Given that the word “quattro” is associated with Audi’s all-wheel drive system, the Italian word for “four” seems fitting. However, it wasn’t always like this. Actually a separate vehicle, the Audi Quattro (yep, with a capital Q) debuted in 1980.
In addition to being the first Audi vehicle with AWD, Quattro also entered competitive rally racing as a result of a regulation modification that made the drive system acceptable. Four world championships were won by the car for the company in the early 1980s. After 40 years, the term Quattro now specifically refers to the automaker’s AWD technology, which is offered on the majority of its portfolio and is officially trademarked as quattro in lowercase.
What does a winning rally car’s drive system have to do with what the typical consumer should care about or even want? Of course, for the same factors that made the Audi Quattro successful in racing.
In This Article...
What makes the Audi Quattro unique?
With driver confidence and active safety, quattro provides motorists with a number of benefits over a conventional all-wheel drive system. On a range of driving surfaces, drivers are aware that all four wheels will consistently deliver trustworthy traction: windy circumstances. seasonal precipitation (sleet, snow, hail)
What distinguishes Audi Quattro from AWD?
The trademark quattro, which translates to “four” in Italian, is used by the car manufacturer Audi to designate the usage of all-wheel drive (AWD) systems or technologies on particular types of their vehicles.
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The German automaker Volkswagen Group’s subsidiary Audi AG owns the registered trademark “quattro.”
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The permanent four-wheel drive Audi Quattro model, often known as the Ur-Quattro, was the vehicle that originally featured Quattro in 1980. (meaning “original” or “first”). All following Audi AWD models have been referred to as “quattro” since then. In honor of its former namesake, the term “quattro” is now usually spelt with a lower case “q” thanks to nomenclature rights obtained from the trademark.
Does every Audi have quattro?
vehicles that support quattro Audi is aware that each car is unique and has particular requirements that must be satisfied in order for it to operate at its peak level on the road. According to this idea, several Quattro configurations are offered on various Audi vehicles.
Which is preferable, 4MATIC or quattro?
Mercedes 4MATIC excels in slick driving conditions, while BMW xDrive gives a more athletic driving experience. Audi Quattro offers a well balanced driving experience. The choice is up to the client because the mechanics and torque ratios of each brand’s AWD system vary slightly.
Can the Audi Quattro handle snow?
You commuters this week were undoubtedly reminded of one very crucial factwe do, in fact, live in Canadaby the recent snowfall. You probably won’t be able to avoid the coldest season in Canada no matter how hard you try. What then, if we cannot escape the winter? Join it then, of course. And what better way than in the new A4 to face our snowy fate. It can make our Canadian winters a little more tolerable when equipped with the strength of Audi quattro all-wheel drive and the latest technologies to make it through the toughest kinds of weather.
There is merit in having an athlete who is able to excel in a variety of sports. This is an excellent comparison for the Audi A4. It is quite capable in all weather conditions and will easily get you through the slush and snow. It isn’t the fastest sports sedan available, no. In reality, it possibly lacks the laser-like focus that some other European sedans may have, but the A4’s main selling point isn’t that (although, we are certainly excited for the S4 to arrive).
The A4 is a versatile athlete who excels in all of its endeavors. During cottage season, it will take you comfortably and silently up those congested Northern routes. You’ll smile as you speed over the winding backroads amidst the changing leaves and autumnal colors. With quattro all-wheel drive and some of the greatest LED headlights on the market, it excels in our snowy winters. The A4 pushes through even the harshest circumstances because it is enthusiastic and bright.
Additionally, the A4’s interior is a pleasant place to pass some time. It is obvious that the engineers at Audi spent a lot of time perfecting the materials and ergonomics to create essentially the ideally suited interior thanks to the soft leather and clever tiny details (Alcantara lining around the seatbelt holders so the leather doesn’t wear!). Unquestionably finer than any other vehicle in this price range. Inside the A4, quiet comfort is the name of the game. All controls are within easy reach, and the numerous switches and knobs have a lovely tactile feel.
Speaking of the various knobs and switches, the A4’s technology is sure to impress. We get a peek of the future when we choose the optional Audi virtual cockpit, which turns the conventional analog gauges into an entirely new digital experience. The 12.3-inch high-resolution LCD screen gives the driver all the information they require in a neat and clear manner. With the help of Apple CarPlay, your mobile device may seamlessly connect to the car, and safety features like Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Traffic Jam Assist make dangerous driving much simpler.
The A4’s calm demeanor is a welcome surprise as well. It never seems to struggle when traveling down the highway or when passing vehicles since its turbocharged 4-cylinder engine moves the vehicle faster than you may imagine. The tiny engine offers outstanding fuel efficiency even during more energetic driving, and blind spot sensors on the inside of the mirrors assist in identifying traffic and the surrounding environment while you’re driving. The steering wheel has a wonderful weight to it and a lovely curve that seems to fit your hands well.
