To Quattro or not to Quattro?

[rufustfirefly]

I notice from reading this forum and looking at various users sigs that many have opted for Quattro.

I intend to purchase a 2.0T when I have the dosh - does Q make a lot of difference to the driving experience - also (although I'm not overly concerned) to tyre wear and fuel conumption ?

[onemanparty]

I notice from reading this forum and looking at various users sigs that many have opted for Quattro.

I intend to purchase a 2.0T when I have the dosh - does Q make a lot of difference to the driving experience - also (although I'm not overly concerned) to tyre wear and fuel conumption ?

I would go for quattro. I have had quattro's up until the A5 for the passed 5 to 6 years and the only thing I do not like is not having quattro - 170 PS via the front wheel :aargh4: God know what 211 PS is like

[kavithakrar]

I notice from reading this forum and looking at various users sigs that many have opted for Quattro.

I intend to purchase a 2.0T when I have the dosh - does Q make a lot of difference to the driving experience - also (although I'm not overly concerned) to tyre wear and fuel conumption ?

Defo get Quattro... I have a 2.0T FSI quattro and it is amazing. Handles well, grip is awsome and overall ride is solid.

Test drove the non-quatttro when making my decision, and it is PANTS.... there is lots of wheel spin, terrible torque steer and a sense of unease when cornering on windy roads. Others might tell you otherwise, but don't believe them

Test drive both and you will make your mind up in a second. Put it this way, if there was no Quattro option on the 2.0T FSI, I would have bought another car (It was that bad)

Hope that helps

Kav :beerchug:

[73kingstonroad]

I notice from reading this forum and looking at various users sigs that many have opted for Quattro.

I intend to purchase a 2.0T when I have the dosh - does Q make a lot of difference to the driving experience - also (although I'm not overly concerned) to tyre wear and fuel conumption ?

BH should be able to comment on this very subject, as if has got one and had it for a few months now... :biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

As one of the others has said drive both, you'll soon know which one you want.
I test drove a 143ps TDI A4 and it suffered for terrible torque steer and lightness on hard acceleration.
I had the chance to drive a 2.0T Quattro straight afterwards and just to see what the 2.0T engine was like. I ended up ordering a Quattro it was that good even though it was bone dry on the roads I could tell the difference.

Martin

[smellster]

Why would you want to spend the amount of money that a 2.0T with options costs on a front wheel drive car? You might as well buy a rear wheel drive 3 series and get a much better driving experience. Go for the quattro. But that's just my opinion. :D

[ScottyUK]

I ordered a quattro (not the lower case q ;) ) and my car was delivered without it.

I've been driving this 2.0T for about two months now after 5 years in a Torsen equipped quattro car and before that 3.5 years in a Haldex equipped quattro car.

I MISS IT SOOOOO BAD !!! :aargh4:

I knew I wanted quattro again but after having this car it's convinced me more than ever that the extra cost and small increase in fuel consumption is more than worth it.

I hate the torque steer. I hate trying to get 211ps down when I'm in a rush. I hate not being pushed through the bends and only pulled through. My wife hates alll of these and the lack of security that goes along with it.

We're both craving our quattro which is due to arrive in September hopefully before all the wet weather arrives (assumming we have a summer of course!!!)

[Bristle Hound]

Don't hesitate on the Q car! :D

The grip is absolutely phenomenal, as 73kingstonroad (Martin) will find out soon enough! ;) :biglaugh:

[Jop]

I have 2.0tfsi FWD.
It struggles to get the power down without the ESP kicking in.

[73kingstonroad]

Don't hesitate on the Q car! :D

The grip is absolutely phenomenal, as 73kingstonroad (Martin) will find out soon enough! ;) :biglaugh:

BH...
Can you say that through experience or are you presuming it....
:biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

Martin

[Bristle Hound]

BH...
Can you say that through experience or are you presuming it....
:biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

Martin

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg103/im-on-to-you/Emoticons%205/glock836_roll_eyes.gif

[Plife]

I ordered a quattro (not the lower case q ;) )
The man is right!! Never realised that :beerchug:

[73kingstonroad]

The man is right!! Never realised that :beerchug:

There's a joke in there, but I naffed if I can see it....

Please enlighten me...

Martin

[Plife]

There's a joke in there, but I naffed if I can see it....

Please enlighten me...

