Less bubble, more brawn

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2008 Audi TT - Comfort

Front Comfort
Despite a rather harsh ride, the ’08 TT makes for a comfortable place to travel thanks to spacious and well-bolstered bucket seats with multiple power adjustments, soft leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel with tilt and telescopic functions, and padding on the thin door and center armrests. The seats sit low so you’ll need to drop instead of slide onto them, and the high window sills are ill-suited for resting forearms.

Interior Noise
Audi is forced to walk a fine line in terms of the TT’s interior noise – since it’s a luxury brand, the ride is expected to be quiet, yet at the same time buyers of a sporty roadster want to hear a bit of engine note as they blast along tree-lined back roads. Difficult as it may have been, engineers have met the challenge by delivering a top-up experience with limited wind and road noise intrusion, though the 18-inch Bridgestones refuse to play quietly. Drop the top and the V-6’s raspy growl fills your ears as the tachometer needle spins to redline. Buffeting is limited by the rear wind screen.

Visibility
It’s always interesting to get into a convertible that, unlike the TT, somehow provides less than impressive visibility when the top is down. Audi does it right with its two-passenger Roadster thanks to usable side mirrors, a low downward-curving body line that doesn’t limit over-the-shoulder visibility, and narrow pillars. One could take minor issue with the large head restraints and thick roll hoops, but even those welcome safety features are hardly limiting. Power the top up and, as expected, most of the positive attributes disappear with the introduction of this rear cloth pillars, though the rear glass window is expansive.