Boring people driving boring cars in search of more excitement need to get this car

Photos by Azfar Hashim

Every once in a while, a car comes into the market and excites the whole lot of petrol-loving man and boys. I reckon the new Audi R8 is doing that, with most of you rubbing your hands in glee for it to arrive.

While it is no R8, what we have here is the smaller TT Roadster. It may not be equally exciting, and perhaps the only thing that would make you look its way is the bright, flamboyant colour as seen here with this test car. If it’s in a darker colour, you might not even bat an eyelid.

And that is good. Well, for me personally at least. I like cars that are not overly exciting and do not attract attention. I was told I had this special love for such a characteristic simply because when I behave like a young, hot-blooded cap-wearing punk, people cannot recognize the car: “Look at that idiot driving his… wait a minute… what car is that?” For the rest of you who are gasping your mouth wide open, I assure you that you do drive these way at times.

I do not drive like that, really. 97.365 percent of the time I get behind the wheels, I am a law abiding citizen who drives within the speed limit and, most importantly, my driving capability. Why I like cars that are subtle is simply because I do not have to worry about getting the attention of other people… Especially if it’s a convertible and while driving with the roof down.

Can’t seem to stop going off-topic here today. Could be the whole age thing. You get grumpy in the morning, a little giggly after lunch, sleepy close to 4:00 pm and by 10:00 pm, everything starts to shut down…

Funnily, none of that actually happened when I had the TT Roadster. Ok, I was my grumpy self until I (a) picked the key from Audi Singapore, and (b) found an opportunity to speed up and merge with traffic; one word sums it up perfectly, and it has to be ‘effortless’. It gets power courtesy of Volkswagen’s proven turbocharged 4-cylinder, 2.0-litre EA888 lump and mated to a 6-speed S-tronic dual-clutch ‘box, there is 230 bhp and 370 Nm worth of torque at your disposal. Audi claimed it does the 0-100 km/h sprint in 5.6 seconds, but based on my butt-feel, anywhere between 6.0 to 6.5 seconds sounds more like it. It comes with quattro all-wheel drive and adding that to the roof mechanicals, kerbweight is 1,425 kg, some 90 kilos heavier than the Coupe brethren.

Still, it does not deter the TT Roadster from being quite the performer. As mentioned earlier, it does the job of picking up speed effortlessly, and getting you to three-figure speed in third is a colossal affair. You get jostled into your seat and, when driven with the roof down, for no better word, is simply sensational. And because it’s smaller than a Camry and Accord, you get to slot in between traffic without appearing offensive. On a separate note when cruising along at expressway speeds with the roof up, it sure does expose the usual Audi refinement; zero rattling roof parts, the cabin is well insulated against wind and tyre noise and if you have a passenger, there is no unnecessary need to raise voices just to have a conversation. To be honest despite this soft-top route Audi has taken, it feels more relaxing to drive than a Z4.

Usually, drivers will perceive convertibles as ‘hopeless’ in terms of agility and handling finesse. Nope, not with this one. It has to be the combination of the quattro system and alert traction control, along with the well-sorted suspension set up: Even at the limit, its handling remains neutral with only a minor wiggle at the rear end to subtly remind you not to go overboard. The steering remains positive and body movements are both sorted and lithe; if BMW is figuring out how to make a chassis for convertibles lovely, then this is one prime example to look at.

Interior wise, there is nothing much for me report. Typical Audi build quality and thoughtful architecture, body-hugging seats, brilliant steering wheel; integrating the air-con controls onto the vents is still a smart way of avoiding a messy cluster on the center console. The high quality TFT display placed ahead of the driver is a great conversation starter.

So, as a whole, the Audi TT Roadster is fast, refined when it needs to be and handles like nothing else in the market. Some, however, may opine it is clinical and predictable. Whatever it is, this car is brilliantly packaged and does not need too much brain cells to drive; two important aspects for a buyer looking at such cars.

Oh, and how can I forget: The unlimited wide smile it lets you have over any road.