Audi TT Roadster 2003 review

It's taken a while, but Audi's V6 Roadster has more than made up for lost time. Despite its age, there's still nothing on the market that can match the TT's mix of interior sophistication and user-friendliness. The icing on the cake has to be the new DSG gearbox. Use it and you'll never look at a manual in the same light again.

The security guard at Brunting-thorpe Proving Ground knows a thing or two about cars. Every day he sees thousands of them roll past his window on their way to a massive distribution centre. Armed with a clipboard, he quietly checks them in and he checks them out. He probably sees more cars in a day than any other human in Britain.

And in the 10 years we have been using Bruntingthorpe, he's never once passed comment on a single car we've driven through his gate. Except today. Casting his eye over the Audi TT Roadster, he says: "Lovely car."

It's a reaction that TT owners will know only too well. Despite being part of the automotive furniture for nearly six years, Audi's two-seater still turns heads like a newly launched supercar.

Now though, the TT has an engine that finally does justice to its looks. But while coupe buyers have been able to enjoy the combination of Audi's mighty 3.2-litre V6 and revolutionary DSG gearbox for three months now, roadster fans have had to wait their turn.

Apart from a few minor cosmetic alterations - the front bumper has extra vents while the rear spoiler has grown - the basic design is unchanged from the standard four-cylinder version. The same is true inside, with the only notable difference being the appearance of the DSG gearshift lever in place of the familiar manual selector.

On the road, however, the TT V6 has a markedly different personality to its siblings. The deep exhaust rumble is enough to wobble nearby shop windows, while the soundtrack at high revs is a delight. Where the four-cylinder version has a cold, mechanical nature, the V6 has an almost Italian feel.

Boxing clever
The highlight of the whole package is undoubtedly the sequential F1-style gearbox. It's taken 18 years for Direct Shift Gearbox technology to make the switch from Audi's rally programme to a road car. In that time, the firm's engineers have turned it from a brutal box of cogs into one of the smoothest semi-automatics on the market.

It differs from rival systems by using two clutches instead of the usual one. To cut the change time - the Achilles' heel on all existing designs - it pre-selects the next ratio. The result is shifts so quick they can barely be measured.

Complaints? Well, the lack of a lining on the canvas roof is a little hard to swallow on a car that costs £31,405, while the all-important gear display in the instrument panel is obscured by the top of the steering wheel.

On the whole, however, Audi's V6 Roadster is a great package. Although most owners will have to wait until next spring to enjoy the benefits of the open-air TT V6, it will be well worth it.