Coolness factor: 3 suns (out of four suns)

Base price: $36,800 (excluding destination charge)

Price as tested: $55,025

Engine: 250-horsepower 3.2-liter V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Fuel economy: 18 m.p.g. city; 24 m.p.g. highway

Seats: 2

Raising the roof: Power soft-top. Acceptable visibility with top closed.

Bottom Line: Audi’s striking TT roadster grows much larger for 2008, offering more passenger and luggage space than the rounded little model it replaces. The new TT is 5.4 inches longer and 3.1 inches wider — nearly as wide as a Chevrolet Corvette — than the old model. It retains Audi’s glorious baseball-stitched leather upholstery, however, and the increased size shows up in welcome increases in shoulder and legroom.

The TT comes in at the high end of the price range, however. The base 200-horsepower front-wheel-drive model costs $36,800 while the all-wheel-drive model I tested featured a 250-horsepower V6 and a $55,025 sticker price that pushes the little Audi into competition with the more powerful and sporty BMW M roadster and Corvette convertible.

The TT’s 13.1-cubic-foot trunk is among the best in its class, more than the BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz SLK or Volvo C70.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 24th, 2007 at 8:01 am and is filed under Auto Show [t], Car Models [t], Car Reviews [t]. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.