Author: carcoutureblog

by

Audi TT Roadster 1.8 TFSI – Fun In The Sun

untitledff.jpg

How much you like the TT Roadster may well depend on how you value the badge on the boot. I can’t say the Roadster is that much better than a Mazda- MX-5 but Audi is premium brand – and that means a great deal to many people when making their buying choice.

The TT is fighting its corner against stiff opposition, from the likes of the BMW Z4 and more expensive Porsche Boxster too. Personally, I prefer the look of the BMW and Porsche, simply because the TT is starting to look a little dated these days.

Otherwise, the Audi is a fine handling car that brings the joy of open top motoring down to a reasonably affordable level. The cabin is well screwed together and easy on the eye – apart from the grey leather in our test car! – and the boot is a decent size too.

Z4 owners would say it doesn’t have the added security of a tin folding roof, Porsche drivers would point out the TT is nowhere near as pretty. Truth is, it will come down to personal taste because all three cars, plus the cheaper MX-5, are great fun and a joy to have on the driveway.

by

Audi TT Roadster 1.8 TFSI – Give Me More Power

ggg.jpg

I’ve come to the conclusion that 158bhp just isn’t enough in the Audi TT Roadster. The strong fuel economy in the entry-level model will be a sound trade off for some people but this 1.8 car just needs some extra grunt to set my pulse racing.

There are several larger engined models to go for, of course, including a TDI. The 208bhp 2.0 petrol would be tempting but the 270bhp TTS top choice. There’s a 335bhp TT RS too but that almost sounds too much!

All versions have a standard six-speed gearbox  and most have the option of the brilliant S tronic automatic as well.

The Roadster certainly needs more power than 158bhp if I’m going to start making comparisons with a Porsche Boxster, rather than a Mazda MX-5…

by

Audi TT 1.8 TFSI – Grey, Like David Brent’s Underpants

au_076_s.jpg

A convertible should inspire you to want to drive it. It’s Bank Holiday Monday and I’ve been sat in the garden, considering the TT Cabriolet from a variety of angles.

The simple fact is this – it doesn’t have the same visual appeal as the cheaper Mazda MX-5. The Audi isn’t an ugly car but comparisons with the streamlined and eye-catching Mazda are obvious.

Not only that but the TT does not feel like a ‘natural’ sports car when you drive it. The gearstick doesn’t fall to hand as easily, you don’t feel inspired to throw it around a corner and even with the rear wind deflector up, there’s a bit too much wind intrusion in the cockpit.

Unfortunately, our TT test car also features a rather dull cabin colour. The carpet and leather trim are light, limp grey. It’s like sitting in a pair of David Brent’s over-washed underpants. Opt for black and it won’t need cleaning so often either….

by

Audi TT 1.8 TFSI Cabriolet – Eeny, Meeny…

au_079_s.jpg

Wasn’t there a time when Top Gear was all about cars? I seem to remember it was quite good, post Noel Edmunds that is, before the BBC turned it into light comedy cash cow.

Sour grapes? No. I worked on TV with Hammond for a while and he was a true pro. James May is a good foil for Clarkson, while big JC himself writes cracking copy in the Sunday Times.

I just think Top Gear is way past its sell by date and needs a total revamp. Perhaps a spot of dumbing up is in order – and a very large gag for JC’s gob. No wonder he is frowned upon around here in the Cotswolds.

And the Audi TT Cabriolet? This is what Clarkson said…

“Then there’s the biggest problem of them all – the problem of being in an Audi TT when you are not called Angela. I do not know why it can be driven by only people named Angela, but that’s a fact and there’s nothing we can do about it. If you have a TT and you aren’t called Angela, you have the wrong car.”

by

Audi TT 1.8 TFSI Cabriolet – Geoff Capes Need Not Apply…

AU_078_sI’m not sure why God created the Midlands. He obviously wasn’t a petrol head because the roads are terrible – especially if you are travelling across country, rather than to the north, or south.

The whole A-road network around Birmingham seems to consist of A-roads choked up with heavy goods vehicles, chugging along at 50mph, or oversize tractors which seem to have become the new caravan. Awful.

I’m just returned from a six hour slog to interview Geoff Capes, a former Commonwealth gold medallist and the World’s Strongest Man, twice. Geoff is now 27-stone and breeds budgies (it’s true) but he once appeared in a Volkswagen Polo commercial, lifting the supermini off the ground. He split ten pairs of trousers in the process.

Geoff now drives a Discovery and there’s no doubt he would have tossed the Audi TT to one side if I had blocked him in on the driveway. The TT isn’t a Geoff Capes sort of car but it’s roomy enough for a pipsqueak like me. Plus the folding soft top means the roof mechanism doesn’t eat into the boot space.

Size isn’t everything and the TT’s small cabin is perfect in every other way. Large blokes need not apply.

