2004 Audi TT Roadster DSG6 Test Drive

2004 Audi TT Roadster DSG6

The Audi TT burst onto the automotive scene as a 2000 coupe model, quickly garnering design awards and assuring bright futures for its designers, who have all moved on. The roadster version followed in 2001 and remains little changed in form for 2004. But now it's quicker, and smoother, and has the next-generation transmission. Price: $42,900 base; as tested, $47,520. Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles.

First Glance

The Audi TT began life as a sketch on a cocktail napkin. Freeman Thomas is always sketching cars, minimizing lines to convey fluid motion. That's what he did when he drew the graceful curves that Audi would translate into the 2000 Audi TT. And can you see that Thomas also co-designed VW's New Beetle, with J Mays? Those two cars, along with the PT Cruiser, represent the best autodom has done in at least a decade. The New York Times critic says the Audi TT may be the best automotive design of the century! It made stars of Thomas, who was wooed away to Daimler Chrysler, and J Mays, who joined Ford. Martin Smith, designer of the striking Audi TT interior, left to join Ford and PT Cruiser designer Bryan Nesbitt left Chrysler to replace Smith at Vauxhall/Opel. Top designers, you understand, are hard to find – and keep. The TT design was arresting when new and has been copied by other automakers, as Nissan did for its new 350Z (but ruined the clean lines with silly vertical chrome door handles). None of the copycats manage the perfect confluence of form and function achieved with the TT. In a week of testing, it still drew favorable comments from all who saw it. And the banana yellow color certainly didn't detract from its attraction.

In the Driver's Seat

No car on the market today has interior details as well thought-out, as beautiful in execution, as the Audi TT. Designer Martin Smith made sure every ring, every instrument, every panel made a statement. And for the TT's seats, he chose leather surfaces stitched together in baseball glove style. For all instruments, and most controls, Smith chose a circle, which appears riveted into position. The rings that border the circles are metal, and metal is carried over to the pedals and the rollbars behind driver and passenger. Even the interior door handles are metal and continue the dimpled motif. In the center of the dash is a metal lid. Press it and it lifts to reveal the audio system. The top is lowered by pressing a button, twisting a lever and then powering it down, where it stacks low behind the passenger compartment. It does not steal trunk room. A built-in windscreen powers up or down. Fortunately, all controls shun the complexity some German automakers are mistakenly using. These controls are intuitive. The seats themselves are supportive, but less so than those in all-out "racing" model sports cars. The only complaint is that the window sill is a bit high for easily resting a left elbow.

On the Road

The upside-down bathtub look of the Audi TT, hearkening back to a '50s Porsche Speedster, is marred only by a small wing on the rear deck. Designers didn't want it. It's there because the car had some lift – above 140 miles per hour! Our speeds didn't approach that, but the 2004 Audi TT Roadster proves that function can follow form. The windshield is not tilted inward so much that turbulence is created, for instance. The windscreen can further reduce buffeting when the top is down and the speed is high. Under the hood is a 3.2-liter V6 that produces 250 horsepower. But the new story is the Direct Shift-Gearbox, abbreviated DSG in this Audi's name. It's race car technology for the road. Two gears are always available and a touch of a steering wheel paddle instantly changes up or down. No delay. The transmission also works smoothly as a normal six-speed automatic, or can be shifted by the gear lever. The TT's DSG is the first use of this advanced shift method in a passenger car. Acceleration is very quick from this non-turbo engine and braking is strong. The TT has Audi's quattro all-wheel drive, meaning it can be driven easily on even wet road surfaces. And safety features include front air bags and head and thorax side air bags.

Journey's End

This $40,000-something segment of the sports car market is one of the few areas of car sales growth (trucks are experiencing growth, while car sales are on the decline). It's a competitive arena, with the BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz SLK, Porsche Boxster, Honda S2000, DaimlerChrysler Crossfire, Nissan 350Z and even the Ford Thunderbird (designed by J Mays!) vying for the dollars. Among these, the 2004 Audi TT Roadster retains the cleanest lines, and perhaps the greatest function. It certainly is not the fastest, but it doesn't deserve a "cruiser" label either. It's plenty quick, safe and comfortable. It returns 22 mpg city and 27 highway. It makes no mistakes, such as a plastic rear window would be. The driving experience is one of pure pleasure. It should appeal to those who put aesthetics and safety first, while wanting performance and handling in a topless car. If the order is reversed, the TT becomes an also-ran. When it was delivered for testing, the delivery guys, who know me well after 15 years of deliveries, had only a few words: "You'll like this one." They were right.