Martin
No joke Martin, never realised the quattro on the car is in lower case.

[73kingstonroad]

No joke Martin, never realised the quattro on the car is in lower case.

You know.... Neither did I

Good spot...

:beerchug::beerchug::beerchug:

[ScottyUK]

Get those signatures changed then!! :p

[73kingstonroad]

Get those signatures changed then!! :p

On with it now...

Does that apply to Mr BH as well. :biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

Martin

[RichardCranium]

Go for the quattro if you can. 'Fire Up The Front Wheel Drive' doesnt quite have the same ring to it:p

[allanmmck]

When I first started to look at buying an A4 I had no plans to get a quattro.

But after a salesman let me borrow his quattro for a test drive I was hooked (smart salesman!) The difference was immense (especially on the 2.0TFSI.)

The quattro puts its power down without fuss - no wheel spin - its just goes.

As others have said , try and test drive them back to back and then make your own decison.

[73kingstonroad]

I notice from reading this forum and looking at various users sigs that many have opted for Quattro.

I intend to purchase a 2.0T when I have the dosh - does Q make a lot of difference to the driving experience - also (although I'm not overly concerned) to tyre wear and fuel conumption ?

You could buy a 2.0T and then buy 2 x 4BO 853 737 D and 1 x 8TO 853 736 A, then when you drive it out the garage it gives you ALL the advantages of a Q at the cost of a FWD. With car tax to go with it.

:biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

Martin

[73kingstonroad]

When I first started to look at buying an A4 I had no plans to get a quattro.

But after a salesman let me borrow his quattro for a test drive I was hooked (smart salesman!) The difference was immense (especially on the 2.0TFSI.)

The quattro puts its power down without fuss - no wheel spin - its just goes.

As others have said , try and test drive them back to back and then make your own decison.

Hi...

You know I was reading this and I thought it was me...

Martin

[Bristle Hound]

Get those signatures changed then!! :p

Done! :beerchug:

[73kingstonroad]

Done! :beerchug:

BH...

You've left the word 'quattro' in your signature. I thought you said you've changed it.
:biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:

[Bristle Hound]

BH...

You've left the word 'quattro' in your signature. I thought you said you've changed it.
:biglaugh::biglaugh::biglaugh:


http://www.conductdisorders.com/forum/images/smilies/emoticons/rolleyes.gif http://www.clipartof.com/images/thumbnail/1217.gif

[jonathon555]

I have opted for 2 wheel drive because i don't really think 4 wd is necessary in a diesel with less than 250 BHP.

Maybe the petrol is a different story.

Its a bit like the MY10 LSD in the S line can't see any point in that either in the diesels. Its not exactly overpowered or a sporty drive.

[onemanparty]

I have opted for 2 wheel drive because i don't really think 4 wd is necessary in a diesel with less than 250 BHP.

Maybe the petrol is a different story.

Its a bit like the MY10 LSD in the S line can't see any point in that either in the diesels. Its not exactly overpowered or a sporty drive.


I just hope its not a 170 PS like I have Torque steer city:aargh4:

[jonathon555]

I just hope its not a 170 PS like I have Torque steer city:aargh4:

I have a 260ps front wheel drive megane with an lsd & that torque steers big style.

But its what you get used to I guess, My EVO had 380 BHP & that needed 4wd. After years of having big power front drive cars which tear the steering wheel out of your hand at ever opportunity you get used to it.

[onemanparty]

I have a 260ps front wheel drive megane with an lsd & that torque steers big style.

But its what you get used to I guess, My EVO had 380 BHP & that needed 4wd. After years of having big power front drive cars which tear the steering wheel out of your hand at ever opportunity you get used to it.

If size is not a problem maybe you should order an S3 I have had 3 of them excellent car and about the size of a Megane !!!

[jonathon555]

If size is not a problem maybe you should order an S3 I have had 3 of them excellent car and about the size of a Megane !!!

S3 is probably the best compromise all round, I drove one i liked it.

I ordered an A4.


No logic

[drmartin]

I just hope its not a 170 PS like I have Torque steer city:aargh4:

yep... seconded!

[dod1e]

Thought about starting a new thread, but this seemed relevant.

Would there be any advantage to going for the A4 over the A3 if you werent fussy?

In other words, is the torsen based system noticably better than the haldex when driving or vice versa, or are they both perfectly adequate?

