TTS vs 370Z
 

A few weeks ago my dad picked up a sweet orange TTS Roadster. Until today, I hadn't had a chance to give it a shakedown, but I finally got to take it for a short spin. Here's a little comparison, given we've seen a number of 'reviews' between the two already. (Mostly in snow driven by large-nosed Austrian women).

Look:
Well, the blaze orange is HOT. With the S-line silver side-mirrors, the car has gorgeous lines and curves. The front grille is very aggressive, which is a nice change to the otherwise feminine looking TT. I'm not crazy about the rear-quarter of the car which loses some of the purpose and sportiness of the rest of the car. In contrast, the rear-quarter is one of my favorite body-areas of the 370.

Fit/Finish:
The TTS is tops here. Beautiful two tone leather seats (black and orange) with excellent support and adjustability. The car interior is top-notch Audi, just as they all are. While the Z interior has been improved nicely for the 370, it's still no comparison.

Ride:
I didn't get to play with it much, but the TTS definitely has a more supple ride. Dial in the magnetic ride suspension (push the button) and the 'sport' indicator illuminates in the dash and the car stiffens up. Going through a quick set of twisties, the car is very nimble and flat. It feels like a much smaller car than the 370. It did have a tendancy to understeer and felt nose-heavy, but I think this could be corrected with some throttle...I didn't have the chance to try it with dad in the car and on public roads.

Engine:
Well, this is where I'm not as impressed as the 'official' reviewers. It's a turbo-charged 4 cylinder. It definitely has the turbo whoosh of power once to get cranking to 3,500-4,000 rpm. From there on up, she just goes goes goes. In terms of overall speed, it's right on par with the 370. Here's the kicker though. While they claim very respectable 0-60 times for the TTS, the amount of turbo lag would have the 370 about 12 car lengths ahead of the TTS by the time it really started moving. Having the car in 'sport' mode at a stop and mashing the accelerator, I felt like there was a good 3 seconds where the car was trying to figure out what the hell it's supposed to do. Then it's like "oh yeah" and takes off. The Z is much more linear and just rockets off right when you want it to. Yes, there is no exhilarating turbo boost, but the Z is just thrusting you from the beginning of the run.

Overall, I'm happier with my Z. I wouldn't trade for the TTS, even if they cost the same. On a track, the TTS may give the Z a run for its money but that's only once it's moving and the revs are in the sweet spot.

Long live the 370 :)

Did you use launch control to launch the car?

The DSG trans has that option - push and hold the esp(vdc in the Z) which will kill traction control and their version of VDC put the car in sport mode instead of drive, hold the brake and it should free rev up to about 3k let off the brake and you are gone...

it is a very capable car i almost bought one a year ago but couldn't justify the cost the way i wanted it.

the AWD is not permanent it is electronically controlled by a haledex which detects slip in the front and sends power to the back pretty quickly so the car is primarily FWD which is possibly why you were experiencing the understeer this also helps in terms of fuel economy.

Hopefully that info was useful.

The TTS is a great car, the TTRS might be on my list with the vette for my next car. A $600 chip (another 50 hp and 80 TQ) and use of the launch control will have the car screaming. I would have to disagree on your comment about the 12 car lengths as the TTS and Z 1/4 miles are about the same. 13.5 for the TTS so Z the might gain on the start but the TTS would quickly catch up. I do love the Zs rear end and I like the 370Zs overall look better (love the 240 style). The DSG and mag ride in the TTS are awesome and the TTS has more room too. I agree about the begining turbo lag but thats the bigger turbo in there than on the regular TT but was needed to get its overall power up. The 5 cyl TTRS will take care of that tho. Thats why I went with the Z was the better power from start to finish plus I couldnt afford the TTS and Ive always wanted a Z. Both are nice cars but the Z is becoming a little more common than I thought they would and I loved the fact that when I had the TT, no one else would have one around except one or two. I got more comments on the TT than I do the Z, which I get alot of especially with the FI CBE.

You gotta talk your dad into getting it chipped and a high flow downpipe then give it a go. Audi is very good about thier warranty too and wont hassle you about having mods.

Comparing a luxury brand interior to a "regular" auto maker interior is kind of a waste of time.

Audi makes some pretty sweet cars but in the end its still a VW, and i'll never own one.

Cool review but if you own a 370z coupe. Reviewing a roadster in comparison is not quite a solid comparo. The roadster will have rigidty issues that will inhibit performance that a coupe will have. So a proper review would be the tts coupe. Also, roadsters are substantially heavier than coupes which also hinder performance.
Either way it sounds like your dad has a cool car and congrats to him. Audi interiors are the best, hands down. Even bimmer can take some lessons from audi.

[QUOTE=DarkZide;556287]Comparing a luxury brand interior to a "regular" auto maker interior is kind of a waste of time.

Audi makes some pretty sweet cars but in the end its still a VW, and i'll never own one.[/QUOTE

So would you also say a Porsche is just a VW too. You have no idea what you are talking about.

[QUOTE=Zsteve;556292]Just to add to what Steve was saying:

He has no apparent realization on how high VW goes. For ex: in the Audi R8 5.2 that 5.2 came out of Lamborghini. And apparently he has no desire to own any of the following because they are all VW's.

Audi, Bentley Motors, Bugatti Automobiles, Automobili Lamborghini, SEAT, Škoda Auto, Porsche....

The link is for reference.
Volkswagen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good review. The lag is the main reason I went with the Z over the TTS coupe. You can chip it for cheap and reduce some of that lag, but the car already cost 50% more to begin with. Both nice cars.

wow your right that orange is very attractive. Maybe the Z will come with Orange soon too. Great Review, let us know when you get to drive it, and push it. Your Dad must be really happy.

A drag night between dad and son would be cool to see at the strip.

Well if VW is so great at making engines, perhaps they should take another look at the ones they put in their own cars.

those 1.8T's were so plagued with issues it wasnt even funny.

Anyone remember the old porsche 944 engines that were made by VW and would starve cylinders for oil around hard curves? heh.

[QUOTE=memorylasts;556305]
and Koenigsigg uses Ford Modular motors (although the later ones have been re-engineered to some degree). Your point?

I like Audi but i can't pay like 40k for turbo 4 banger.

Well its probably the future for most cars that will have good power so they can get good mpg.

I didn't realize it had launch control. I certainly didn't use it. I can tell you that flooring it from a stop leads to about 3 seconds of "why isn't the car even starting to move...?" followed by moderate acceleration and then solid thrust beyond 4k rpm.

As for coupe vs roadster rigidity...the TTS roadster didn't have any problems from the brief drive I took. That baby felt rock solid.

The TTS does kill the Z in gas mileage. "Pops" averaged 31mpg on the highway drive up to my place. My Z barely sees 22mpg and that's in the 60-70mph range.