Audi TT vs Nissan Z

What's the difference?

Audi is finally saying hooroo to this model which has made the world stop and stare like I did on that Parisian street all those years ago.

The Final Edition is a fitting tribute to this iconic sports car and I’m glad Audi didn’t go ‘OTT’ and deck it out with gimmicky features. 

At the same time the Final Edition’s big rear wing, blacked out badges, wheels and interior colour coding hint that this is not just any ordinary TT and those that know will know.

Farewell Audi TT, we hope something just like you but probably electric appears to stop us in our tracks again. 

The Nismo turns up the wick just enough to justify its $20K premium over the brilliant regular Z.

Visual changes inside and out are one thing, but with tangible boosts in performance, handling and braking – with no detriment to ride quality or comfort – as a result of properly engineered upgrades, the RZ34 version deserves its place in Nissan’s sports car hall of fame.

Note, though, that good as it is, the Nismo is also a potent reminder of how solid a foundation the standard Z also is… especially in manual gearbox guise.

The Audi TT’s shape has morphed over the past 25 years from the cute, rounded bubble car that first appeared in the late 1990s to the more aggressively and sleek looking sports car with the sharp creases we see today.

Still, there are the familiar pumped-out wheel arches and, while not as prominent as it used to be, that arching roof and the way it flows down to those tail-lights and stumpy tail remains so true to the original TT.

The TT Final Edition has a more menacing and athletic look than the regular 45 TFSI its based on thanks to the S Line Competition Plus exterior package.

So you’re getting the big fixed wing, an aggressive front bumper, and the 19-inch alloy wheels in gloss black.

There’s a black package, too, which add the decals down the side, the blacked-out badges, the black exhaust tips and black wing mirrors.

My test car’s paint colour was Turbo Blue and you can see in the images of the cabin how Audi matches interior elements in the same colour. The contrast stitching on the seats also lifts the sporty feel into high-end territory.

It’s a simple cabin, though, free from busy buttons and giant screens and the incorporation of climate controls into the air vents is genius. 

If you’re wondering what the TT Final Edition’s dimensions are its 4191mm long, 1832mm wide and 1376mm tall. 

Reinterpreting a classic via retro styling isn’t always successful – hello, 2001 Ford Thunderbird ­– but what Nissan has achieved with the RZ34, given it’s a pastiche of several Z greatest hits from the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s and today, is truly masterful design.

Take the cab-backward silhouette, long nose and short wheelbase; it somehow manages to deftly capture the spirit of previous Z generations, without looking like a bad caricature.

Points especially go to the stunning nose and tail treatments that evoke both the ‘70s 240/260/280 as well as the sadly long-forgotten Mid-4 II concept car of 1987.

Slightly longer than the regular model, the Nismo’s nose is meant to evoke the early ‘70s Japan domestic market Fairlady ZG, with the G denoting “Grand Nose”. Fun fact: Fairlady first appeared on the 1960 Datsun roadster as deference to the Broadway musical (and later Audrey Hepburn film, presumably) ‘My Fair Lady’.

Anyway, besides scraping speed humps and driveways, the Nismo’s elongated front bumper promotes improved engine cooling and better aero flow, as do the side sills, larger wraparound three-piece spoiler and redesigned rear bumper/diffuser. The wider-yet-lighter back wheels are 10mm wider. And a glossy red stripe runs along the underside like Anna Nicole Smith’s lipstick.

Does it all look better than the simpler, purer regular Z? No. But they perform better. And isn’t that the point of a Nismo?

The Audi TT isn’t going to cut it as a family car, but it’s more practical than a lot of people might think.

First this is a '2+2' sports car meaning those two rear seats are there for the odd occasion when you might need them, because the space back there is limited.

But for most of the time having a place to throw a jacket or extra luggage and not have to ask your co-plot to rest it on their lap will feel like absolute luxury.

Up front head and legroom is good, even for me at 189cm tall. Being a coupe the doors are long and although the car is low I found getting in and out easy.

There’s a pretty clever use of space when it comes down to cabin storage. You’ll find door pockets, a glove box, a covered centre console box and a hidey hole/wireless phone charger in the dash.

Back seat passengers have built-in shelves near their armrests. Surprisingly there are four cupholders - two of which fold out of the dash.   

The boot isn’t huge at 305 litres but you can fold the rear seats down to open up the cargo capacity to 712 litres.

