Please Help - Brit Going Mad !

I have enough company car Budget to buy a top spec RX8 with
hi power and all the toys.

Option 2 is Audi TT 225 without the toys (no Bose/sat-nav)

Kids are still small, so they fit in the back of the TT (just)

Had a day in the TT and loved it .

Had 30 mins in Rx* and liked it - unsure of where the power was,
however the TT did not feel that quick - just sporty and solid and
ultra smooth looking.

I know some of you U.S. people have got your RX8's delivered
by now - are you happy with the decision ?

Audi TT 3.2 v6 is just our here in UK, however that would be about 5% over my budget - i would always wonder whether i
should have gone for this Brute - anyone in U.S had both cars ?


First time on this website, so sorry for long message

Pete from Manchester England

Friend has a tt 6 and it smokes period.Me personally ill take the 8 with the nav without a doubt if i had to buy the 4 tt.The 6 is a horse of a different color.

Not sure about the TT 225 quattro coupe, but the TT v6 I'd go for without a doubt. Sorry 8 owners, I have always infatuated with the TT. Was undecided between the 8 and the TT quattro 225, but now with the V6 all doubts have been settled - hopefully

TT was out for quite some times. You don't get as much attension as 8 if you got TT. In performance, I think 8 is sightly better than TT. 8 is cheaper than TT too, so I will vote for 8. :)

I owned a 225 TT, I don't own an 8 (yet), so take this with a grain of salt.

If you are going to drive like a normal person and not stomp on the gas all the time, it might work out better for you to get the TT simply because it gets better gas mileage except when the turbo kicks in.

On the other hand, if your kids are now or will be taller than 4' by the time you get rid of the TT, you have to get the 8 since there is simply no headroom for anyone taller than 4' or so in the back of the TT (there's an explicit warning sticker for it.)

There are a variety of other things to recommend each, but I'm sure you've been over the obvious ones.

Get a 227hp Subaru WRX and have enough room for the kids, wife and a spacious boot. Then add a single ECU upgrade and have as much power as a Lancer EVO. Just posing an alternative. I've never liked the Audi TT and its Understeer happy Haldex AWD system. I did like the 8, but with the HP figures even lower, i'll keep my 280hp wrx.

chris

If I had a choice between the RX-8 and the TT, it all would depend on cost. The RX-8 has better value, providing you with a fully loaded vehicle (grand touring, 6 speed, cd changer, xenons, NAV, strakes, etc.) for about the same price as a base model 225hp TT coupe. Add some things like the BOSE audio and sports packages, and you're over a few grand from the 8.

If a few thousand wasn't an issue, I would opt for the TT. It is a real luxury automobile, and provides very smooth ride and shifting comfort. Very powerful motor, and turbo is much more puncuated acceleration. Handles a tad better than the 8, IMO. And lastly, the Bose audio upgrade sounds 10x's better than the 8's Bose system. The 8 has absolutely no midrange, and the bass is not well defined. The acoustics on the TT is astounding. I would sit in my car when I get home just to listen to the music longer. I don't experience music like that anywhere else.

The TT's doors and hatch has a solid feel to it when you close them. Also, I got rear-ended in my TT by a light toyota truck, whose front end bumper got crushed in about 4 or 5 inches, while my car was undamaged. True testament to german auto body quality.
By that I think the TT might be a safer car, but that we don't really know until the numbers for the 8 comes in. I do know the TT is a VERY solid, safe car, and has the numbers to prove it.


But if you want great value, a fantastic looking head-turner, and a great sounding turbine like engine, the 8 is for you.. It doesn't have, however the beautiful exhaust note that the TT has when you start up. It sounds more, dare I say, Japanesy...

Originally posted by fengshui
Get a 227hp Subaru WRX and have enough room for the kids, wife and a spacious boot. Then add a single ECU upgrade and have as much power as a Lancer EVO. Just posing an alternative. I've never liked the Audi TT and its Understeer happy Haldex AWD system. I did like the 8, but with the HP figures even lower, i'll keep my 280hp wrx.

chris

? please don't take offense but the two cars in question are the RX-8 and the Audi TT...with these two choices it's clear in all it's obviousness that aesthetics play big role in his decision, not only performance...the interior AND exterior on both cars are marvelously engineered...i've had the pleasure of peeping into the windows of an Audi TT (yea, that's as close as i got) and i loved the silver accents...

with that said, i don't know why anyone would choose a WRX unless all they wanted was performance...it's fast and all but my buddy has one and it's nothing to brag about...the inside felt even cheaper than a Honda Civic...the outside, well i think we all know what we think of the exterior...

sorry to bash, but these are my honest opinions on the WRX...

Originally posted by BRx8

sorry to bash, but these are my honest opinions on the WRX...

