Item: Used Audi TT Roadster 2015-present
Rating: 5
Author: What Car? Team

If what you really want is an out-and-out sports car, then you’d have to go for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/boxster/sports/used-review/n863">Porsche Boxster</a>. Trouble is, it’s a heck of a lot more expensive to buy, meaning you’ll have to settle for an older, higher-mileage example for a similar budget.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/z4/sports/used-review/n788">BMW Z4</a>&nbsp;is a little more sedate, meanwhile, and not quite as crisp or taut as the TT to drive. Nevertheless, it’s priced quite low, so it's worth a look as a value option.

Also worth a look is the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/fiat/124-spider/sports/used-review/n968">Abarth 124 Spider</a>. It's smaller and a little more hardcore than the TT, but the interior's almost as smart, so if you want a sportier option on a budget, it could be the one for you.

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

There have been quite a few reports of TTs suffering from water leaks, usually caused by the drainage tubes for the roof blocking up and overflowing. These can lead to flooding inside the car that, if severe enough, can cause serious problems with the electrics. It’s therefore imperative to check for signs of water in the car; this could include damp carpets or upholstery, or water stains on the carpets or seats. It’s also vital to check that all the electrics work as they should – including the infotainment system.

Some owners have also reported rattles and squeaks from some parts of the interior trim, so make sure you drive the car you’re thinking of buying with the radio off and the roof up to listen out for any such issues.

Mostly. The TT scored an excellent 90% in our most recent reliability survey. Audi as a brand finished in a disappointing 27th out of 32 car makers in the same survey, though.

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Sports

Audi is a brand that sets the standard for interior quality, and this, combined with its vast and ever-growing model line-up, has helped it become one of the ‘big three’ German prestige car makers, along with BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The A3 hatchback, A4 executive saloon and Q7 SUV have all won their classes at the What Car? Car of the Year Awards in recent years, while the TT coupé is the most decorated car in the history of the ceremony.

At least some of Audi's success over the past 30 years can be attributed to the growth in sales of vehicles with four-wheel drive; the company arguably led the way in bringing 4x4 technology into the mainstream, with its Quattro coupé in the early 1980s.

Today, most Audis are available with at least the option of four-wheel drive, while the list of SUVs from the brand includes the Q2, Q3, Q5 and Q7.

AUDI

With a terrific balance between fun, quality and usability, the Audi TT is one of the best used convertibles you can buy

Used Audi TT Roadster 2015-present

By the standards of a two-seat sports car, very little, actually. Every version of the TT offers either competitive or class-leading fuel consumption figures; the cheapest 1.8 unit, in particular, looks very efficient.

As you’d expect, TTs are cheap to tax, too. Examples registered after 1 April 2017 will all cost £140 a year to tax, unless they cost more than £40,000 when new (a caveat reserved only for high-end versions or cars laden with options), in which case a £310 surcharge applies.

Cars registered before 1 April 2017, under the old tax regime, are generally quite affordable; even the 2.0 turbo shouldn’t set you back more than £155 a year, while diesel versions can be taxed for as little as £124 a year.

Audi servicing is more expensive than more mainstream manufacturers’, but among the TT’s rivals it should actually work out one of the cheapest. What’s more, when your TT hits three years old, it’ll be eligible for Audi’s fixed-price service scheme for older cars – prices for which are very competitive.

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With a terrific balance between fun, quality and usability, the Audi TT is one of the best used convertibles you can buy

Prices start at around £18,000 for the cheapest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/audi">Audi</a>&nbsp;TT Roadsters on the market at the moment, although you might want to bump your budget up to £19,000 for a low-mileage early car. For a low-mileage TT S, you can expect that figure to be closer to £30,000.

Keep it simple – that’s our advice. As a new buy, we prefer the 1.8 engine, but it’s easier to find the 2.0 version second hand since there are more examples around. It’s also barely any less fuel efficient and is both faster and more fun, so it’s the one we’d go for if we were buying used.

Pair that with entry-level Sport trim and you’ll have the best of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/audi">Audi</a>&nbsp;TT range.

Our favourite Audi TT Roadster&nbsp;2.0 TFSI Sport

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Ride comfort shouldn’t be sacrificed at the altar of handling sharpness</li> <li>Plenty of power from a melodic engine</li> <li>Handling that doesn’t come at the expense of a back-breaking ride​​​​​</li> <li> Practicality is not essential but nice to have </li></ul>

Driving fun is right at the top of any sports car buyer's priority list, and every one of our award candidates has backroad entertainment coded into its DNA.

