Soft to

‘From page ah

offer excellent grip. However,
the TT Roadster doesn’t feel
»” as balanced as some of its rear-
~ drive competitors which have a
50/50 front/rear weigitt dis-
tribution — the TT Roadster

has 2 60/40 front/rear weight

“distribution. .
=. The six-speed manual
; shifter i in my test car had
direct, solid throws which
were a bit stiffer than I liked.
: Rowing through the gears
‘ produces some driveline jerki-
ness, a problem 1 first noticed
n the TT Coupe, and proba-
bly attzibutable to its mans-
yersely-mounted front engine
and transaxle.

‘The TT Roadster features _-

rack and pinion stecring with :

variable power assis. At higher

speeds, sicering effort was firm
and appropriate for highway
eeivin At low speeds, howev-
thought the steering ..
t was too heavy for easy

SOA DL SATT ESD AN TENANT 0 BA OES ED

cornering, and include efectric
seat heaters with variable heat
settings. It’s easy to find a
good driving position because
the driver's scat is height-
adjustable and the steering
wheel tilts and telescopes.

Convertibie top

Front wheel drive TT
Roadsters have a manually-
Operated convertible top while
AWD quattro models offer a
power-operated top. To put
down thet power top, the dri-
ver releases 2 single latch on
the windshield header and
presses a button to retract it.

The black fabric top, which

includes a glass rear window
with electric defroster, lowers
in just seconds. A semi-hard
boot cover can be d into
place over the lowered top to
revent dust and moisture

mm getting in. The boot

cover also improves the
ance and a

the car. However, whea the

boot cover is not in use, it

- must be stored in the trunk,

where it takes up about half of

* » the precious little trunk space’

there is.
On the road with the top”

, _down, wind buffeting is
noticeable but not unpleasant. ©
. Ani electrically-retractable glass

windbreak shaped to the out-

line of the roll hoops helps

-passenger convertible sports car
transverse front eng ine/all-wheel-drive

S16 litres/i00 kin (24 Amp i
highway:.7.6 litres/100 km. (87 m.p.g.) ..

reduce wind buffeting.

Outward visibility with the
top down is excellent — the
hood is low and the rear deck
is not too high, as it is in some
sports cars. With the top up,
there is the usual difficulty
with visibility to the right rear
three-quarter area when
changing lanes. Most convert-
ible tops don’t have a rear side
window.

Standard and optional equip-
ment

Front wheel drive TT
Roadsters, which start at
$50,500, include the 180-
horsepower engine, five-speed
manual transmission, ASR all-
speed traction control, front
disc/rear drum brakes with
ABS, 205/55R-16 inch tires
and alloy wheels, torsion beam
rear.axle, and manual top.
Standard interior features
include automatic climate con-
trol, Nappa leather uphoistery,
power windows with pinch
protection, cruise control,

Friday, August 18, 2000 — North Shore News - 27

power central locking, and-
theft system, intermittent
wipers, AM/FM /cassette,
information display with out-
side temperature gauge, and
front and side airbags.

All wheel drive TT
Roadster quattre mode!s, for
$59,000, have a 225-horse-
power engine, six-speed manu-
al transmission, 225/45-17
inch tires and alloy wheels,

fully independent suspension, ©

and power folding top.
Options include Xenon gas

The S-Series SL-1_ ©

LEASE .

$19. Bino.s6 mos.

$1,800 down payment

2000 S11 comes complete with:

¢ AM/FM Stereo with CD
and Four Speakers

* Reduced Force Air Bags

© Adjustable Sceering Column

BUY

515, 103scar

SLi with Automatic Teansmission add $17/mo.
with Air Conditioning add S2imo. 3200 6-"
(Additional coat based on $0 down payment)

Highway Fuel Consumption: 5.31/100km, S3mpg - .-

| LEASE? | 200
arse pny

$199) sss ian * Ma
$2,025 down payment

516 823 ar

Saturn 2 Saabs isuzu retailers Highest Overall
Sstisfaction Among Service Providers

Jl 1D, Prince and Associates 1999 Canadian Custoener Commitment Study,
Srudy conducted among 9.218 conwmere. ware dlpowercom .

. . selling and lease F Frices.-

© Reduced Force Air Bags
. Adjustable seering column

_ Morrey Saturn Saab Isuzu
4451 Lougheed Hwy, D9i31-

Deen ee

294-1831

‘weet aa

p’s cover takes valuable trunk space

discharge headlamps, heared
front seats, Bose sound system,
six-disc CD changer, naviga-
tion system, a hands-free
phone and baseball-stitch
leather upholst
Competitors or the Audi
TT Roadster include the
BMW Z3 2.8 ($55,900) and
BMW M Roadster ($52,990);
Honda $2000 ($48,000);
Porsche Boxster ($59,010);
Mercedes-Benz SLK230. ‘-
($54,350); and Mercedes-
Benz SLK320 ($60,150).

After all, what good i is making ©

an award winning car if you can t afford | to buy i it