Audi TT Roadster: Four seasons of fun.

We're spoiled. We know it. You know it. But damn is it good. Not only do we have a long-term Porsche Boxster S, but now a 225-hp Audi TT Roadster as well. Summer can't come soon enough.

But it ain't summer yet. No, it was January-blizzard season here in the Midwest-when we picked up our 2001 TT to begin a yearlong evaluation. No worries, as our Nimbus Gray (as in rain cloud) convertible is equipped standard with Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive system and ESP stability control. After a call to the Tire Rack, it was wearing some 225/45R-17 Dunlop SP Winter Sport M2 snow tires. Oh, and we got the optional heated seats too. Bring on the bad weather: This is an all-season sports car.

Standard equipment is as expected: electronic climate control, cruise, AM-FM cassette, power top (unlined) with heated glass window, remote keyless entry, and power windows and doors. Other options include Xenon HID headlights, baseball-stitched leather interior, forged alloy wheels, and Bose premium sound system with a six-disc CD changer that's inconveniently positioned behind the driver's seat. Our sticker ran to $42,550 from the base MSRP of $38,900 (plus destination charge).

Our TT is powered by a twin-intercooled, turbocharged, 1.8-liter dohc four fed through a six-speed manual that shifts like the gearbox is filled with a frictionless liquid. Torque is rated at a peak 207 lb-ft from 2200-5500 rpm; peak horsepower comes at 5900. There's relatively little turbo lag, but it's clear off the line that this two-seater isn't powered by, say, a normally aspirated flat six from Stuttgart.

Though comparisons with our Boxster S are unfair, given both the price and horsepower disparity, the loaded TT Roadster is in the same ballpark as ...