Questions, questions - potential newbie!

[minsterman]

Hi all

I'm currently driving a 2.0 TFSi Audi TT (FWD) and am thinking about changing to a new Z4, probably the new 2.0.

I've had a mark 2 TT for about 5 years now (2 different cars) and fancy a change. To be honest I love the TT and thinks it's a fantastic compromise of sportiness and practicality on a day to day basis.

But having been driving one for 5 years, think it's probably time to try something different.

A few things concern me:

How is it as a day to day driver - boot size looked "ok" with roof up, probably managable - but does it cause problems.

RWD concerns me a bit. Current TT (19" wheels) is not that good in snow and I have problems getting off our road due to slight incline. Is it going to be totally unusable.

I've always had FWD drive cars, which occasionally I enjoy driving fairly quickly (wouldn't necessarily say near the limit, but enjoy cornering quickly!) and FWD's are very forgiving if you go too far!! It's easy with a bit of understeer to lift off and get back inline without causing any major issues. Does RWD cause more "issues", am i likely to end up in a ditch !

How's the handling in the wet with all the power through the rear wheels?

I appreciate I'm only looking at th 2.0, so in power terms, we're not talking massive and it's slightly less than the TT, but it still concerns me a bit!

Some of the deals around at the moment are fantastic, so I'm sorely tempted, but any help/advice would be greatly appreciated (especially if there are any ex TT owners out there!)

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Proper sports cars are rear wheel drive

 

[Maniac]

I'm with Nick here... you don't know what fun is until that back end twitches. Its a combination of pleasure and pain lol. Front wheel drive is for the school run.

*and, while my particular car has been the most mahoosive PITA, still with issues, still a stress, I love it to bits and find it very hard to think of parting with it. Even faced with mega savings I could make on a new 20i with its fab finance deal etc etc, I still look at mine and go 'wow' and just occasionally, weather and speed limits permitting, flick down the DCT a couple of notches and press hard on the floor and good god it flies... I think its called Stockholm Syndrome! lol In other words.. sure there will be things that are a pain, but thats part of a car you have passion about. If you want safety and plain sailing, go buy an ordinary car.

 

[XYZ]

Hi there,

I've had my 35i DCT for about a month now. Our other car is a MK1 1.8 4WD TT, which we've had for over 4 years.

We still use the TT with the seats down for when we need to cart large items around and need proper boot space.

Before I bought the Z4 I had an MX5 as my daily driver and the boot in that is way smaller than the Z4, so the Z4 boot is a luxury in comparison. It's adequate for me as I now use the Z4 daily, but the only thing that gets put in there is the weekly shopping!

Don't be concerned about RWD. I was when I first bought my MX5 due to the horror stories, but like anything you just learn to adapt to it quickly. Learn the car in your own time and don't take corners in the wet too quickly until you know how to correct the back-end from coming out.

 

[Adamski]

minsterman, hello, and welcome to the forum

 

[AlanJ]

Hi and welcome to the Forum. 2.0l is OK but 6 cylinder a lot better in terms of perfprmance and engine capability. Link hread in my signature provides a check list for potential purchasers you may find useful. good luck.

 

[navid.v]

Hi and welcome

you can also buy winter tyres for the winter, then you wouldn't need to worry about anything

you know you want to, so just go and do it

 

[djtex]

Having come from a TT 2.0 myself, albeit to a 35i Z4. I think, but don't know for not having driven it, you may find the 2.0 Z4 too slow. It has less power and a lot more weight. The TT is 2/3rds Aluminium and punches above it's weight for straight line punch. I've recently been driving a 23i and that feels markedly slower than my old TT.

As for boot space, it's nowhere near as practical as the TT, and I can't imagine it will be any worse or better in bad weather. The fact is big tyres and snow don't work, regardless of which wheels are driven.