The Mazda MX-5 embodies sports-car spirit without wearing an exotic price tag, and has deservedly gained a strong following over the years. Much newer to the scene is the mid-engined Alpine A110. It may carry a name from the past, but this potent, mid-engined sports car was designed with the very latest lightweight thinking.&nbsp;

Rounding off our shortlist, though, is a name that'll be familiar to even those to whom sports cars hold little interest. The Porsche 911 was born an icon in 1964, and the latest generation bridges the gap between sports car and supercar. Yet, somehow, it manages to preserve a distinctly civilised character.

Most&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/audi">Audi</a>&nbsp;TT Roadsters won’t have been driven too hard, but the odd few will have been, so watch out for examples that feel slack to drive, with knocking or otherwise noisy suspension, squeaky brakes, a clutch that bites high up the travel of the pedal or manual examples with an imprecise gearchange.

Also be sure to check all the alloy wheels carefully for kerb marks. Light grazes aren’t too much to worry about, but more significant damage or chunks taken out of a wheel suggest&nbsp;it’s hit a kerb quite hard, and that could cause damage to the suspension and require expensive repairs.

Remember that kid at school who was annoyingly good at everything? Top marks, brilliant at sports, the lead role in the school play and even a musical virtuoso? Well, that rather sums up what the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/audi">Audi</a>&nbsp;TT Roadster is like.

Of course, mention a TT and lots of people will think immediately of the first-generation model, which became famous for its wonderfully geometric looks, beautiful interior and ultra-trendiness.

This third-generation model is a natural evolution of that first groundbreaking car – one that is arguably less distinctive now that the rest of the world’s caught up, but which still looks stylish and feels just as high-quality – if not more so – than the original.

There’s a wide selection of engines available, ranging from the cheapest 178bhp 1.8-litre turbo, right up to a potent 306bhp 2.0-litre turbo in the TT S; there’s even a 181bhp 2.0-litre diesel variant, should you wish to combine open-air motoring with high-mile fuel economy. The most popular engine of the lot, though, is the 227bhp 2.0-litre turbo, which offers a splendid balance of power and efficiency.

All but the most powerful of these engines can be teamed with your choice of three trims. Sport is the most basic but still gets air conditioning, part-Alcantara seats and xenon headlights. S line, meanwhile, adds automatic LED headlights, automatic wipers, bigger wheels and a more aggressive bodykit, while Black Edition adds, as its name suggests, black styling accents. The TT S, meanwhile, features adaptive suspension, heated front seats and leather upholstery. Keep in mind, though, that none of these models gets sat-nav or climate control as standard; you have to pay extra for those.

Whichever engine you plump for, you’ll find the TT is a delight to drive. The steering is crisp and precise, there’s plenty of grip and there isn’t a hint of lean from the body unless you really grab it by the scruff of the neck and throw it around. What’s more, if you choose one of the quattro four-wheel-drive models, you get immense traction away from the line, especially in more slippery conditions. True, the TT isn’t quite as exciting to drive as a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/boxster/sports/used-review/n863">Porsche Boxster</a>, but it’s still great fun and very rewarding.

Yet, for all its poise, the TT still manages to ride extremely well. It’s as firm as you’d expect from a sports car but never uncomfortable, making it perfectly usable both around town and on longer journeys. Of course, you get a little more wind and road noise than you would with the folding hard top of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/z4/sports/used-review/n788">BMW Z4</a>, but not so much that it becomes intrusive.

Inside, there’s the sort of beautiful interior we’ve come to expect from a TT. Large, round vents house the heating controls; there’s no central screen, because everything’s controlled using the beautiful Virtual Cockpit display – a huge TFT screen located where you’d normally find the dials that can be customised to give you all the information you want to see.

It works beautifully and is easy to find your way around; the same goes for the rest of the interior, which is very well laid out and feels top notch in terms of quality. What’s more, there’s plenty of space for two people, a decent amount of space for their oddments and one of the largest boots you’ll find in any two-seat drop-top. It all adds up to a great all-round package.

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Used Audi TT Roadster 2015-present review

Our recommendations

Which used Audi TT sports should I buy?