Do you notice the haldex system kicking in?

I'd be especially interested in experiences with both systems in snow and ice, which we get plenty of up here, and i can see that 4wd would be a distinct advantage on sloping roads with a covering of snow, but i'm not buying a 4 x 4 to cater for less than 7 days a year of snow.

Quattro seems to be the ideal solution, but which one?

S3 is 1st option, but would consider A4 3.0TDI or old 2.7 Bi turbo S4 as other options if there was much of an advantage in either quattro system.

All opinions and thoughts welcome. Thanks in advance.

[Jop]

I thought quattro was quattro.

If it were me choosing, I would have an S3 (sportback) over a TDI.

[ALF_A4]

I've tried Haldex and also owned a car for 3 years with "real" quattro (i.e. full-time 4WD) and preferred the latter - but Haldex is pretty good for what it is, it works quite seamlessly. Full-time 4WD seems a little more towards RWD in terms of handling, though neither feel that much like RWD - 4WD cars rarely do. I also know people with Haldex cars who have been suprised at the oil change cost, whereas the A4's quattro system seems to go on forever.

I appreciate I may be against the grain here and I'm definitely not normal, but for cars around the power level of my 2.0T I prefer FWD, all things considered. Even more so when paired with a LSD, which is a relatively low-cost upgrade and makes for an excellent handling car. This is because the extra weight of the 4WD system is very noticeable, the impact on economy likewise, and personally I prefer to switch off the electronics and actually drive the car, and have something for my throttle foot to do. With Quattro you just nail the throttle to the floor and get full traction. If you gain too much speed during cornering it just ploughs on like a FWD car. I know that's what a lot of people want, but I find it dull personally, and having to modulate the throttle is a big part of driving a car.

That said, I don't like diesels so spend very little time in them, and they kick out a lot of torque and do so very suddenly over a fairly narrow power band - then FWD might be more easily overwhelmed and quattro more nevessary. But my last car had a 250bhp V6 and FWD (plus, for the last years I had it, an LSD) and I loved it. Yes, I'd have preferred RWD, but I would not have wanted the extra weight penalty affecting all areas of handling - not just corner exit - that comes with 4WD.

[dod1e]

Thanks thats helpful, i was also considering the golf edition 30 which remaps to 300bhp, same as the S3, but reading earlier comments i decided the S3 is probably worth the extra money fro the quattro.

i'm always interested when people say no need for quattro in diesel, its torque that breaks traction, not power, and my remapped 2.0 tdi that i have now has more torque than a new S3 and i cant floor it until i'm in third, even in the dry. Excellent for overtaking tho.

I guess in practice quattro probably is quattro and i shouldnt worry if one type is better than the other?

[kite]

I have one of each type of Quattro, B6 A4 diesel which I prefer.
the other car is a 225TT which is haldex, I found it drove different to the A4
I have fitted an uprated Haldex controller, this responds faster to front wheel slip
making it a more resposive drive.
Out of the two I prefer the A4,Big Diesel and the torque put down on the road through four driven wheels.....ALL THE TIME !!!

[dod1e]

Ok thanks, so did you notice much front wheel slip in the TT before the haldex locked before you uprated the controller?

Once it locks does it stay locked until you release the throttle? or is there a time lag?

[ScottyUK]

I agree with Kite. I had a TT for 3.5 years and then an S4 for 5 years. The S4 was always the more predictable power delivery and IMHO much better than Haldex.

I found Haldex surged power front to back etc and pulling out of junctions (wheels at an angle) often meant the ESP would kick in and cut power just when you didn't need it.

I'd say Haldex was only about 60-70% as good as Torsen.

[kite]

To be honest I changed the controller because I thought the haldex system was jerky
when transfering drive, thats when I found out the rear diff was broken.
New rear diff and uprated controller make the system react quicker, you don't feel
the drive transfer as much....

[robtt09]

Difficult choice between an S3 and A4 3.00tdi. I chose the latter after much thought and driving both. A3 is now quite an old model and a new one out next year.Electronics etc last generation .But it is a fantastic drive .I gave it a good workout and 20mpg was the result.Day to day you might get up to 30ish. A4 3.00tdi a different beast i.e. bigger modern electronics and uptodate crash performance (see Euro Ncap site) . I am getting mid 30s mpg from A4 and getting better as miles pile on.The engine is a gem and with auto box very smooth.Put it into S mode tho' and things liven up a lot!Horses for courses really but enjoy the tussle heart over head or head over heart!!

