Audi TTS Roadster test drive since 2008.

Road Star

The first -generation Audi TT was in demand in the amount of 270 thousand cars, 65% of which fell on the compartment. According to our forecasts, the new TT will have even more fans, and the Roadster version will be able to compete in popularity with the compartment ...
Red, black, gray condor, beige dakar, Mauritan blue only thirteen body painting options, six types of wheels and S-line sports plastic. I don't want to choose. The owners of the first -generation Audi TT were easier: the TT concept, shown in 1995 at the Frankfurt car dealership, appeared before the public in steel color, so most of the already serial cars were sold out precisely in such a metallic fashionable at that time. Then, in 1999, a class appeared, but for him the choice of flowers turned out to be poor. Things are different with the new model. Preserving the proportions and the general style of exterior design, the TT has become brighter. Predatory physiognomy and lateral stamping, giving his appearance a more convincing appearance, contributed to this, but how much the new model differs from the previous one, you realize only after hundreds of kilometers while driving. What was the first TT? Conceptual, revolutionary compartment based on the fourth VW Golf. All ah! From this car he filed in the emotional perception of his appearance and salon, and when it came to driving, he behaved almost like Golf. Not bad, but obviously not enough to satisfy the ambitions of drivers who ate the dog on hot hatchbacks.
 
The new Audi TT declares other values. And with stylistic continuity, the second generation of the model looks much more expressive. Finally, it is pleasant to look at him not only from the side and behind, but also in front. Sports anger, pressure, aggression has become more. But the main discovery of the new TT is the pleasure at the wheel, which was so expected from the first car. Eight years after the premiere of TT, we received a real sports compartment from Audi. The body is made using Audi Space Frame technology and 58% aluminum. Why not 100%? Because those 42% of the steel from which the back of the car is made improving the weight of the axes. Aluminum with steel is fastened in a difficult but reliable way: welding, glue and bolts. That is why the body of the new TT is easier and much tougher than that of the predecessor. Aerodynamics and the distribution of lifting force along the axes have improved: 60% on the front axle and 40% on the rear, and thanks to the spoiler automatically advanced at 120 km/h, you can not be afraid that the TT will take off. The salon has become even more comfortable, better and more spacious. The best, according to the jury of the Engine of the Year contest, appeared, the 2.0 TFSI engine (200 hp), and the rate of the DSG with two clutch disks received new electronic brains and the name S-Tronic. Everything in TT has decisively became better, and the ability to active movement has risen to a level of a different order. It turns out that you can already go to the dealer? Of course! If the TT is not the only car in the family, you have no one to carry in the back seat and forecasts about global warming will still come true, you should wait for the spring of 2007 and become the owner of the new Audi TT Roadster.
Construction theory
Let us return in 1999 by Audi TT Roadster a car that ruined ah! soft folding roof. The first TT was good in the body of the coupe, and the Roger with a closed roof looked not so harmonious. Therefore, the future Rogster expected to see with a hard roof, like Mercedes-Benz Slk, Volkswagen Eos, Peugeot 307 CC, Opel Astra Twin Top, Ford Focus Coupe Cabriolet, finally, the BMW of the 3rd series of Convertible. Yes, how much these transformers have divorced! It seems that Europe was captured by fashion for a compartment-cabilets. But wait, if I need a compartment, I buy a compartment, and if I prefer convertibles, why do I need a car that looks like a compartment and also weighs more? Audi believes that the current convertibles with a hard roof are the machinations of white collar from the marketing department and people need a real convertible. By the way, it is thought not only in Audi, but also in Bentley, which has released the new Continental GT Convertible with a soft roof. But if in the case of Bentley, black cloth top is loyalty to traditions, then Audi experts have removed practical benefits from these traditions. The fabric roof is much lighter than the metal transformer of the Rogster by only 35 kg heavier than the compartment, and then additional kilograms are gaining due to the use of reinforced thresholds with stiff stiffeners and a security arc built into the frame glass frame. And directly a soft top, even taking into account the folding mechanism, weighs less than the aluminum roof of the compartment. So, in addition to the high body rigidity (compared to the previous model, the rigidity of the twisted increased by 120%!) The class can boast of a lower center of gravity compared to the compartment. How did this affect handling?
 
