will always be remembered as a coupe.

That's an inescapable fact.

Despite this, the contribution of the open-roofed Roadster model to overall sales shouldn't be overlooked, the soft-top variant historically accounting for around 25% of all TT registrations.

Hence the significance of this third generation version. Since it first appeared in 1998, the TT Roadster was a consistent thorn in the side of first the BMW Z3, then the Munich maker's Z4 model and all generations of the Mercedes SLK.

From the start, it was available in front and four wheel-drive, with a choice of gearboxes and a wide selection of engines.

In other words, it had to suit a wide variety of buyers.

With the first generation version, relatively few of these were driving enthusiasts but with the MK2 model launched in 2006, Audi sought to establish this Roadster's credentials as a 'proper' sportscar rather than just a fashion statement.

Hence the lighter weight, the sweeter steering and the introduction of more powerful versions, first the 272PS TTS variant, then the barnstorming 340PS TT RS model. Still though, something was missing.

The MK2 model TT Roadster was 'sporting' to be sure, but a 'sportscar'? People like us still hesitated to call it that.

In 2015 though, Audi said we were to hesitate no longer, bringing us the car that perhaps this open-topped TT should always have been.

More than merely a glorified design study: instead, a properly engineered driver's machine. With respectfully updated design and boundary-stretching technology, this third generation design referenced its predecessors but dispensed with their conservative approach to driving dynamics.

It was lighter, leaner, faster and sharper through the bends, plus there was even more responsive quattro technology.

The 2.5-litre TT RS Roadster joined the range in 2016.

As with the Coupe version, there was a light model update in 2018 in which Audi just distilled the TT down to the bits that really worked, ditching diesel power at the same time.

Updated MK3 40 TFSI and TTS models joined the range in 2019.

'Final Edition' versions were sold in 2024.

The TT Roadster sold until late 2023 and wasn't replaced.

This isn't one of those soft-topped models that are merely derived from their coupe counterparts.

The original Audi TT model may have debuted as a coupe but it was actually first designed as a Roadster and in the years since, the design of this open-roofed bodystyle was always fundamental to the design of the TT.

And that design is instantly recognisable here, the rounded wheelarches, the curved windscreen pillars and the bold shoulderline all familiar styling cues from this model line - to such an extent in fact that this third generation version could, at first glance, easily be dismissed as nothing more than a gym-toned version of its rather ordinary MK2 predecessor.

It's a car you feel as if you know, even before you take a step towards it. You'll be wanting to know about the roof.

As with all open-topped Audis, it's made from fabric - an SLK or BMW Z4-style metal-folding arrangement would be incongruous on a car based around lightness and agility - but it's still highly sophisticated, acoustically-trimmed with five layers, a 15mm thickness and a structure fashioned from a combination of magnesium, aluminium, steel and polymer to create a total hood weight of just 39kgs, 3kgs less than the previous model.

The electric folding mechanism (which operates either via an interior button or, if you're standing within four metres of the car, the remote control key) occupies only ten seconds and can be operated at speeds of up to 31mph.

Retract the top and you notice the way it forms a Z shape as it folds together into a completely flat package. Lying in its aluminium compartment, it doesn't decimate the available boot space in the way a metal-folding roof would - in fact, the 280-litre capacity is only 25-litres less than you'd get in a TT Coupe.

A bigger difference between the two body styles lies in the fact that you can't extend the cargo bay into the main cabin as you can on a fixed-top TT.

At least the standard boot area is 30-litres bigger than that of the previous generation version of this car and though quite shallow, is surprisingly deep, with the convenience of an elasticated net to stop smaller items from moving about.

That increase in capacity means you can now match the space you'd get in a Porsche Boxster too.

True, a small convertible with rear seats like BMW's 2 Series Convertible from this period would offer you more of course, but in that case only 55-litres more.

And of course this Audi offers much more room than you'd get from a BMW Z4 or a Mercedes SLK from this period in roof-retracted mode.

Because with this Roadster body style, you don't get the rear seats provided by the Coupe version, the benefits of this third generation TT model's extra 37mm of wheelbase aren't as immediately obvious in this variant and fitting the optional electrically-powered mesh wind deflector behind the two silver roll-over hoops only adds to a snug cabin feel that's very similar to that of this car's immediate predecessor.

Not that you'll be thinking much about that on first acquaintance with the classy and forward-thinking cabin.

Instead, your attention's likely to be occupied in wondering what's missing.

The wing-shaped dash is familiar enough, but in its centre, the usual infotainment system screen and ventilation control panel are both missing, allowing for a sleek minimalist design that's really unusual in this segment.

Ventilation controls were relocated to the jet turbine-style air vents and as an option, these could also house small digital displays which show the chosen setting.

