cayman--audi comparison ?

[tiskev]

Anyone on the forum compared the Caymen vs the TT and has there been any motoring press comparisons.
Is the TT with similar performance much cheaper ? ?

 

[Dylan1]

i back to back tested the cayman and tt 2 and half yrs ago,with linda.at the end of the test linda said what on earth are you even thinking of the tt for-you cant begin to compare them[] nice enough car,if rather cramped but no match for the cayman,especially in "s"form(in our opinion) well worth the extra £16k it was then

 

[richardheeley]

I agree. No comparison I'm afraid. The new TT is a bit better than the old one in terms of driver involvement, but it's still a front engined, front drive car derived from a saloon car platform vs. a mid engined, rear drive sports car derived from a roadster. Added to which, with the notable exception of the R8, Audi is not known for the brilliant driver involvement of its cars - they tend to feel safe, but rather wooden. The reasons that the magazines have largely avoided comparison is that they simply aren't competitors. The only TT which might be any kind of competition to the Cayman would be the new 335bhp TT RS. The latest edition of CAR magazine has test driven the RS, but they still came to the conclusion that the Cayman S is the better car. Richard. ex. Top Gear ex. Fifth Gear.

 

[James_G]

I'm going to stick my neck out here, but to most "normal" people in the real world, beyond some perceived badge prestige, I don't think there'd be much in it. Even in 2.0T guise, the TT isn't exactly slow. However..... .... Audi makes the most droany performance engines. I test drove an S3 and rejected purely on the tedium of the exhaust/engine noise and the TT is the same. In that respect an R32 sounded much much better. Plus all Audis have that dreadful throttle response where 80% of the power is available within 10% of the throttle travel. Having driven both Caymans and the Audi, I can safely say that TT drivetrain feels much smoother however. Everytime I drive a Cayman I am always shocked how "involving" the drivetrain is. I once described it as agricultural, but I now realise the error of my ways. In summary then I believe that to people who care about their cars a Cayman is leagues ahead, but to people who just want to drive around in something that looks good, I doubt they'd be able to tell the difference. Still don't think they are competitors though, although I'd be more than happy with a Cayman or a TTs, but I'd only take one on the track []

 

[Dylan1]

hi james as linda says"normal is the setting on a washing machine" no-one normal on this forum[] i do take your point that lots would be very happy with a TT(including 2 of my chums)-me-NAH[]

 

[tiskev]

Main reason for the question was that i am sure i read somewhere that the TT RS ? (the latest addition) was a really good car .It might even have been Mr. Clarkson.To my mind there is a visual link between the two cars but many tell me i'm seeing things.Preferring a front engined car if the performance and handling were on a par i think i would like a TT but not if it made me wish I still had the Boxster

 

[sawood12]

Well a friend of mine moved on from a 2.7 facelift Boxster to a 2wd TT hard top (he needed the rear seats for his baby and a boot for his golfist bats) and he says the Boxster is leagues ahead in terms of handling - so a Cayman is going to be even better. He's not really a 'driver' - more of a poser (hence his move to a TT from a Boxster). He says the main problem is you can't put down the power pulling out of a bend like or a roundabout like he could with the Boxster, as the front wheels just spin, and the thing understeers if he drives it round bends at speeds that wouldn't have even registered with the Boxter. He still likes the TT, but reckons the Boxster was a much better driving machine. I don't agree with JC's analysis that the 2wd TT would be the one to go for. The Quattro provides so much grip you'd be far better off with a 4wd one if you were going down the TT route (in my view at least) - and you can re-map the Haldex ECU to provide more of a bias to the rear. In anycase isn't there going to be an entry level Boxster with a TT engine coming out soon? Could be a better drive than the current entry level car with the superior grunt of the 2.0 ltr turbo engine, so long as the installation doesn't compromise the chassis dynamics too much.

 

[Dylan1]

Preferring a front engined car if the performance and handling were on a par i think i would like a TT but not if it made me wish I still had the Boxster

all the best supercars are midengined and rear wheel drive for a reason-it works[] result-sublime handling and direct steering-perfect[]

 

[barrysmith]

Hi, I have 3 911 2 turbos and an 944S2, my wife as a new 3.2 audi TT , its great 2plus2 with loads of room in the hatch area, and goes very well. will see take out the 996tt or the 930SE or the old 911 or the 944............ NO she rates the audi, I must say its a bit like the 944 S2, what it does it does well, it does what it say on the box without any problems apart from 400 pound road Tax. I only get it when its dirty and the petrol tank is empty but it does drive well when pushed and it keeps the wife happy.

 

[berty987]

I think the differences between Porsche and its competitors is narrowing daily. I doubt many road users would have the ability or nerve to push a cayman or boxster to the required limits to excel over a TT or Z4. The Audi offers a safe and comfortable ride , with a well finished modern cabin , suitable for most drivers to enjoy pushing on at some speed in an unfussed manner. The Boxster and Cayman offer more driver involvment and the ability to provoke a response from the car as a reaction to driver input. For this reason I would still class Porsche as an enthusiasts drive , rather than just nice looking transport , which is where I would place an Audi.

