Audi TT Roadster 2007 review

The powered z-fold lid tidies itself flush with the body, with one section of the roof acting as a tonneau cover, and with no encroachment on the 250-litre luggage capacity.

Adding the $300 optional load-through hatch means you can also now carry skis, or a couple of lengths of DIY timber, if that's your thing, which adds to the car's practicality.

But a car like the Roadster shouldn't be about function. It's for top-down cruising fun, mixed with a bit of “look at me” attention grabbing.

And there are few convertibles so eye-catching. The first TT stunned the world when it was introduced in the '90s and the latest version of both coupe and drop-top have revised that design; while retaining its instantly recognisable lines.

From every angle the car has style but one of our favourite views of it is from the rear. Where many other designs seem to run out of energy, the Roadster looks even better than from the front.

The interior is equally gorgeous, with the Audi attention to quality showing in every detail.

The flat-bottomed steering wheel not only looks sexy, but offers easier access into the driver's seat and a handy hint of how far off centre you are, if you're prone to shuffling your hands around the wheel in hard cornering.

While there's more than adequate legroom, the cabin feels snug. In true roadster fashion, you embed yourself into the car rather than sit in it.

Operating the power roof is one-finger easy, and its multiple layers work to keep the car surprisingly quiet for a ragtop.

However, if you're tall, and inclined to sit up straight, you'll find it brushing your hair when it's up but your “do” is fairly protected by a wind deflector behind the seats when the roof is down.

Standard equipment includes heated leather seats, sports suspension, electronic stability, traction and braking systems.

On the options list are a DVD-based nav system, high-end audio, xenon headlights, even better leather and magnetic ride suspension that variably aligns particles floating in fluid, increasing its viscosity to adjust damping.

On the road, the new TT Roadster offers more involvement and a sharper driving experience than its predecessor. The larger wheelbase, lower centre of gravity, more rigid body, tauter suspension, and the concentration of aluminium towards the front in the space frame construction all work to give the car noticeably better weight distribution and dynamics.

But while it certainly feels better planted and sharper on the road, it hasn't entirely cancelled out the nose-heaviness, even in the $77,500 lighter-engined 2.0-litre TFSI turbo version.

The engine develops 147kW of power and 280Nm of torque and eager to rev up close to redline, it gets the Roadster to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds and has a top speed of 237km/h (using 7.8L/100 on average).

Admittedly, the $92,900 V6 version offers 184kW and 320Nm, comes with Audi's famed quattro drive as standard, beats the four to 100 by 0.6 seconds and tops out at 250km/h.

But if it comes down to having to choose one, we don't need to go that fast, and the 2.0-litre with turbo is the one playing our song.

Keep the roof down and enjoy the music, poking boost out of the turbo with the six-speed “S tronic” sequential transmission that kicks down readily in full auto mode, and offers close to immediate response in the sequential mode.

The gearshift is a slick joy to use for chomping into corners or eating up highway traffic. Our only gripe is that you still have to push it forward to change up, and back to change down, which works against the braking and accelerating motion of the car.

But even that annoyance doesn't come anywhere near to spoiling the fun.