[Fastcar53]

I am new on here so be gentle!!!

I have just ordered my second A4 Avant. Currently drive B7 A4 Avant S Line 170 TDi which is FWD and not quattro. Due for delivery in October is an A4 Avant Exec S Line, Lava Grey, Privacy Glass, Tow Bar (race car not caravan), AMI and is FWD as well.

Personally dont see the need for 4WD on a road car. Where is the fun if you cant get one part of it to slide or to show your frustrations by dropping the clutch and spinning the front wheels up !! In the wet it can be troublesome if you get carried away with the right foot. ;)

[Doctor46]

To chuck in my 2 penneths worth. I used to drive a 1.8T Skoda Octavia VRS at work. I was a cracking car except when I tried to accelerate in the wet. Also where I was based there was a set of traffic lights on a hill. Just trying to pull away from those in the wet was hard work. I constantly said that it should have had 4wd.

[ry19]

Fastcar - I'm going to (gently!) take the bait offered by your last line. I take the point made by both you and ALF that throttle play is part of the fun of driving, but even my old Volvo diesel could be unsettling when trying for a swift getaway from junctions in the wet. My wife refused to drive it outright half the time (although you should feel free to admit, if you dare, that that may not be such a bad notion).

I guess the point is that it's horses for courses (to an extent literally). I love the 2.0T engine in my A4, it's immense in 1st and 2nd in particular, and overall I think it gives plenty enough bang in quattro form to mean it's worth sacrificing the greater driver involvement of FWD for the greater practicality and confidence of 4WD. And that's before you factor in worse conditions still (basically stranded in the snow earlier this year in the Volvo - living in the hills there was no chance of getting anywhere on untreated roads).

[Fastcar53]

Fastcar - I'm going to (gently!) take the bait offered by your last line. I take the point made by both you and ALF that throttle play is part of the fun of driving, but even my old Volvo diesel could be unsettling when trying for a swift getaway from junctions in the wet. My wife refused to drive it outright half the time (although you should feel free to admit, if you dare, that that may not be such a bad notion).

I guess the point is that it's horses for courses (to an extent literally). I love the 2.0T engine in my A4, it's immense in 1st and 2nd in particular, and overall I think it gives plenty enough bang in quattro form to mean it's worth sacrificing the greater driver involvement of FWD for the greater practicality and confidence of 4WD. And that's before you factor in worse conditions still (basically stranded in the snow earlier this year in the Volvo - living in the hills there was no chance of getting anywhere on untreated roads).

ry19 - You went easy on me, thanks. We have the right to choose, it's a free country. I choose FWD you choose quattro and as I dont live anywhere where I am likely to get snowed in, more likely to drown due to global warming.

I still cant wait to get my new baby delivered less than 2 months now!!!!

[ScottyUK]

Personally dont see the need for 4WD on a road car. Where is the fun if you cant get one part of it to slide or to show your frustrations by dropping the clutch and spinning the front wheels up !! In the wet it can be troublesome if you get carried away with the right foot. ;)

Blimey ! I'm genuinelly shocked that a racer would prefer understeer, the lack of ability to get the power down, axle tramp and torque steer! :confused:

What sort of racing do you do? I'm guessing "banger racing" ;)

[Fastcar53]

Blimey ! I'm genuinelly shocked that a racer would prefer understeer, the lack of ability to get the power down, axle tramp and torque steer! :confused:

What sort of racing do you do? I'm guessing "banger racing" ;)

It sometimes turns into banger racing but thats another story.

When i first got the current A4 i have to admit that I hated it. Moving from a Honda which you could throw at a corner and it wouldn't object plus you could get it to oversteer to an A4 which when thrown at a bend objects and as you say understeers, like a pig. I soon realised that you have to be gentle with an A4 and turn it in with grace, not throw and all is well. I find its very predictable on the limit and yes it has the issues of a FWD car but I now love it and hence why I have ordered another. I like my cars to be a little on the edge and I think the quattro takes that away from it. Thats my opinion and I do understand why a lot of you love the quattro.

