FINDING a criticism of the Audi TT is no easy task. Perhaps because it is almost too good, which it needs to be, taking on the likes of the Mercedes SLC and BMW Z4.

Many roadster enthusiasts are happy enough drive around in vehicles of all ages where fit and finish may not be been of the highest quality any more and the canvas roof, or ragtop, is not always the greatest protection against the elements. They love the wind in their hair.

The latest TT is a million miles from this. It still offers wind in the hair enjoyment and much, much more.

It looks spectacular and in its latest incarnation has one of the finest interiors you can imagine. Audis are not cheap, but you get what you pay for. There is plenty of standard kit, but on this particular model, with £8,000's worth of extras, it notches up a price tag of around £45,000.

The days of the powered roof taking half a minute or more to fold into place, let alone manually folding it into place, are gone and I timed the roof opening and closing in less than 10 seconds.

All models offer real performance, from hot, to breathtaking including a diesel which will hit the 60mph mark in around seven seconds.

The exterior is striking, adopting a more muscular look than the more rounded original. It is all sharp angles and creases with slim cat's-eye-like headlights and a sleek, swooping profile.

The interior is where the car really scores. Like the rest of the VW group range, the virtual configurable cockpit is the centre piece. This allows for the whole of the dash to feature the sat nav or any of the other setup you may require.

The five circular air vents are also clever, not just allowing air flow into the cabin, but also themselves controlling air con, temperature and air flow.

In typical Audi fashion, all the fixtures and fittings are of the highest quality, especially the soft touch finish to dash and doors and the aluminium finish to the circular controls, gear knob and door trims.

Also high quality is the velour-type finish to the seats. The driving positions is first-class and multi adjustable.

The triple-layer folding roof is mightily impressive, opening or closing in around 10 seconds. When it is down it settles ingeniously into a space just behind the boot where the two nominal rear seats are situated. This means there is a serviceable boot space, with an impressive 280 litres available whether the roof is up or folded away.

There are various engine options, but the 227bhp TFSI petrol, mated with S tronic dual-clutch automatic and quattro all-wheel drive is a lively customer.

It can hit 60mph from a standing start in 6.1 seconds and has the handling, traction and steering to match the performance.

The S line suspension on this model stiffens everything up and allied with the quattro drive allows you to fling it into bends and corners safely and with confidence.

The car also offer different drive modes, from economy to dynamic and is personally customisable. In common with most sport autos, you can add to the fun by going manual with the paddles behind the steering wheel.

You would think that it would burn the juice with that type of performance, but it is surprisingly frugal with mid-30s mpg against a claimed 40.9 mpg.