ONE thing in life is guaranteed - at the first glimpse of the sun, thousands of motorists up and down the country will be lowering their roofs and making the most of wind-in-the-hair driving.

That's because us die-hard Brits just can't get enough of open-top motoring. Despite our less than predictable weather patterns at the first sign of summer it's down with the soft-top, sunnies on and away we go.

So the arrival of the very latest, all-new third generation Audi TT Roadster was, of course, welcomed with a sense of excitement.

It is in Audi's DNA to create fantastic convertibles and the new TT Roadster is no exception to that rule following on perfectly from the launch of the coupe-styled model.

It is an instant attention-grabber thanks to gorgeous curves, 19-inch ‘twin-spoke' design alloy wheels, smart headlight clusters with directional sweeping indicators, twin tail pipes, S line badging and a distinctive fabric roof that can be lowered or raised in 10 seconds at speeds up to 30mph.

Step inside and it's immediately clear that the interior has been given a major refresh and has certainly moved upmarket. It has Alcantara-leather upholstery, heated seats, a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel, an LED interior lighting package, a pitch-perfect sound system, sports pedals and an easy-to-operate sat nav system.

But, building on its reputation for designing quality, premium interiors, Audi has introduced a fantastic ‘virtual cockpit' to replace the large central screen. It's a 12.3-inches high resolution LCD display that sits where the speedo and other such dials would normally be situated behind the steering wheel. It can display maps, speed, sat nav directions or a host of other features. In fact it can quickly and easily be personalised by the driver and controlled via the steering wheel buttons.

Another eye-catching feature is the circular air vents that manually control the temperature, air con, output levels and heated seats - simple but very effective.

Unlike its coupe counterpart there are no rear seats in the roadster and the folding roof does mean that the boot's storage capacity is reduced slightly to 280 litres, but there is a good-sized glovebox, a central bin, door pockets, a couple of covered trays and practical cup holders within the cabin.

And when it comes to the performance itself, the TT lives up to the big build-up and still remains a brilliant roadster.

This car, priced at £33,820 (£40,315 with options fitted) was powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine delivering 230ps and boasts a 0-62mph sprint time of 6.2 seconds before reaching a top speed that has been limited to 155mph. According to official figures, the car can deliver combined fuel efficiency of 45.6mpg with carbon emissions of 144g/km.

Press the start button and the TT springs into life with a rather gentle purring noise, but the slightest pressure on the accelerator releases a roar that is guaranteed to turn heads and is an indication to what's in store.

In busy town centres, the TT ambles along quite merrily and attracts plenty of attention from admirers as it passes.

Then out on faster roads, it really bursts into life. The acceleration through the manual gears is smooth and rapid with a constant supply of power on tap at all times - which makes very light work of overtaking slower vehicles.

A rear spoiler is electrically deployed from the top of the boot when the car is travelling at speeds in excess of 74mph to provide additional downforce.

The steering is precise and the road-holding beautifully reassuring with the TT delivering a very grounded and sure-footed performance which makes sharp bends all the more fun. That said; it was a little jittery over uneven surfaces if pushed particularly hard.

A Drive Select feature allows you to adjust the car's dynamics and handling capabilities to suit the conditions and you can choose from - Efficiency, Comfort, Auto, Dynamic and Individual modes.

The TT Roadster is well insulated with very little road, engine or wind noise reaching the cabin and despite being so low to the ground the suspension is pretty efficient at ironing out some of the bumps along the way - especially in Comfort mode.