What I would say though is that the Z4 is a markedly better car to drive, don't get me wrong the TT was great and is underated in my view, but the Z4 puts you in control far more as others have said, rear wheel drive really is much more fun. If you're worrying about running costs and your budget stretches check the 28i.

 

[Bing]

Welcome to the forum minsterman

No point repeating everything said above - but I'd recommend a test drive sometime soon, of a couple of variants if you can wangle it. FWD is very forgiving in powerful cars - I had a Focus ST before this - but it's not fun in the way RWD is, and I don't drive like a nutter (despite the signature ). There's something about the back end digging in when you floor it and being pushed rather than pulled that makes it feel special. As for winter, there are many, many folks on here who will tell you that smaller wheels & tyres for winter and some care and you'll be fine.

I hope you find the Z you're after - if you decide to look at the e85 instead of the e89 and you're in Minster on Sheppey then let me know... It'd give me an excuse to get out for a wee drive :driving:

 

[davidmbell]

Cheeky reply here we go...

You could go for my sDrive35i that's for sale.

See my signiture!

David

 

[jaz4]

I too an ex TT owner had the 225, so had to go for a 2.5.

It was always a car I wanted to drive but had so many issues and in the end and 3 months had a full refund. It had issues that should have not made it through a main dealer to sell on. I never really liked the Z3 so never looked at the Z4 before. When I got the chance of a refund and a 2 week period for me to find a replacement. I noticed it in my main dealer and thought umm that looks good but had sold it before I could test drive it. They could not get me a replacement TT as the 225 had stopped production and so used prices went up.

Still it gave me the confidence that a 2 seater is the way to go, as I had to constantly drop the rears for shopping, and infact they were no good for anything anyway.

So dropped the TT got the refund cheque and got picked up in my new z4 by the BMW dealer at the Audi dealer. The audi Dealer was in doncaster, the BMW dealer in Chesterfield and me in derby lol. He popped into derby to demo the car and I did the deal in Mcd's car park in Doncaster.

Ive been in a z4 since 03 and have just slipped into the new shape oh and a 3.0 as well (thats my change lol)

Now I found the turbo of the TT a bit of fun and 4wd sort of made it dull. The boot of the new shape is much larger and the space inside is a gear up. I would put the old one over the TT but the new z4 is soway forward. I park next to a new shape TT regurly and I cant help thinking the shape has sort of melted over the old one, the z4 has become shaper and cutting edge.

In the snow well its crap, I drive to Matlock every day and having wide wheels rear drive light back so its white knuckle ride. I too have to go up a hill and my drive is on a slope. Just make sure you have plenty of grit and a bag in the car to give it some downaward rear force. I have yet to fail to get to work in the years I have owned a Z4 and been very lucky not clipping anything or damaging the rims. (done it in the dry though doh).

The slight sniff of Ice or snow then I have to go round hills and on main flat roads or you will get into trouble. Think of sledge or one man toboggan. The z4 is low so you can end up bottoming the car/ front bumper on deep snow would not like to think of what could happen if it freezes. Once it starts to slip you begin to go sideways and nothing you can do about it. Even going down a hill someone pulls out and you brake then its a slip and slide and yes I did go down the hill facing the pavement. Its so easy to twitch the rear. Its better to be pushed up a hill than being pulled but not in the snow.

The new one has the ability to turn traction off without the DSC stuff and have had to use it a few times in Dec for the first time (I have only had the new one since Nov) so have yet to have real bad weather to test. Having 3 similar z4 before I was fairly confident in what the old one can do but having a new car with more power than anything I have owned before made me very twitchy going through the snow. But any slight hill with ice or deep snow its just no good.

winter pads are only good for temps below 7 oC so the last few weeks you will be putting more rubber down. At £1.8k I would rather get a cheap car to trash.

Saying all this the TT I park next too did in fact go on holiday for a few months last year, he could not stop and his 4wd gained speed going down a icy road (once he lost traction that was it) and hit 2 cars and a wall before he stopped. I simply did not dare to tackle that hill