Had a bump in car...help please

[Durzel]

Speaking as someone who owns a rather nice car

It's a perfectly nice car if you're a woman, or gay. You're not either of these things, are you?

 

[old.user4556]

The hardtop TT isn't a hairdresser's car at all; and while perhaps the TT isn't an exclusive car (being a golf chassis), the 225 bhp version (the one Tom has i believe?) is rapid, expensive and certainly does have presence.

The TT roadster is a bit hairdresser'ish and in the case of the 180 bhp version, slow and hairdresser'ish. The 225 quattro is a good car and easily chippable to 260 bhp.

Not that special? Cock off.

 

[nath]

Not that special? Cock off.

It really isn't.

 

[old.user4556]

Enlighten me as to what a special car is then.

 

[Gumbo]

hth.

 

[nath]

There are lots of special cars - however, you'd have to have something fucking incredible to warrant the amount of times Tom brings it up.

 

[Gumbo]

How often can I bring up the Lotus

 

[old.user4556]

I'd much prefer the TT, probably the same speed to 60 but a better top end - assuming that's a vanilla 1.8 Rover K series in the back of that Elise - much more comfy inside the TT, xenon headlamps, climate control to name a few.

My opinion of course, but the (old) Elise is no longer special. Plenty of second hand ones with decent miles on Autotrader for about £12k-£15k.

 

[Gumbo]

Yup, for motorway miles and cruising the TT would be my choice, between the two anyway. But for weekend hooning and track use, I wouldn't want anything else. Well anything that wasn't Red, Italian and very expensive.

 

[Durzel]

I'd much prefer the TT, probably the same speed to 60 but a better top end - assuming that's a vanilla 1.8 Rover K series in the back of that Elise - much more comfy inside the TT, xenon headlamps, climate control to name a few.

My opinion of course, but the (old) Elise is no longer special. Plenty of second hand ones with decent miles on Autotrader for about £12k-£15k.

TT same speed to 60 as an Elise? What planet are you on mate?

Elise will always be special by virtue of its design and what it set out to do (i.e. be an ultra light trackday weapon). It's 100 times the car the TT is.

The TT is basically a car for those who are entirely self-obsessed and brand conscious, but who can't quite stretch financially to a Porsche Boxster (which is another car which is meant more as a brand statement than anything else). It's slower than its competition (S2000, Boxster, 350Z, RX8, Elise, etc) in all of its guises which is probably just as well as the last thing you want when you're looking at your reflection in shop windows is to veer off the road.

 

[old.user4556]

Book times:

TT 225 quattro - 0-60 in 6.1 secs, top speed of 150 mph
Lotus Elise (1.8, 120 bhp) - 0-60 in 6.1 secs, top speed of 126 mph

Of course, there are other Elise models with quicker 60 times and a slightly higher top speed, 111S for example.

Edit: aren't the S2000 and RX8 low sixes to 60 as well? making them about the same? Might be worth checking dude .

 

[Durzel]

Got any links to confirm that? Because those figures look pretty "massaged" to me. I don't even have an Elise but I know from experience that they are a lot quicker than 6 seconds 0-60, even the "lowly" 120bhp one.

For a start, the Elise is 50% of the weight of the Audi TT.

Incidentally the only Audi TT that is in the 6 seconds (different reviews quote between 6.2 to 6.7) is the 225 Quattro, which is hardly the "base spec" model is it. Unless you want to compare the 225 Quattro against the Elise 111R when the 0-60 difference becomes even more disparate.

You're right about the S2000 and RX8 being low/mid 6s 0-60, but they're also considerably cheaper..

Bottom line, Elise is 50% of the weight which translates to significantly more power. Just look at Caterhams...

 

[Paul0x]

My elise is better than yours Gumbo

 

[old.user4556]

http://www.evo.co.uk - it's all there and a very reliable source for car stats

So what if it's 50% lighter? The TT 225 has 100 more bhp, so that irons that out - ok the lower weight is going to suit it a lot more on the track, but we're not talking track day cars.

The reason we're comparing the TT 225 is because we're talking about Tom's car and if it's "special" or not, to which I say it is because the TT 225 is a decent car and open to some nice engine mods (namely the 260 bhp chip that i've seen about).

Both the bog standard Elise and TT 225 have the same power to weight ratio, so it doesn't really matter if it weighs 50% less.

 

[Paul0x]

Except for the fact that:

Elise: 5.7
Elise 111S: 5.1
Elise 111R: 4.9

Evo is for queers.

 

[Trem]

I want the Atom that was on last nights Top Gear. Samm wouldn't let me re-mortgage to get one though

I believe her exact words were "are you fucking joking?"


