New BMW Z4 vs new Audi TT Roadster
The old BMW Z4 wasn’t much fun to drive, but this new one promises to rectify that. Let’s see if it’s a better sports car than the recently refreshed Audi TT Roadster...
Buying and owning
Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
The Z4 is a more expensive cash buy, and no discounts are available yet, unlike on the TT. It’s the pricier option if you take out a PCP finance deal, too; with a £4000 deposit and a limit of 10,000 miles a year, the Z4 will cost you £120 per month more than the TT.
Each will cost you around £485 per month to lease. For you company car drivers, the Z4’s considerably lower CO2 emissions make it cheaper for benefit-in-kind tax, although its higher P11D value means the gap is smaller than you might think, at £55 per month less than the TT until April 2020.
The Z4 scores marginally better for standard equipment. You get climate control and full leather (the TT has manual air-con and part-leather), but both have heated seats, keyless start and power-folding mirrors. Both also have LED headlights and rear parking sensors as standard, while the Z4 adds sensors at the front, too.
Only the Z4 comes with automatic emergency braking; that’s why the TT received just four stars out of five from Euro NCAP, while the Z4 hasn’t been tested yet. Both come with lane departure warning, which the TT adds to with steering assistance to keep you within your lane, while blindspot monitoring is an extra on both.