Simply said, the Audi A4 is among the most complete sports sedans available for the money, and every time you lock the doors and store it at the end of the day, you feel delighted. Possibly not a speedster for a marathon, but an all-weather warrior? Indeed, I do.
Is an Audi or BMW better?
It’s difficult to predict who will win the Audi vs. BMW competition. The same target market is being courted by both producers, but they focus on distinct specifications and features.
When it comes to technology and styling, Audi is the winner, but BMW offers a smoother, sportier driving experience. When it comes to safety features, both brands score highly, however Audi has far lower reliability ratings. Although there isn’t much of a difference in price between the two, Audi’s reliability difficulties are evident in the price of repairs.
In the end, they are both fairly similar automobile makers with comparable models that appeal to slightly different demographics. Choose a BMW if you want a sporty, controlled ride. Choose an Audi if you want something with understated style and cutting-edge technology.
We can help if you’re interested in a certain Audi or BMW model. We’ve written a number of thorough comparative pages on particular models, including:
Can Audi Quattro be turned off?
Using the Q3 as an example, a 35 TDI Technik with front-wheel drive starts at $30,590, but the price jumps to $33,600 when quattro four-wheel drive is added.
Even with the front-biased four-wheel-drive system in the Q3, opting for quattro will raise operating costs.
Without four-wheel drive, a 35 TDI can achieve up to 55.4 mpg; with quattro, that number reduces to 47.9 mpg. If you have a high annual mileage, that will add up.
Finally, because a quattro system has more drive shafts, clutches, and the like than a two-wheel-drive vehicle does, there is the increased mechanical complexity to take into account.
Do I truly need quattro? is a question worth considering for these factors. A two-wheel drive Audi with winter tires will have more traction in the snow and ice than a four-wheel drive Audi with summer tires. It’s lovely to have, but ultimately more expensive.
Depending on your search criteria. Most quattro-equipped Audi cars feel incredibly secure on the road because they distribute power evenly between the front and rear axles. BMWs typically put more power on the back wheels, giving the cars a sportier feel while still remaining untethered.
While the Audi A3 and Q3 only switch to four-wheel drive when necessary, the Audi A4 and A6 have full-time quattro four-wheel drive.
Even while the Audi Q3’s part-time four-wheel drive technology doesn’t always engage, it does so automatically, so there is no way for you to manually turn it off.
BMW xDrive
Electronic all-wheel drive is available with BMW’s xDrive system. Every 0.1 seconds, xDrive electronically modifies torque distribution dependent on the circumstances of the road using a multi-plate clutch system.
The axle balance is where xDrive and quattro diverge most. 40 percent of the torque is applied to the front axle and 60 percent is applied to the rear, giving BMW vehicles their signature rear-balanced feel. As soon as the system notices slipping wheels, that distribution is immediately and automatically adjusted. The disadvantage is that this system can also adjust under typical circumstances without the driver’s input.
Audi quattro
A mechanical system called Audi quattro provides an all-wheel drive feel that is more balanced. In stable driving conditions, it includes a 50/50 split in torque, providing any Audi car with all-wheel drive a full all-wheel drive experience, complete with a sense of balance and greater control.
Torsen is utilized by quattro. Differential torque sensing enables all four wheels to rotate at various speeds based on the state of the road. The central differential locks and torque is sent to the axle with superior traction if one wheel starts to slide. Quattro is able to quickly adjust torque in response to various traction levels in this way.
Audi Quattro: Is it a 4×4?
Quattro all-wheel drive, Quattro four-wheel drive, and Quattro 4×4 are all names for Audi’s four-wheel drive technology. The one term that unites all of those is the brand name “quattro,” which is ingrained in the minds of many motoring aficionados all around the world.
The Audi Quattro rally car, which employed the technology to great effect in what was regarded as the golden age of rallying in the 1980s, gave the moniker fame. Since then, a number of Audi’s production cars have used quattro (notice the lowercase q).
Is quattro still the top vehicle?
For many years, the German auto industry has been on the cutting edge of technology, especially when it comes to all-wheel drive systems for street cars. The competition between Audi and BMW, who have quickly ascended to the top of this particular engineering subculture, is as fierce as ever. It appears that the tide is beginning to shift in favor of the people from Munich as xDrive BMWs are now outselling quattro-equipped Audis in the UK. What distinguishes these all-wheel drive systems, and which is more powerful?
Quattro
In the previous few decades, it’s safe to say that Audi has been a major player in the all-wheel drive industry. Although Subaru’s AWD systems may have been technically more sophisticated, Germans have been commercializing power distribution to all four wheels for the general public ever since the coveted Audi ur-quattro of the early 1980s.
Audi introduced its all-wheel drive system to rallying at a time when rear-wheel drive was prevalent and totally transformed the motorsport.