Audi TT's are a lovely drive but I don't see them as a sports car. It was probably the most relaxing car I have ever driven.

I don't like to relax when I'm driving though. If I don't return home with an ulcer I feel I have failed.

 

[old.user4556]

Can you fuckers not read?

edit: not aimed at you trem

Did you read the part saying "vanilla 1.8" and also the part that said:

Of course, there are other Elise models with quicker 60 times and a slightly higher top speed, 111S for example

 

[Gumbo]

I think what they are saying is, compare the base model TT with the base model Elise. Not the top of the range TT with the base Elise.

 

[Durzel]

I think what they are saying is, compare the base model TT with the base model Elise. Not the top of the range TT with the base Elise.

Exactleh!

Plus, if we're being pedantic.. Let's compare the stats/prices between the boggo standard Elise and Tom's grrrrrrrrrreat Audi TT 225 Quattro..

Lotus Elise (2000), 2d (120bhp, 0-60 mph: 5.5, List price: £23,178)
Audi TT Roadster (1999), 1.8 T quattro (225ps) 2d (225bhp, 0-60 mph: 6.7, List price: £29,825)

£6000+ for a car that's over a second slower according to Parkers. That's one hell of a sports car! I stand by my point, Audi TTs are for people more concerned about their own reflection in shop windows than driving a "sports car".

 

[old.user4556]

Durzel, please, at least get the fucking car in question correct - it's the quattro 225 not the roadster (which is 0-60 in 6.7).

Gumbo, what's the point in comparing the base TT (the 180 version) when we're talking about the TT 225?

 

[DaGaffer]

(Any) Elise is faster than (Any) TT in all practical measures (it loses out on top speed). An Elise is faster than my 350Z, which is certainly faster than a TT. And over any given b-road? Forget it, you wouldn't see the Elise for dust.

 

[nath]

I never knew you had a 350z.

Tom could learn a thing or two from you.

 

[Paul0x]

The problem with the audi TT is that you see about 4,863,457 every day. Everyone has one. And the worst thing is you see people with the really pikey ones - you know, they only have one exhaust pipe and the driver sits on the left. Oh yeah, and it's pillerbox red. Yucky yuck yuck.

I barely see one elise a week, and they turn heads like you wouldnt beleive. It's coming up to ten years old now and still I haven't seen a genuine everyday car that looks quite as cool (this side of 40 grand anyway). And it still looks modern. The other great thing is of course they don't make the S1 anymore, and they get written off quite regularly, so they're getting rarer everyday.

It's a stupid arguement anyway, if you want a car to be comfortable in, you'd get an audi, if you want a car to drive you'd go for the elise.

For the record, the TT is NOT a fun drive, it's more boring than sleep.

 

[old.user4556]

(Any) Elise is faster than (Any) TT in all practical measures (it loses out on top speed). An Elise is faster than my 350Z, which is certainly faster than a TT. And over any given b-road? Forget it, you wouldn't see the Elise for dust.

I take it you never saw the Top Gear episode where the TT V6 laped the track quicker than the Elise?

Edit: I might state that I'm not saying the Elise isn't fast, or poo, it's a fucking awesome car - however i'm debunking some of the pish being uttered about the top spec TT's.

 

[Durzel]

I never knew you had a 350z.

Tom could learn a thing or two from you.

Indeed, nice car DaGaffer

 

[Paul0x]

I take it you never saw the Top Gear episode where the TT V6 laped the track quicker than the Elise?

Which version? I'd bet my elise it wasnt a 111R, or even an S.

 

[nath]

Bet you can't avoid missle lock on from an Apache gunship in a TT though.

 

[Durzel]

Durzel, please, at least get the fucking car in question correct - it's the quattro 225 not the roadster (which is 0-60 in 6.7).

Gumbo, what's the point in comparing the base TT (the 180 version) when we're talking about the TT 225?

Oops sorry, should've been Audi TT Coupé (1999), 1.8 T quattro (225ps) 2d (225bhp, 0-60 mph: 6.4, List price: £27,575). I can see the big difference there - 6.7 seconds vs 6.4 seconds. Plus, its only £4000 more expensive, a definite improvement on the Roadster!

Where did the 3.2 V6 come from then (which incidentally still only has a 0-60 of 6.3 seconds)? Now you're comparing the bog standard 1.8 Elise vs a car with a 3.2 litre engine? I wonder which will have the higher top end?

 

[old.user4556]

Dear christ, make it stop.

Nath, that was an Exige.

 

[nath]

I was just about to edit my post with that correction. However I bet you could do it in an elise too