Practice of pleasure
What a pleasure to slowly roll along the coastal paths of Nice while the convertible! Local youth, accustomed to various masterpieces of the world automotive industry, very vividly reacted to a small class from Audi, and the owners of the first -generation TT nodded their head approvingly. The Audi TT Roadster can impress others: a rapid, elegant silhouette, large wheels, a convincing sound of a 3.2-liter six for boring shocking at a speed of up to 50 km/h folded and uplift. Moreover, not an example of a coupe-cabiolets who climb out of the skin to overcome a 25-second line, the roof of the Audi TT Roadster folds in 12 seconds. One pressing buttons and electric drives silently pack the fabric in a compact box behind the driver and passenger. True, the electro-hydraulic drive is included in the standard equipment of only the 6-cylinder version, and those who prefer four cylinders, turbocharged and front-wheel drive, in 12 seconds and additional sound insulation of the soft top will have to be paid extra. And this is not Audi’s stinginess, but, as the head of the design department of cars Marcus Zivert, the desire to please those consumers who prefer an electronics simple and reliable mechanics. Booking. But then why is the mechanical drive not even offered as an option for the top version? Mr. Zivert hesitated, but soon skillfully translated the conversation into a channel profitable for him: how do you like handling? With controllability, everything is in order! Audi TT Roadster is the first convertible in my memory, in the salon of which nothing creaks in either quick turns or on a broken road. The convertible is controlled as accurately and reliably as a compartment. And he passes the irregularities just as tough.
 
I managed to test only the 3.2-liter all-wheel drive version of the Roadster TT, which was subdued by the S-Tronic automatic and the Magnetic Ride shock absorbers. As before, an automatic machine with two clutch drives is excellent! Fast shifts of transmissions, spectacular bitterings when switching down. But the suspension was harsh. You expect more comfort from the model of this class, although the BMW Z4 is even tougher and not so collected on a broken road. Apparently, the memories of the previous TT, in which there was more comfort than drive, are still alive in memory. This new one, for nothing, is a convertible, irons turns with unprecedented enthusiasm. A light front, hard body and all -wheel drive do their job excellently. And what about Magnetic Ride? Next to the S-Tronic selector there is a Sport button, which makes the shock absorbers even tougher. It is tempting, but not on broken roads, because even in normal mode, the Roger is shaking in order. But the rolls are almost invisible and again excellent adhesion to the road. Sometimes it seems that this is the moment when the electronic stabilization system of EDS, ABS and in the future will crack pillow pillows will work, but TT dashingly disperses fear, and by the next turn you drive up with more confidence. Everything happens so quickly that when it comes time to wipe the sweat from the palms, you find yourself at the destination. How fast is TT Roadster? With six cylinders under the hood, smart and fast automatic, all -wheel drive of Quattro, a magnificent chassis, a tightly shot down suspension and powerful brakes, it is damn quick. However, the time comes when 250 hp. They become a habit, and from the rumble of six you begin to wait even more anger. In this case, open the roof, and 120 km/h will seem a second cosmic one. Even with raised glasses and a windproof screen in the Roadster TT cabin, the wind walks like at home. But there are more emotions, and if you are passing the tunnel, then the storms of thunder, published 3.2 V6, you can seriously scare the surrounding drivers.
 
The basic version with four cylinders cannot please the equally threatening sound system, but it is easier, more playful and more economical. The only thing she lacks is all -wheel drive. Dynamics? Version 2.0 TFSI 0.6 s slower when accelerating to 100 km/h than a top 3.2 V6. This is a tangible difference, but the difference in price is even more noticeable: for the V6 you will have to pay about $ 5,000 and the same amount for the class. Thus, the top version in the basic configuration in Russia will cost about 75 thousand dollars. But the target market for the Rodster will not be Russia, not the United States, or even England, but Germany. Are there many convertibles in Germany? Compared to the same America or England, there are few. But with the advent of Audi TT Roadster, their number can increase significantly.
Technical characteristics Audi TT Roader 3.2
Dimensions, mm 4178x1842x1358
Base, mm 2468
Benzine engine type V6
Working volume, cubic meter. cm 3189
Max. Power, L.S./rpm 250/6300
Max. moment, nm/rpm 320/2500
The transmission is automatic 6-band
Max. Speed, km/h 250
Tires 245/45 R17
Acceleration time 0-100 km, from 5.9
Fuel consumption (average), l/100 km 9.5
Tank volume, l 60
    
Stanislav Goncharenko
Photo by the author and the manufacturer
 
 

 

Source: Avtopanorama magazine