So, compared to its two-seater sports car rivals, the TT is relatively and pleasantly practical.

So, just as the exterior is an anthology of past Z car stylings, the same also applies inside.

A mishmash of new and old as well, they also marry together harmoniously – after you’ve bent and contorted yourself inside nice and snug, on the racy yet not-too-unforgiving set of Recaro bucket seats.

The Z’s signature sloping roof and rising window line; a trio of dials that have been a hallmark of the series since the 240Z, a thin three-spoke steering wheel; a physical hand brake and a pair of old-school seat base angle adjuster knobs just like in sports cars from 20 years ago betray the Nissan’s ageing DNA.

But they set the mood, like hearing a favourite old track, though one remixed by a contemporary DJ to a modern beat.

Which means that you’ll be able to view whichever artist you like through the 8.0-inch touchscreen, either via Bluetooth audio streaming, Spotify or some such app.

Easy to decipher and simple to navigate (though no imbedded GPS is fitted), the Z’s dashboard also offers the essential surround-view parking camera (given how limited vision is as you’re sat so low with not much glass to peer out through), amongst a host of vehicle functions. You’re also privy to extremely useful blind-spot alert thoughtfully placed inside the car by the mirror mounts, four cupholders if you count the door-sited ones and surprisingly generous storage. Practicality, thy name is Fairlady.

For lightness and sensible packaging, we understand why Nissan’s sports coupe is strictly a two-seater proposition – and certainly a roomy enough one for the lucky pair at that.

However, it’s a shame Nissan doesn’t offer a 2+2-seater option in the form of a pair of occasional jump seats behind, as per the old Datsun days, as there seems to be just enough space for smaller folk – though as a pair of shelves, that area did prove very useful during our week with the Nismo.

Issues? Along with a sheer lack of grace entering and exiting the Z, poor overall vision and 350Z-era switchgear that are now old enough to drive themselves, finding the right driving position eluded this particular 178cm tester. The seats do a great job keeping you firmly fixed in place, and of course the wheel tilts and telescopes, but those pair of knobs were forever being twirled and fiddled with.

Oh, and simultaneously unlocking and opening the doors was also confounding, due to exterior door handles and pressure sensor not designed for Homo Sapien hands.

Further back, and as in the two previous generations Zeds, a brace bisects the luggage area. Rated at 241 litres VDA, it is wide and flat but a wee bit shallow. At least it adds another level of practicality and is big enough for those weekends away.

There’s no cover (though seeing what’s inside isn’t easy) and no spare wheel of any size is fitted.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Nismo…

Nismo is short for Nissan Motorsport. It’s like what AMG means to Mercedes or HSV was to Holden. Which means, of course, that Australians love this sort of thing.

Last year, as limited editions, the first 100 Z Nismos sold out in under an hour, according to Nissan. Now it’s back more permanently, still from $94,000 before on-road costs, but without quite the exclusivity.

But, don’t worry. You still get the Nismo body kit and leather/Alcantara-clad cabin treatments, stronger performance and track-focused chassis upgrades, which include extra bracing, sharper steering, beefier suspension, bigger brakes and GT-R-spec wider wheels, compared to the regular Z. More on the engineering changes later on.

There are also Recaro sports seats, Nismo-branded digital instrumentation and steering wheel, additional drive modes and red trim highlights.

These come above the regular Z items like keyless entry/start, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, surround-view reverse camera, (wired-only) Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, an eight-speaker Bose premium audio, active noise cancellation tech, dual-zone climate control, artificially amplified exhaust note and wider-yet-lighter 19-inch alloy wheels.

Note, however, that going Recaros means ditching the regular Z’s seat heating and electric adjustment including lumbar support. And there’s no spare wheel in either grade… just a tyre-repair kit. Boo.

For your $100K-driveaway, from an equipment perspective anyway, the Nismo does stretch the value argument almost to breaking point, so it’s a good thing that the Z still looks so good. And there’s lots of beautiful engineering underneath that pretty skin too.

The TT Final Edition has the same 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine as the regular 45 TFSI TT Coupe with the same 180kW and 370Nm outputs.

The TT is light, though, at only 1460kg and that grunt is enough to slingshot it from 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds.

The transmission is an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic which sends drive to all four wheels.

