These days, it’s less about who makes what car and what company doesn’t make that car, because, pretty much, everyone makes the same kind of car. It now comes down to which one you’d rather have. Sure, we’re BMWBLOG, I’d rather have the Z4 sDrive35is. But the Audi TTS is a darn nice car. It drives well, looks great, handles very well, and the interior is gorgeous. But truth is that this isn’t a showdown of which one we like better. It’s a numbers game. And it’s a game where you guys pick the winner.
To start off, the Audi TTS has been on the market a year already. It’s been shown as Audi’s answer to the more performance style of the Porsche Cayman and Boxster, along with BMW’s Z4. It comes in either coupe or convertible. It has a direct-injected, turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder making 265hp at 6000 rpm and 258lb-ft of torque between 2500-5000 rpm. Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive is standard, and the only way you can option the TTS. It comes with S tronic automanual only, and does well with an Audi claimed 0-60 of 4.9 seconds for the coupe and 5.1 seconds for the convertible, respectively. With a curb weight of just 3,241lbs, the Audi is actually pretty light on its feet.
Next we have the newcomer, the BMW Z4 sDrive35is. While we have seen the Z4 sDrive35i for a year now, the sDrive35is is all new, with the award winning 3.0L twin-turbo I-6 now making 335hp at 5900 rpm and 332lb-ft of torque 1500-4500 rpm, or a peak of 369lb-ft with the Overboost function. Overboost is variable and fully automatic and is actually used more in the tall gears (4-7) than the shorter gears and gives an extra boost of torque, or 37lb-ft to be exact. Of which the new Z4 will cross that line in 4.7 seconds, according to BMW. BMW has also added direct-fuel injection to the inline-6 to help with power without compromising fuel efficiency or emissions. Its curb weight is exactly the same as the sDrive35i when equipped with DCT, 3450 lbs.
The new BMW Z4 sDrive35is comes only equipped with the 7-speed DCT transmission.
Both cars come with an dual-clutch transmission standard. The BMW’s being 7-speeds, while the Audi does just fine with its 6 forward gears. Both are also operated via the gearshift or a set of up and down paddles on the steering wheel.
One very interesting thing that BMW has incorporated in the new Z4 sDrive35is, is Brake Energy Regeneration, which helps to add power back to the motor during braking periods to give a helpful surge when your foot is reapplied to the power pedal. Audi does not offer this technology on the TTS.
The Audi TTS offers S Magnetic Ride with 10mm (0.4 inches) lower ride height to help improve handling and balance. BMW has a similar system with its DDC, or Dynamic Damping Control. The Z4 also has a 10mm lower ride height to improve balance and handling. Both systems allow you to enhance the performance characteristics of the suspension with the push of a button, which comes in handy when you want to head down some back roads to see what your car will do.
All-in-all, it comes down to which car you’d rather have. While some of us on here are BMW fans, others are Audi fans just eying up the competition. Both cars are made to be the perfect balance of performance and comfort, without ever sacrificing their German heritage.
One thing that is good to mention is, the BMW only comes in hardtop convertible form, while the Audi comes in coupe or convertible. To some people that’s very important. There are drawbacks to having a hardtop convertible, as is having a cloth convertible, or even a standard coupe. Some people like putting the top down, but they’re afraid of all of the mechanical things that could possibly go wrong. Some people don’t like a standard cloth top, because they tend to need replacing and fixing up after a number of years. Also, there is always the threat of someone using a knife to cut their way into your car. And then when you have just a standard hardtop with no folding roof, well, I think you can see where I’m going with this one already.
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