 

 

by

Audi TT Roadster – Budget Open Top

AU_078_s

You can buy a diesel TT Roadster and pay more for a litre of fuel – or enjoy a few mpg less in this 1.8 TFSI petrol version. There was a time when it was a straight choice between fuel economy or performance – cars like this blur the lines and make the choice a tough one.

The current Audi TT was launched way back in 2007. A new version is due soon but it’s a testament to the style of design of the car that both the Roadster and Coupe still look exceptionally smart cars.

New on the driveway today, the 1.8 Roadster is eye-catching indeed. And as I’m off on a long journey to Lincolnshire later, I’m excited at the prospect of 120 miles of A-road to enjoy it on.

This may be the slowest car in the TT range but a quick drive to the station this morning has really whet my appetite. More tomorrow when I will have nudged the fuel gauge significantly…

by

Bentley Continental GTC V8 – The £138,000 Alarm Clock

cropped-bent2.jpg

If you want to wake an entire Cotswold village at 6am then go buy a Bentley. Yes, if only it was that simple… A £138,000 alarm clock is way beyond the reach of most people but I can assure you, there’s no finer way to blow the cobwebs off daybreak.

I’ve just reluctantly handed the keys of the GTC back to the Bentley driver. And no, his job isn’t as great as it sounds because the car is ferried back to company HQ in Crewe on the back of a 13 ton lorry. At least he gets to drive it up the ramp…

Over the last few days I’ve been using the ‘sport’ setting, firmer up the suspension and seeing just what a two ton missile can do with 500+bhp under the bonnet. The GTC is not a sports car to be thrown around country lanes, it’s just too large for that. But for out and out performance, wow!

When you have a budget this large to spend, Ferrari, Porsche and all the rest of the super car marques come in to play. However, if you want something quintessentially British (OK, I know Bentley is now quintessentially German owned too!) the Continental is the only carriage you will ever need. Now, home James and don’t spare the horse…

by

Bentley Continental GTC V8 – Too Posh To Push?

cropped-bent4.jpg

It’s the curse of the automatic lid closing mechanism that these days you can’t cram stuff in a boot when you need to. We’ve all done it – squeezing in a few too many items, then having to press the lid down hard, with a triumphant flourish.

You can forget that with a Bentley. The lid will lower all the way down, then at the last minute refuse to lock in place and open fully again. At first it’s funny, then it’s infuriating, especially when you can’t see what the heck is causing it to abort mission.

Normally I’m a tidy packer but today where was a load of kit thrown in the back. It took five attempts and a lot of fiddling before the lid finally locked in place. It was just a plastic bag that caused the mechanism to melt down…

I mention this because even a Bentley can trip you up during everyday us. There’s not a lot wrong with this superbly engineered car but the Continental does come with a rather swanky, bespoke sunglasses case that looks very cool indeed. Just one problem – you can’t actually fit a large pair of sunglasses inside….

by

Bentley Continental GTC V8 – A Very Large Bottom

cropped-bent6.jpg

The Continental hasn’t actually changed much design-wise since it was launched 11 years ago. I suppose that when most people think of a Bentley, they drift back in time anyway. Churchill, bulldogs and the thwack of leather on willow, was how one friend described it this weekend.

The V8 engine certainly barks into life when you press the start button on the centre console, there’s acres of leather in the cabin, and the adjustable front seats would even accommodation a portly Churchill. Not so sure he would have approved of air conditioned and heated chairs though, or ones that gently massage the occupant either.

But if we are talking about style, well, the Bentley isn’t everybody’s cup of Earl Grey. It’s squat, muscular and very wide, which gives more than hint of the mighty power plant under that long bonnet. And while it looks more macho than a bodybuilder’s mankini from the front, something has gone strangely awry with the rear.

Awry not wrong but the GTC certainly ain’t a beautiful sight from the back. The ‘flat’ styling looks as if this Bentley has been rammed into a brick wall at speed. And because the hood has to fold into a section directly in front of the boot lid, this is a car with a very large bottom indeed.

 

 

by

Bentley Continental V8 GTC – Sounds Like Two Lesbians In A Bucket

 

cropped-bent1.jpg

The engines powering the Continental were developed by Audi and power some of their fastest cars. The 6.0-litre W12 might sound like a better unit than the 4.0-litre in our GTC but don’t be fooled – this V8 will be more than enough for most people.

It’s certainly more than enough for me. This morning I sent the pheasants scattering from the field by my house, as the Continental roared into life. It has to have the coolest set of twin exhaust pipes fitted to any car.

Not only that, the grumble is low, resonant and almost threatening. As AA Gill once wrote about a TVR, the pipes sound like ‘two lesbians moaning in a bucket’!

It’s a big car but steering the Bentley down a country road is an absolute joy. The GTC is nimble despite the size, like Mike Tyson in a ballet dress. Only much prettier.

You can push the convertible along at a great rate of knots without even realising the speed, despite the car weighing 2300kg, the body doesn’t roll and the brakes stop it on with rapid ease.

It’s all wonderful but oh, the sound of those exhaust pipes…