monkadill said:
Got my 2x cup holders and end plates (don't forget them) for 89 quid on Amazon.co.uk
Ah good tip! I completely skipped over the 'end plates not included' line! Just ordered them now so hopefully it'll come around the same time.
Fast3000 said:
Welcome to the forum. Nice looking motor!
How different is the Audi TTS to the Z4? Handling? engineering? power?
They're very different cars - much more so than I would have believed.
The Z4 has a bit more feel to the steering - the steering is also a bit heavier which was noticeable on the commute to work. Also, the way the Z4 steers is very different due to the fact you're sat so far back. In the TT you're sat almost in the centre so the car pivots around you, in the zed the front turns and you follow. The way they deliver the power to the road is quite different as well, the TT feels completely planted - it had AWD - so you could plant your foot whilst going round a corner and it would just grip and go. The Zed feels quite a lot more twitchy and also I think the lightness of the car means it finds dips in the road etc more easily. I'm looking forward to getting a bit more confident in the zed and trying some more adventurous RWD action! One thing that I really don't like on the Z4 is the gearbox - the TTS's box was so smooth it's really spoiled me. In comparison the Z4 feels quite stiff and clunky - in fact that's my experience with BMW gearboxes in general. I'll definitely get used to it but I do miss the TT's box.
The interior build quality of the Audi is better - this could be purely because it's a newer car but the TT has almost unrivalled build quality in it's sector. If you read any review they almost always mention the cabin, it really is a lovely place to be. That being said the zed is also very nicely made, just not quite as nice. Also there are a few more creaks from the zed but this could just be down to the fact that it's a 10 year old car. One thing that annoyed me with the TT was how heavy the doors were, it made getting out in a tight space quite a lot more difficult, the zed has lovely light doors in comparison. I can't really comment on the engine build quality yet - all I can say is that I didn't really have any issues at all with the TT and am hoping for the same in the zed.
Power delivery is where the two cars are most different. The TT is slightly faster (a friend of mine clocked his at 4.9s on VBox) but it feels much faster than the numbers suggest due to the big turbo. If you put your foot down at any point above 2500rpm you get thrown back in your seat and away you go. In comparison the Z4 more of a surge of power and to really get a good kick you want to be higher up the rev range. My best friend owns an M3 and described the TTS as brutal when he drove it due to the way it delivers power. The TT tends to run out of puff sooner in the rev range though, and also has shorter gearing which means you have to really be on the ball, changing gears as fast as possible when flooring it. The Zed has nice long legs, put your foot down and enjoy the time listening to the engine before changing and it's by no means slow.
In terms of practicality the TT walks it, it was a coupe after all so has a much bigger boot (could fit my bike and snowboard in the back) and an emergency seat in the back (not to be used on long journeys). It also has a bit more space inside the cabin for storing things. The Quattro made driving in snow etc no problem at all. It seems the Z4 may be slightly more efficient by around 3-4mpg but that's only based on one proper journey so far. The TT was also quite a lot more modern inside - the TTS was the first to receive a lot of the 'facelift' interior tweaks and only came out in 2008 so it's 5 years newer than the Z4 so that's to be expected. I really miss the digital speedo and white dials though, they were really clear and nice to look at. The Bose system was quite a lot clearer than the sound system I have (Hi-Fi Pro?) but I haven't heard the Carver so can't compare it to that. Another fairly obvious point is that the Z4 has quite a lot more cabin noise than the TT, due to having a cloth roof, though it's not as bad as I was expecting. The Z4 suspension sits in the middle of the TT's normal and sports modes - a pretty good compromise so it rides quite nicely.
I don't really think one car is better than the other, it depends on what you want from the car. The TTS will always win it for me because it was my dream car for a long time and I love the looks. Others might say that RWD is more fun so opt for the Z4 but the reality is they are both lovely cars. The Z4 really is a bargain though - it was meant to be a step down from the TTS to help save for a mortgage but in reality it's more of a side-step, I've been very impressed with it so far.
North Yorkshire
