07 Dec 06
With the roof up, the TT looks more like the old roadster than the new coupe - which is styled in a way that integrates the roof with the rest of the body - keeping the MkI's Beetle-like bubble top sat proudly on top.
The conversion from coupe to roadster has involved strengthening work on the side sills and the windscreen surround - and it works. OK, if you wallop a bit of bumpy road surface mid-bend at a frisky speed, then yes, the body will shake more than it would in the coupe. But otherwise it feels as rigid as you'd hope.
Both engines come with the six-speed manual gearbox fitted as standard and the S-Tronic auto as an option. Visually, you can tell them apart by the Quattro badge on the 3.2, the exhausts - next to each other on the 2.0, either side of the car on the 3.2 - and the colour of details such as the grille and light surrounds.
Inside, the 3.2 comes trimmed in Alcantara and leather, rather than the just-leather of the 2.0, but there's a long list of leathery options for both, including the baseball-mitt look that caused a small stir in the MkI.
Hit the options list and it wouldn't be difficult to spend more on a TT than on a Porsche Boxster. But if you stick with the basic 2.0 you're buying a performance bargain that's about far more than just its fine looks. And in any case, both versions drive so well that comparisons with the Porsche are far from fanciful.