I absolutely agree with BRx8's statements...

First off, the WRX is in a completely different class than the Mazda RX-8 and Audi TT. It's a rice rocket so to speak. Focuses purely on performance, absolutely nothing else.

Clearly if someone is interested purely in performance, they should not be looking either of these cars.. They'd be wasting money on such things that set the 8 and TT apart -- great styling with performance to go with it. And all the luxury anemities you'd get expect to get for the money...

I haven't driven a TT, but they're great looking cars and excellent build quality..

you said you love the tt and like the 8
seems like you know what you want

HOW can you even compare the WRX to the RX-8 or the TT, the WRX is fast and as ulgy as sh!t, it reminds me of the Kia Sephia, AND I don't want to drive a car that reminds me of a Kia. if I really wanted preformance, I wouldn't ever consider a WRX, I'd go for a 2003/4 Ford Mustang Mach 1 with it's shaker hood, mean exhaust sounds, and power that could chirp the tires going into 4th, now that's power - the 2004 is rated at 310 hp.

Here are a few videos of real power and not the wimpy 4 door WRX style:
<a href="http://home.comcast.net/~abrock62/pictures/mach4.MPG">0-75 mph (watch the shaker hood)</a>

<a href="http://home.comcast.net/~abrock62/pictures/idle.MPG">idling and revving</a>

<a href="http://home.comcast.net/~abrock62/pictures/MOV00034.MPG">first and second</a>

Now that's what a powerful car should be like, none of this econobox bullsh!t with massaged econo engines or another engine stuffed into an econobox. If you want preformance you get a real preformance car, with you want the best of both worlds like luxury and sport you go for something like the RX-8, the G35 coupe, the Audi TT. If you want pure power you go for a 2003/04 Ford Mustang Mach 1 or Cobra, Nissan Z, or a used Corvette, NOT a $30K econo box.

Originally posted by GodWhomIsMike


Now that's what a powerful car should be like, none of this econobox bullsh!t with massaged econo engines or another engine stuffed into an econobox. If you want preformance you get a real preformance car, with you want the best of both worlds like luxury and sport you go for something like the RX-8, the G35 coupe, the Audi TT. If you want pure power you go for a 2003/04 Ford Mustang Mach 1 or Cobra, Nissan Z, or a used Corvette, NOT a $30K econo box.

I agree with you for the most part. But I have seen a few "econoboxes" beat the hell out of Mustangs. I've owned both Mustangs and Camaros and if there's one thing that I truly miss is the grunt, grumble, and bitchin torque like good ole american V8's.

you really can't go wrong with either car.. the are both beautiful inside and out and perform excellently.


IMO, the TT wins out on interior fit and finish, better sound system, AWD Grip (incredible on wet surfaces), more power, VERY solidly built car, and luxury factor (style, service, etc)

But the TT is 10k more than the RX-8, with similar options (fully loaded).

ps.. if you want to know more about my past TT ownership experience, PM me.

dd

TT has a provin track record, and the 8 does not, BUT, my problem with the TT is twofold:

1-too dam expensive for a fancy beetle

2- Back seats are useless

You have kids, TT really is not an option.

In my unending indecision about whether to sell my RX-8 back to Mazda, I went out and test drove a TT 225. (V6 not here in Boston yet). Exterior, it looks a bit like a squashed Beetle. RX-8 wins that contest IMO. Interior is gorgeous, but then the RX-8 holds its own admirably there, too. The TT felt a bit heavy, which it is. Cornered great, but the brakes on the RX-8 are superior. Didn't have a cd with me, so didn't test the sound system. Am still considering the TT, despite the added $$ because of, among other things, the AWD. It snows here... :confused:

Originally posted by GodWhomIsMike
Now that's what a powerful car should be like, none of this econobox bullsh!t with massaged econo engines or another engine stuffed into an econobox. If you want preformance you get a real preformance car, with you want the best of both worlds like luxury and sport you go for something like the RX-8, the G35 coupe, the Audi TT. If you want pure power you go for a 2003/04 Ford Mustang Mach 1 or Cobra, Nissan Z, or a used Corvette, NOT a $30K econo box.

Its good to know that performance in this country is still measured in strait line acceleration. Remind me of that the next time I see one of those lead sleds crashed on the side of the road the next snow, rain, or light mist we get. Ever heard of a rally car? Last time I checked, those over weight lead sleds couldn't even approach the speeds of those AWD turbo 2.0Ls on REAL ROADS as opposed to the fabricated quarter mile. And here is another fact for you. The fastest ford to ever come from the factory was built in england and had a 2.1L inline 4 cyl and with a turbo and AWD. You figure it out, if the Staten Island dump fumes haven't rotted your brain yet. :D

chris