 

[James_G]

^^^ I agree. I have been thinking about this recently and if say you compare a TTS Coupe and a Cayman 2.9 they aren't too far away on price. You get far more with the Audi of course, standard fit being their electro-magnetic dampers, decent 18" alloys, extended leather, cruise, xenons etc, etc. Of course what you do get with the Audi that you don't get with the Porsche is a decent 3 year warranty, rear seats, the ability to transport golf clubs (although you have take the driver out of the bag I recently discovered) and nobody will ask you why you'd not bought the quick one, which much surely happen when you buy a non "S" Cayman. So on paper, given as has been said above that the majority of people are going to get nowhere near any limits on the road, The Audi looks the far more compelling choice and that's why I continue to suggest that the Cayman and the Audi TT are competitors. The fact that people will buy the Porsche has much to do with, enthusiast drivers aside, social perception I would suggest, much like how lots of people buy BMWs without any idea that they are all RWD. I'm sure to those of us who are sufficiently into our motoring to spend time on forums like this would find the Audi driving experience lacklustre, but we must appreciate that we are the minority in wanting that level of involvement from our vehicles. Personally I'll take a 2nd hand Cayman S in Atlas Grey with xenons and no rear wiper thanks!

 

[Steve Brookes]

ORIGINAL: James_G Of course what you do get with the Audi that you don't get with the Porsche is a decent 3 year warranty, rear seats, the ability to transport golf clubs (although you have take the driver out of the bag I recently discovered) and nobody will ask you why you'd not bought the quick one, which much surely happen when you buy a non "S" Cayman.

FYI golf clubs go easily into a boxster (and presumably a Cayman). Driver and woods are taken out and fit in the widest part of the rear boot and then the bag goes in. If you have a powakaddy, that, its battery and shoes go in the front boot. Everything nicely hidden away from prying eyes while relaxing at the 19th []

 

[Dylan1]

i am far from a brilliant driver,but even i get far more from the cayman s than i did on the long tests i took the TT out for when i bought it nearly 3 yrs ago.-there really is NO comparison even amongst the "ordinary"folk(imo) (we also have bmw which is very smooth and bmwish btw[])

 

[John H]

ORIGINAL: berty987 I think the differences between Porsche and its competitors is narrowing daily. I doubt many road users would have the ability or nerve to push a cayman or boxster to the required limits to excel over a TT or Z4.

Now ain't that the truth that you will never read in a magazine ... best point yet in this debate. Truth is there are precious few bad cars these days, they are almost all good but just different. My Cayman shares its garage with an Audi A2 TDi (for economy) and a mazda MX5 (for sunny days) and frankly I like all of them, and enjoy driving all of them. Indeed I very nearly bought a TT Cabrio instead of the Mazda, and may yet buy one of the TT diesels when they are a bit cheaper. Agonising over which is best is fairly pointless, just drive what you enjoy, and if you can afford it have more than one!

 

[911sse]

Obviously you guys dont get the chance to drive over the devils elbow at 7am on a Sunday morning. Having driven both TT's my mother owned, neither would be anywhere near any Boxster within a mile or so. If you don't know the limits of any car, then get it on a track with a little tuition. As John says, depends on what you enjoy.

 

[sawood12]

ORIGINAL: berty987 I think the differences between Porsche and its competitors is narrowing daily. I doubt many road users would have the ability or nerve to push a cayman or boxster to the required limits to excel over a TT or Z4. The Audi offers a safe and comfortable ride , with a well finished modern cabin , suitable for most drivers to enjoy pushing on at some speed in an unfussed manner. The Boxster and Cayman offer more driver involvment and the ability to provoke a response from the car as a reaction to driver input. For this reason I would still class Porsche as an enthusiasts drive , rather than just nice looking transport , which is where I would place an Audi.

I agree in principle that other brands are catching up with Porsche (was inevitable anyway - the car has fundamental limits limits and manufacturers are getting close to those absolute limits), but the point I was making before about my mate who has had both, is that he is not a driving enthusiast. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me saying that he wouldn't know oversteer from understeer. But even he could feel and appreciate that the Boxster is in a different league over the TT. The TT felt quicker in a straight line with more grunt than his Boxster had, but he says the Boxster is a much much better drive in all other respects. It went round corners better, accellarated out of them better (the TT scrabbles about trying to lay down the power), inspired more confidence than the TT and braked better than the TT. So to me from the sounds of it the TT still has a very long way to go before it catches up with the Boxster/Cayman from a chassis and dynamic point of view. Not sure if his TT has the electo-magnetic dampers or not - though it is a highly specc'd car so i'd be surprised if it didn't.