Since then, Quattro has developed and is now prominently displayed on the front grille and rear bumper of numerous Audi vehicles. When driving normally, the two axles are split 50:50, forming a balanced all-wheel drive system. In the S and RS variants, that orientation shifts more in favor of the rear. It makes use of an internal gearbox-built central Torsen (torque sensing) differential. Comparing it to the transfer boxes formerly utilized in off-roaders, it is a lovely, tidy compact.
“True” quattro systems are installed longitudinally, parallel to the car’s engine and gearbox. The A3 and TT are transverse-engined vehicles, hence a complete quattro system cannot be installed beneath the hood. Instead, the smaller-engined vehicles employ a Haldex four-wheel drive system, which is typically front-wheel drive until more traction is needed from the rear wheels.
With stability control and simply mechanical torque transfer between the two axles, the Torsen diff enables each wheel to spin at a different speed based on the slippage circumstances at each curve. The center differential locks and torque is transferred from the axle with slippage to the other axle with traction when a wheel slides on one of the axles (one driveshaft rotates faster than the other). When the wheel slip is no longer there, the diff unlocks, and the torque bias returns to normal.
xDrive
In this area, BMW has had to catch up to Audi, but some would argue that the Bavarian AWD system is more than capable of competing with quattro’s rally-derived power. The E30 325iX ‘Allrad’ from 1985 was the first BMW to use all-wheel drive, but now the company’s own AWD technology is available in everything from the affordable 1-series to the opulent 7-series.
As opposed to the viscous coupling seen in many other generic all-wheel drive vehicles, xDrive utilizes a multiplate clutch arrangement. With the potential to transfer 100% of the torque to one axle, output is electronically controlled utilizing the clutch system to adjust torque to the axles every 0.1 seconds. By braking the inside wheels and reducing power across the axles to improve rotation of the vehicle, dynamic stability control works in conjunction with an xDrive system to improve the on-road capabilities.
As expected, xDrive is a rear-biased system with a 40:60 distribution between the front and rear, as decided by BMW. The corporation has stuck to its tenet and decided that its AWD cars must still feel and behave like authentic BMWs on the road, despite the fact that this may appear to be detrimental to AWD performance since less torque is being applied in the position of the big engine for traction.
Which one is superior? It depends on whom you ask, as there are numerous videos and forum discussions about which is better. Due to the fierce competition, it is difficult to believe any DIY comparison videos because any bias in favor of one side or the other immediately taints the results. The likelihood of a fair outcome being achieved is frequently destroyed by accusations of tampering with stability control settings and sloppy driving.
Since the compounds would need to be comparable in composition and wear to do a proper test, the tires are a significant component as well. This adds to the long list of variables.
Quattro all-wheel drive is a pretty straightforward system because it is entirely mechanical, but Audi has found great success with it ever since it dominated the rally circuit in the 1980s.
But in some circumstances, a Quattro automobile may suffer because of the locking differentials. In its simplest form, Quattro cannot fully lock an axle like the BMW can since some torque output constantly reaches both. Due to the mechanical design of the Torsen differential, if an axle has no traction, there will be no resistance transferred to the opposite side of the car. Since the center differential practically multiplies torque, quattro may run into serious difficulties if all traction is lost at one axle.
The engine had to be placed higher up the chassis due to the packaging space requirements for the quattro system. Due to the front-heavy weight distribution caused by this, quattro cars have come to be associated with understeer, a problem that has plagued Audis for decades. However, generally, it is still a very capable AWD system that has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to handle the most challenging real-world driving circumstances.
XDrive has its advantages and might be considered the more sophisticated technology because it responds to inputs electrically much more quickly than a hydraulic viscous coupling. The ability to send all of the torque to one axle thanks to the electronically-actuated clutch offers a BMW an edge when switching from a surface with strong traction to one with low traction, or vice versa.
However, xDrive’s electrical component results in some undesirable interference when compared to Audi’s mechanical system. The Audi should theoretically be superior while attempting to make quick progress on a snowy or icy road because of the rear-bias, which causes the electronics to always veer towards safety.
You could say that Ingolstadt has given in to Munich’s way of thinking because Audi recently began the transition to electronics with its “Ultra quattro” line, which employs an actuated clutch similar to BMW. Audi appears to have evaluated the Haldex system’s popularity and determined that it’s time to relegate the torsen diff to the past after debuting it in the 2016 A4 Allroad estate.
It remains to be seen whether Audi will fully follow that line of reasoning, but choosing between McDonald’s and Burger King when it comes to all-wheel drive systems is a similar proposition. They work exceedingly well, but in slightly different ways, each with advantages and disadvantages. However, if you prefer rear-wheel drive fun and won’t be driving on any snow-covered roads any time soon, the xDrive system will probably come out on top in this comparison.