Sure, the TTS has more grunt and the TTRS is nothing short of wonderful with its five cylinder powerplant, but the 2.0-litre engine in the Final Edition feels perfectly suited to what is a fun and engaging sports car.

Nissan sure knows how to make a great six-cylinder engine.

The Nismo’s internal combustion engine in question is the VR30DDTT – a twin-turbo V6 making four per cent more power and around 10 per cent more torque compared to the one found in the regular Z.

Power jumps 11kW and torque a handier 45Nm to 309kW @ 6400rpm and 520Nm between 2000rpm and 5200rpm respectively, providing extra punch as well as a slightly superior power-to-weight ratio of around 184kW per tonne.

That’s up 2kW/tonne, despite the Nismo gaining around 50 kilos, to 1680kg.

This has been possible thanks to extra turbo boost, revised ignition timing, improved cooling systems and updated engine management software.

Driving the rear wheels is a Mercedes-Benz based nine-speed torque-converter auto. Upgraded and retuned for track use, it includes a Sport+ mode providing speedier shift responses. Aided by the new launch control function, we managed a tidy 4.5 seconds from standstill to 100km/h.

Sadly, though, there’s no manual option as per the regular Z.

What else is unique here? Underneath, the platform might date all the way back to the 350Z of 2003, but Nismo has really worked some of its magic.

Along with the retuned dampers, everything else has been stiffened up – including the anti-roll bars, springs, bushes and even the steering rack mounts – to help deliver more controlled and linear steering. There’s extra underfloor bracing at the front, centre and rear of the car, thicker brake rotors and model-specific Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600 tyres that are wider at the back, on gloss-black RAYS alloys.

Continuing to use a double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension set-up, the Z’s front/rear weight distribution is 56/44 front/rear.

Now, the Nismo was our favourite version of the previous 370Z by some margin. How does it all square up in RZ34 guise?

Audi says that after a combination of open and urban roads the TT Final Edition should use 7.0L/100km.

My own testing took in a combination of the best country roads and worst city traffic and at the fuel pump I measured 10.9L/100km.

But most of my time was spent in 'Dynamic' drive mode with the fuel-saving idle stop system switched off. 

The TT's 55-litre fuel tank means you should have a range of about 785km.

Not surprisingly, the Z Nismo needs to drink from the 98 RON premium unleaded petrol fountain.

Nissan reckons owners should expect to average 10.4L/100km (for 242 grams per kilometre of carbon dioxide emissions) on the combined cycle (and 15.0 and 7.7 L/100km for the urban and extra-urban ratings respectively.

This figure is almost half a litre worse than the non-Nismo Z’s 9.8L/100km result, but still substantially better than the six-speed manual base grade’s 10.8L, despite the latter being some 33kg lighter.

With a sizeable 62L tank, you might be able to average just under 600km between refills.

For the record, we achieved 11.9 litres per 100km in a mix of urban, freeway and performance driving which is not too bad at all given how often we fanged this thing.

There are plenty of sports cars out there which are dynamically superb yet uncomfortable to sit in.

But the TT’s cabin is as ergonomic as it is stylish with a great, low sitting position and good pedal feel, a steering wheel that can be adjusted to be just right and still with plenty of space underneath for long legs like mine.

The shifter feels the right distance away, good visibility even out the rear window and plenty of ventilation.  And we haven’t even started driving yet.

The TT Final Edition felt to me how a TT should. Fun. Not overpowered nor brutally firm and not ridiculously loud.

Instead, my drive in the Final Edition, which took me along some of my favourite country roads, was one of the most enjoyable runs I’ve had in any car. 

This is a car which ‘listens’ to you and replies with exactly what you’ve asked for in the way it turns into corners and accelerates out of them, and pulls up when you need it too. 

There’s so much connection to the road, you can hear the sticks and stones flying up into the guards, you can feel the coarse chip bitumen through the steering wheel.

But it’s all so easy, too. The suspension is firm but soft enough that you can drive this daily. The steering is light but still with great feedback. 

Some sports cars leave you feeling exhausted, like you’ve just wrestled a bear but the TT Final Edition just leaves you feeling like you've been on a ride and all you want to do is run back around to line up and get back on it again.

Nissan does plenty of things really well, and the Nismo is no exception.

Firing up the VR30DDTT 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 is also a reminder of how brilliant the brand’s six-cylinder engines are. They tingle all the right sensory areas, starting with the baritone rumble at idle.