[ry19]

Scotty goes less easily on Fastcar! :D

Here's a couple of pics to whet your appetite during the wait for the new baby, FC.... meteor not lava I'm afraid tho. ;)

6595

6596

[ScottyUK]

If you like it then that's of course fine as it's your car. I've definately no problem with your opinion. I just found it unusual given your back ground.

The nose heavy Audi's really benefit from a certain style of driving. That seems to be hook up the inside front wheel and then bring on the power.

You can normally drive around most cars quirks. You like them and I prefer to remove them.

:beerchug:

[ALF_A4]

Well there seem to be two "racers" on the side of considering the benefits of FWD because I spent some years racing Caterhams, and will do so again at some stage, in those years I was doing around 3k track miles per year and was testing, racing, or doing trackdays every second or third weekend.

Firstly, there is never any validity to suggesting "all" FWD cars are crap or "all" 4WD/RWD cars are great, because all of them vary hugely. I would say huge numbers of the top selling RWD cars like 320's have a lot more grip than power and the benefits of RWD in the hands of most of the drivers are mostly marketing. I had a Vectra SRi with 130-off bhp that was awful at getting the power down, and a 156GTA with 250 that was very docile - very little torque steer and good traction - even before the LSD was added. Post-LSD, it was incredible, I would say more adjustable and enjoyable than with typical 4WD, and a damn sight quicker than if it had had 4WD for the lack of weight and transmission losses. Obviously I'd love an RS4 with a high-revving NA V8, 400bhp, and rear-biased 4WD but for those of us with more normal cars, it is not as simple as that, and there are good and bad examples of all layouts.

4WD does not mean you can corner faster. RWD does not necessarily give you oversteer on demand. FWD does not mean you understeer terminally all the time. Lazy journalists have contributed to some of these views. Under braking, corner entry, and mid-corner there will be no difference (indeed if being a pedant I'd point out the extra weight of 4WD will mean lower maximum corner speeds...). The driven wheels come into play when accelerating hard, and from a handling sense therefore on corner exit. But regardless of which wheels are driven, if you enter a corner too fast, or accelerate too much during the corner, you will typically understeer. Again regardless of driven wheels, if you trail-brake too much into a corner, or lift suddenly when cornering hard, you will oversteer (I had more than a whiff of it today through a gentle lift on a fast roundabout). Cars don't understeer or oversteer - you make then do it, and can do either to any car. As you can break traction in most 2WD cars very easily - if you want to. But with good technique none of those things will happen often - even if pressing on. FWIW I find the B7 A4's FWD setup very strong in traction and particularly good when applying the power mid-bend, ESP on or off. And it has very little torque steer - indeed I'd accept some torque steer if it meant faster steering, more steering feel, and more self-centring of the steering. But then I never, ever drive without two hands on the wheel, not that common from what I see around me when driving about all day!

Most drivers never get near "the limit" under braking or corner entry, or even steady-state cornering. Breaking traction with too heavy a right foot is the most common thing they do to upset a car, perhaps this is why quattro seems so popular. But for me the novelty quickly faded and it seemed boring with only 200bhp. I appreciate I'm not normal, and I fully accept why many people would see quattro as more to their tastes ("safer" would be another story - easily accelerating to higher speeds in the wet and snow does not always mean safer as you still can't corner or brake any better, as I discovered with quattro in the snow a few times!).

I should add that I've not driven the newer Haldex systems in the new S3, or the B8 A4's new more rear-biased quattro system, both of which are supposed to be more driver focused (and in the latter case really well reviewed). At S4 levels of power I'd want quattro. But even in the B8 A4 line, there would be valid reasons for not choosing Quattro, particularly for high-mileage drivers, in a day and age of expensive fuel and obsession with CO2. I typically average 450-500 miles a tank from my FWD B7 2.0T. But if I had the 3.0TDi I'd want Quattro. So I can see the pluses and minuses of both layouts.

[ScottyUK]

I find myself agreeing with a lot of what you say.

You make comments about theres "never any validity to suggesting "all" FWD cars are crap or "all" 4WD/RWD cars are great, because all of them vary hugely". 100% agree and I don't think any one was disputing this.

We're talking about the B8 A4 and not generic discussions. I find the torque steer horrendous particulalry on roads with "tramlines" or poor surface. In the quattro equivalent it makes for much easier and safer progress.

