The Audi A4 quattro – Audi’s Powerful 4WD Returns
Some 25 years ago, the Audi quattro was unleashed into the World Rally Championship. The Audi Quattro came, and the Audi Quattro conquered, out-running the competition. With turbocharged engines and four-wheel-drive, the superior traction of the Quattro took the majority of the victories, and changed the WRC rally scene forever. It was 4WD or nothing. The quattro prompted the development of the Lancia Delta, the Peugeot 205 4WD, the Subaru Imprezza, Mitsubishi Galant VR4, and all the others that came along later. Even Porsche started development on its own 4WD version of the 911. If not for the Quattro, things would be very different today.
Filtering down, a road-tuned quattro was made available for sale to the general public, and this soon became the dream car to have in Europe, especially during the winter snows when roads get very slippery.
Back home in Malaysia, the quattro was basically out of reach to most people, being imported, and also expensive. Blame it on poor marketing, or perhaps uncertainty about parts and service back-up, or even lack of awareness: many other Audi models were sold, but only a handful of the Quattros ever made it to our shores.
Today, under the umbrella of Euromobil Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eon, Audi is back to stay, and with it comes the Audi A4 quattro as part of the Audi range offerings. With a large investment in showroom, service and parts facilities, confidence is returning to the market in terms of the service and parts availability, and perhaps now is the time to look at the Audi marque. Priced at RM292, 966.80 (price on-the-road without insurance, the A4 quattro is a little more than what you would pay for a BeeEm 3-series or a Merc C-class, but the package value is great if you consider just what you are getting for your money.
Fitted with the latest 2.0 litre turbocharged FSI engine that is developed by the Volkswagen group, (and which also powers the Golf Gti), the A4 quattro offers 200 bhp of power and 280 Nm of torque, plus full-time 4WD. Unique to the Audi design is the ‘north-south’ mounting of the engine with the gearbox coupled directly behind it. A propeller shaft connects the output shaft at the rear of the gearbox to the rear axle, while two lateral drive shafts transfer drive to the front wheels. The engine tuning is what I would term as ‘mild’, running a small turbo and relatively low boost, but this means it would be more durable, in addition to it having some vestige of fuel economy. The potential for modification is there for those who desire more, but for the majority of road users, 200 bhp is more than enough.
Add to it a six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic (manual shift option) offering manual shifts either by using the gear lever or by using F1-type shift paddles behind the steering, and you get a very nice car to play around with.
The A4 quattro also comes with ESP (Electronic Stability Program), Brake Assist (BA), airbags with side curtains, a safety steering column, 4-wheel independent sports suspension, cruise control, Bi-xenon lights, a rain sensor, on-board electronic information system, electrically controlled driver’s seat, and excellent sound system, and aluminium wheels, and you can see that you are getting quite a bang for your buck.
Externally, the A4 Quattro is identical to the normal A4 (front-wheel-drive model) except for two subtle little ‘Quattro’ emblems located on the front grille and on the rear boot-lid. Inside, the same ‘Quattro’ emblem sits on the front dash panel. If the Quattro went by you, you would most probably not even know the difference. The exhaust system is muted, giving no indication of the 200 horses lying under the hood. In fact, Ivan, one of our testers, commented, “This is the quietest 4WD turbo that I have driven.”
Inside, all the emphasis is on making the driver feel at home in the Quattro. Driver controls are all logically placed within easy reach, and the steering is adjustable for both tilt and reach. Together with a contoured driver’s seat, it is possible to find the ideal driving position without any problems. On the road, the Quattro is well behaved, although it does tend to lunge forward a little too eagerly when throttle is applied, but I suppose that’s what you get when you have such a responsive engine. I also suspect that the auto transmission is tuned to have minimal slip so that power loss through the transmission is minimised.
The ride is actually quite refined, not being too stiff. You get a sense of security, knowing somehow that it will not dip too much on heavy braking, and neither will the nose lift up on acceleration. Around corners, it grips the road unerringly, and with 4WD, you know you can keep the engine on the boil. There is a hint of under steer if you enter a bend in the conventional way by lifting off before the bend and you soon learn that positive traction can be maintained by putting your foot down just before the apex. Whatever mistakes you may make will be compensated by the ESP system, which transfers drive or brakes on the appropriate wheels to put you back in line. In the wet, the 4WD is in a class of its own, but drivers must remember that braking distances remain the same as other cars, and will increase when the road surface is compromised.
Response to throttle is almost instantaneous, and the six-speed gearbox is a real boon, leaving little or no gaps in between gears. At night, the interior is very ‘peaceful’, with a red hue lighting up all the instruments and switches.
It was an enjoyable test drive; the Audi A4 quattro is a powerful car without being overly aggressive, quick without being too loud, and exudes a quiet dignity without being puny. All else said and done, I really like it quite a bit, really!