All the functions you'd normally find on a big tablet-style central display meanwhile, here sit in what is possibly the most unique feature you'll find in this car: the 'Audi Virtual Cockpit'. This is a smartly presented 12.3-inch high resolution display that completely replaces the usual set of conventional dials and is viewed through the three aluminium-look-trimmed spokes of the redesigned flat-bottomed leather-stitched sports steering wheel.

Please contact us for an exact up-to-date valuation.

Most owners in our survey seemed happy.

We haven't come across any complaints about the fabric hood, but we'd recommend running it through a car wash on the test drive just to make sure.

The most reported faults related to interior trim and non-engine electricals.

Look out for bodywork scrapes and kerb damage to the large alloys.

We've had some reports of issues with wear to the side bolsters of the leather seats, as well as squeaking front brake pads, so it's worth looking out for both of those.

Some owners have found that the sound system the electric seats aren't covered by Audi's extended warranty.

And the windows have been known to freeze up in the coldest weather conditions - which is a problem because the glass needs to drop a bit in order for the door to shut. There are generally no issues with engines or bodywork but if you find a heavily used car, you might find that that the front wishbones and anti-roll bars could need replacing at around the 60,000-mile mark.

The DSG automatic gearbox should be checked to make sure it's had a regular oil and filter change, as should the Quattro four-wheel-drive system.

(approx based on a 2018 TT Roadster 40 TFSI - Ex Vat) An air filter costs in the £8 to £13 bracket.

An oil filter costs in the £4 to £9 bracket.

Front brake pads sit in the £17 to £50 bracket for a set.

Front brake discs sit in the £29 to £47.

A starter motor costs around £103-£232 and an alternator sits in the £158-£311 bracket.

This soft-topped TT was always called a 'Roadster' but it wasn't always a sportscar.

You might think it is in this third generation form though, lighter in weight, more rigid in structure and more powerful of engine, with tech touches like torque vectoring, 'drive select' adjustable dynamics and options like adaptive damping and a more sharply-responsive version of the 4WD system that no other direct rival from this period offers.

It feels as if it's going to be different too when you take a seat behind the flat-bottomed wheel in the minimalist cockpit and fire the engine.

What'll spring into life in front of you is relatively unremarkable - a derivation of the same kind of 2.0-litre turbocharged engine found in so many other Volkswagen Group products.

What's more unusual though, is what springs into life on the dash at the same time, the 'Audi Virtual Cockpit', a 12.3-inch LCD driver display that replaces all the conventional dials.

Keeping everything you need to know in the same line of sight, it's supposed to create a more focused driving experience.

First impressions are positive.

This Roadster model weighs 90kgs more than its Coupe counterpart but, like that car, seems to have so much more spark than its second generation predecessor.

If you've a quattro version, torque vectoring works on the rear wheels too, as part of a much improved four wheel drive system using a more sophisticated clutch that's quicker able to determine the proportion of torque needed at either the front or the rear.

The optional 'magnetic ride' adaptive damping set-up came as standard on the TT Roadster variant that was fastest of all at launch, the 310PS TTS model.

As did quattro 4WD to get the 2.0 TFSI turbo engine's power to the tarmac.

The variant that accounted for the majority of TT Roadster sales in this country though, was the standard 2.0 TFSI derivative.

This uses the same basic turbo petrol engine as the TTS model, but serves it up in a slightly more accessible 230PS state of tune.

Here, quattro 4WD was an option to buyers from new, though they had to have it with a 6-speed S tronic automatic transmission you control via steering wheel-mounted paddleshifters.

All-wheel drive traction makes quite a difference to your acceleration times, even in the dry, improving the 6.1s rest to 62mph sprint time figure of this ordinary front driven version to a 5.6s quattro model figure that's far more Porsche Boxster-like. There's no Boxster from this period though, that competes with the TT Roadster variant that's least expensive, both to buy and to run, the 2.0 TDI ultra diesel model (only sold until 2018).

Under the bonnet beats the same 184PS 2.0 TDI unit you'd find in a Golf GTD, but freed from that car's significant extra weight, this model is usefully more rapid.

Sharper and smarter, this third generation TT Roadster was the proper sportscar its predecessor never managed to be.

If you don't care about that, then we'd understand.

Buy this Audi instead for its fashionable tech - the Virtual Cockpit, the clever infotainment - maybe even the aluminium hybrid construction.

Whatever draws you to this car though, the experience it offers is a satisfying one.

Surprising even, if you're not used to the idea of a TT being more than a fashion statement.

Audi, you see, at last got this car right in third generation form.

It was at last properly vorsprung durch technic.