The new TT takes on the Cayman S

In the current Road & Track the new TT 3.2 is pitted against a short comparison with the 911's little brother. The TT came away with a roomier and friendlier cabin while the Cayman edged out the TT being slightly longer.

The Cayman suffers from the hand-me-down of its brother for interior pieces, which some find to small and not very user friendly. But then some would say that the whole point of the Cayman is not to be concerned with the audio/NAV aspect of the car. Audi installed a console flowing from the dashboard that hints at a design from the A6, which give it a nicer feel to the industrial design of last generation; though the placement of the HVAC controls might be disputed.

And while the Cayman has stunned the world with its excellent performance capabilities, the TT is using Audi's legendary Quattro system to give it a more comfortable drive overall. So will the new TT be able to hold it’s own against the already popular and hard to beat Cayman?

Although we'll have to wait until '07 to wrap out hands around the steering wheel of the TT, it will be worth the wait for Audi's updated wonder coupe.

MB3494 - 7/18/2006 11:56:55 AM

+1 Boost

I'd still take the Cayman over TT

Mark - 7/18/2006 1:48:23 PM

+1 Boost

I can't really say right now even though I've had some time in the Cayman. It was just too small for me and too...911. I know, I know it's based off if it, but for my 6'4" frame it was just too cramped. Then again I couldn't stand the last generation TT's interior.

I'd like to say the new TT, but then I'm going to be looking at drivability and not overall performance.

Jovi - 7/18/2006 2:40:11 PM

+1 Boost

TT has come a long way, but still not enough to beat the cayman... If an M-coupe cannot beat Cayman S, theres no way TT can...

chewy - 7/18/2006 3:34:16 PM

+1 Boost

The TT is almost just as good, but the Cayman S is probably 20k more with the same options. The regular Cayman will not be much better than the TT as it will actually have less horsepower, but it will still cost 7k more.

Mark - 7/18/2006 4:00:28 PM

+1 Boost

Maybe the TT can beat the M-Coupe then Jovi, or maybe they'll take it up against the base Cayman and still loose.

The Cayman does have some bite.

sexylexy460 - 7/18/2006 7:52:02 PM

+1 Boost

It's insulting to porsche to even compare these two cars. The cayman s is a true sports car, not a girly fun ride. The audi isn't a bad car, just not in the same league as a cayman s. A better comparison would have been tt vs 3ci vs base cayman

chewy - 7/18/2006 10:44:42 PM

+1 Boost

sexylexy460

Well, since the base Cayman hasn't come out yet, they couldn't compare it. I think that the TT 3.2 DSG will do fine against the base Cayman while still saving nearly 10k for the owner. The Cayman S goes up to nearly 70k with some basic options. For that kind of money I would rather have an Audi RS4.

Jovi - 7/19/2006 12:25:37 AM

+1 Boost

I havent driven the new TT, but the Cayman S definitely have a lot of bite for 295 hp. and lets stop talking about money. Car shouldnt be about money... its just what is a better car. I would still go with the Cayman S over the RS4. RS4 is faster, but Cayman S is much more Agile and hardcore...

BMW530i - 7/19/2006 3:22:04 AM

+1 Boost

I'm not to impressed with the new TT from a design point of view. I am sure it is a technologically superb car, but the design is simply to similar to the old TT. There's hardly any evidence of evolution, rather, you get the feeling that this is a facelift. I've also never liked the original TT much. Design is subjective though.

The Cayman on the other hand is really sexy. Porsche for me please.

Mark - 7/19/2006 10:12:20 AM

+1 Boost

Jovi - I don't think you can totally count out the price of a car when you start to compare them side by side. Speaking of the Cayman, it's always been a battle on AS with Porsche being so highly praised and then the money issue comes into it. Sure I think the 911 and the Cayman are fantastic cars...they just cost [a lot] more than the competitors.

The whole point outside of building a car with set performance ability is to make sure that more than five people can enjoy the car. When you start talking about cars in the Cayman/TT/M3/Z4/S4/etc…and comparing them for what they offer; if one car offers A,B,C, and D but also offers a little more aggressive when driving and costs $12,000 more than the other car that doesn't...that's got to count.

I’m glad you’ve got the spare change laying around to just go out and get the more “hardcore” car.

BM3W - 7/19/2006 11:28:07 AM

+1 Boost

The TT has really raised it's game. I think the new Audi TT will be able to run with the best. But at the end of the day the Cayman's excellent handling capabilities would win me over.

Agent63 - 7/19/2006 1:14:22 PM

+1 Boost

The new TT is not a girly car at all. It's styled aggressively with beautiful front headlamps and rear end which is much improved compared to the outgoing model. The 2.0T sounds nice with a purr like the V8 RS4 but not quite. You get a little tease of that sound but not enough roar to make it sound like an RS at all. In other words, trademark GERMAN ENGINE sound. The rumble and the roar in the engines are awesome!

Mark - 7/19/2006 2:10:27 PM

+1 Boost

I have been reading up on a bunch of reviews that all sorts of magazines and Automotive TV shows have been doing on the new TT. The more and more I read and watch about it, the more I really want one. And yes, even if I had the $70K for the Cayman S I would pass.

The VW 2.0T turbo engine that is in the new Golf and the TT is so far the favorite engine of the testers. I won't have the punch the 3.2 will give but it is the most fun to drive around the hills. I still think the TT looks better than the Cayman (since to me the Caymen is just a smaller 911).

Plus with the DSG transmission, the TT gives an amazing ride.