What a portent of what’s to come!

Nismo’s massaging of the engine, combined with upgraded clutch packs and a retune of the nine-speed auto’s software, results in stronger, hungrier and angrier acceleration, no matter which of the three driving modes you’ve selected. Even in Normal, the Nissan leaps off the line. In Sport, its appetite for speed is palpable. In Sport+, this thing is eating up the tarmac. Somehow, in an EV era where 4.5s to 100 is ho-hum, the (electronically enhanced but who cares) guttural exhaust bellow seems to amplify the action and thrills.

And spills. For five of our seven days together, the heavens poured. Now, in Normal mode, the Nismo was as benign and controlled as you’d hope in wet conditions, the driver-assist tech metering out just enough torque and braking to seamlessly keep the car humming along. Ever-present but always nuanced, they’ll help make your commute a safer and more relaxing one.

Selecting Sport loosened things up markedly, with the driver needing to be ready to counteract with steering, seating and throttle, though still with a safety net to keep the car from going totally out of whack; Sport+, meanwhile, is not for amateurs or the distracted. This is serious, tail-wagging waywardness that should only be fully explored with experience and care.

Later in the week, Launch Mode in Sport+ on cold but dry bitumen also requires super concentration, as we discovered attempting to extract the fastest acceleration time. Sideways in a straight line at 100km/h-plus is not for the faint hearted.

Beyond all-out performance and drama, the Nismo soars with weighty yet linear and precise steering, resulting in satisfying, hunkered-down handling that is the hallmark of a great sports car. Really tight turns can be taken at impressive speeds, but there’s about 1.7 tonne of muscle to manipulate, so the real fun can be found blasting along a snaking set of more open corners, where the Z’s inherent thrust, poise and grip come into play, all to the symphony of that bi-turbo V6.

That the suspension can feel both firm and supple at the same time is another arrow in the Nismo’s bow.

Nissan isn’t pretending this is anything but a rousing and rapid grand tourer with track aspirations, so the fact there’s also comfort and sophistication to be enjoyed just shows the sheer bandwidth of this particular Z.

Downsides? There’s always a wall of sound, be it mechanical or noise intrusion from the rubber and/or bitumen. The Nismo is rarely quiet. The extended front spoiler seems to summon up speed humps and bumps you never knew existed. The adaptive cruise control’s inability to resume in heavy stop/start traffic betrays this car’s 350Z-era tech. And the lack of a manual transmission, we reckon, is a missed opportunity for an even greater degree of interactive sports car driving.

Still, the Nismo delivers exactly what the brand promises, and continues to improve a firm favourite for speed and drama.

But the gap between Nismo and regular model is smaller than the one that existed in the preceding 370Z, which means that – if $100K driveaway is too steep – you’re already driving something elevated in the standard Z. Particularly if you yearn for a manual.

It’s all good.

There is no Euro NCAP or ANCAP crash-test rating for the Nissan Z Nismo

Standard safety features include AEB with pedestrian detection (though no operating parameters could be found about this system), 'Predictive Forward Collision Warning', lane departure warning, blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, high beam assist, tyre pressure monitoring sensor, traffic sign recognition and adaptive cruise control with full-stop (but no resume) functionality.

What’s missing? There is no active lane-keep assist tech to nudge you into line, and you won't find parking sensors nor a front-centre airbag.

But the Z does have dual frontal, side chest and head-protecting airbags, a surround-view camera, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, stability control, traction control, hill-start assist, front and rear parking sensors, LED headlights with light sensitivity and rain-detecting wipers.

There is also a child seat tether point on the passenger seat, but the Nismo ditches the other Z’s ISOFIX alternative.

The TT Final Edition is covered by Audi’s five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

Serving is recommended every 12 months or 15,000km and although Audi doesn't have capped price servicing there is a five-year/75,000km plan which will cost about $3000 in total for regular maintenance. Yep, that's $600 per workshop visit.

Your wallet’s pretty secure as well.

Like all Zs, the Nismo is subject to a warranty period of five years with unlimited kilometres, while service intervals are fixed at every 12 months or 10,000km – whichever occurs first. There is also five years of roadside assistance.

Nissan also provides pre-paid maintenance plans that can save up to $245 over three years, as well as capped-price servicing. At the time of publishing, the capped-price service appointments cost between $347 and $950 depending on the year of ownership.