2016 Audi TT vs. Its Competition

Bengt Halvorson Senior Editor

Audi sees tha primary rival for the TT and TTS as being the Mercedes-Benz SLK model line, as well as the BMW Z4.

Compared to the TT, the SLK feels like a more mature car.

With its retractable hardtop and more traditional, grand-touring sports car layout—and an available V-6 (in the SLK350)—the SLK is a little more comfortable and luxurious.

The BMW Z4 is another alternative; it’s also become more of a touring car in its current generation; the price for the Z4 is also significantly higher than that of the TT.

Both the Porsche Boxster and Cayman aren’t direct rivals in their current six-cylinder form, but we expect that with the introduction of new-generation four-cylinder engines in the next year that they might be seen as closer rivals to the TTS.

And to add one wildcard to the list: The BMW M235i is more of a traditional rear-wheel-drive sport coupe, and an ideal counterpoint to the TT, with its simple, more conservative interior and interface.

We think that the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, which is only offered with a V-6 beginning in 2015, is a surprisingly formidable wild-card rival to the TTS—although Hyundai arguably misses it in the details, with a noticeable lack of the nuance, interface displays, and sounds that are so on-the-mark in the TT and TTS.