Mallorca, Spain – The luxury roadster market may be small, but it is an important one, a status symbol, a toy and transportation that allows you to have an open air experience while enjoying high craftsmanship and attention to detail that makes you feel special.  Because of the importance of this segment, Audi pulled out all the stops to give us a chance to drive the new TT and TTS Roadster in an environment where it could demonstrate many of its fine traits.

Audi is so detail oriented, in fact, that they managed to welcome us Canadians to the Balearic Islands south of Spain by making it snow upon our arrival, an impressive feat indeed.  The good news is that this journalist came prepared as we raced our way up the mountainous terrain with the top down in near freezing conditions.

The first-generation Audi TT was styled almost directly from the Volkswagen New Beetle, with round soft lines and what many consider to be a “feminine” persona.  The second generation TT took that same design and hardened the lines slightly; while keeping a similar shape they managed to create a more masculine look to the vehicle, which I found more appealing.  The 2016 TT, the third generation, continues to flesh out and update that same design.  The styling has changed only slightly but the visual impact is dramatic, with a much more chiseled look that makes the TT look more grown up and purposeful, rather than cutesy.  The 2016 TT and TTS Roadsters will be available in 11 exterior colours including seven colours new to the TT line and two completely new colours for Audi (Nano Grey and Tango Red).

This new look is needed in order to take the TT and TTS seriously as the sports car it is.  Often overshadowed by competitors like the Porsche Boxster or Mercedes-Benz SLK, the Audi TT Roadster is no slouch when it comes to performance and open-air motoring and this toned physique will convince buyers to try it out for themselves.

While the competition is attempting to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by moving to smaller four-cylinder turbo engines, Audi has been in that game for a number of years now.  A 2.0L TFSI four-cylinder plant powers the TT Roadster with 230 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque while a 310-hp version with 280 lb-ft of torque will power the 2016 TTS models in Canada.  Official Canadian fuel economy numbers have not been released yet, but we can expect close to or under 7.0 L/100 km for both engines combined average (city/highway), all the while offering the performance you expect from this type of vehicle including a 0-100 km/h romp in under five seconds.

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