Again I agree that quattro only affects putting the power down and doesn't help in the slightest when braking etc (lets ignore the weight issue to simplify things) and again I don't think any one suggested otherwise.

There's certainly not a right answer to it as it all depends on how we use our cars, the mileages we cover and what we want out of them.

My experience of quattro (haldex 3.5 years and torsen 5 years - both used on and off track) plus my test drives of the quattro B8 told me it was right for me. After getting delivered a FWD car because of an ordering error, I've found that over the 4-5 months of having it, I'm even more sure I made the right decision for me (as is the wife).

There are down sides to it e.g. weight, fuel consumption, not being able to spin the fronts ;) etc etc but for us it was right. I'm not sayint it's right for all.

Have you given a B8 a work out yet? I can't tell from your post if it's based on theory or what you've found from driving one.

p.s. I'm a big Caterham fan. I'll own one at some point. The best day on track I ever had was at Donington in a race spec Lightweight with slicks. Astonishing car! :beerchug:

[dod1e]

I'm glad someone mentioned they found the haldex could be jerky in its actuation. The reason I am laburing the point is that I have a particular scenario in mind, there are a lot of hilly roads around where i live north of aberdeen, and if there is a covering of snow or its icy then a front wheel drive car makes it difficult to get up them.

I know the driver makes a big difference, but you cant defy the laws of physics and certain hardware (FWD) can only do so much.

Can anyone comment on how the haldex would react at a constant speed up a slope when the front wheels lose grip?

Would the system engage and stay engaged until you get to the top, or would it jerk on and off?

I'm not that interested in driving fast round corners, i just want to be able to put the power down when i want, eg pulling out of a junctionninto traffic with limited gaps, or in ice and snow etc

[pitch3110]

Wifeys ED30 handles and puts the power down exceptionally well for a FWD 230bhp (ummm) motor.

Likewise with my westfield, RWD and fun fun fun with 172bhp at the back.

Quat is nice having had a demo in a 2.0T and grip is impressive. But oil burner for me so q not really needed.

Ta

[ScottyUK]

I'm not that interested in driving fast round corners, i just want to be able to put the power down when i want, eg pulling out of a junctionninto traffic with limited gaps, or in ice and snow etc

That's exactly when I found an issue in an Haldex car. I used to turn off ESP before booting it out of junctions. Yes you get some tyre slip before the power gets pushed to the back but at least it didn't kill the power totally like with ESP on.

To be fair though I haven't driven the Mrk II TT or the latest A3's which have an unpgraded Haldex and which I believe control the power a lot better.

[ALF_A4]

My big frustration with the whole thing is that I know from personal experience just how good a well-sorted FWD car can be with the addition of a LSD, but so few manufacturers offer them despite them not being big money. In Audi's case they use them already in the 4WD cars and could easily just add them to the FWD ones at a certain spec or performance level.

What car suits what person is largely down to how it will be used, and in my case I do a lot of miles but very few standing starts. I toy with the idea of adding an LSD to the car (will certainly add FSD shocks) but even that is probably overkill. However on my last commute I had a lot of standing starts into busy traffic and then quattro would have been great - the difference in my confidence when pulling out between my last car pre and post LSD was extraordinary. When I had a quattro car that aspect was even better. I'm certainly not knocking the whole system - I also live somewhere where it hardly ever snows, if I lived oop north then that would push me towards 4WD and definitely away from RWD, too. Horses for courses...

[ScottyUK]

Audi have now introduced a LSD on the FWD cars. ;)

With regards a sorted FWD car - I drove a Clio Cup Racer at Palmer Sport and that was a revelation to me. It just pulled itself through the twisty bits. Very impressive!!

[Bratty]

I find my 1.8TFSI quite reasonable with regards to torque steer, but then it does have the new LSD, but to put it into perspective try driving one of those Rover 220Turbo things from the 90`s, or a Peugeot 1.9 gti for axle tramp! Oh the good (bad) old days:D!!

Dunk

[seanrf07]

Quattro.

[SunnyBard]

I notice from reading this forum and looking at various users sigs that many have opted for Quattro.

I'm very pleased with mine, have never even had the traction control kick in (unlike my previous two 3.0 petrol and 2.2 diesel cars) the quattro just handles so much better.

A friend of mine is on his third A4 quattro and even though the current one is an 03 reg, he's in no rush to change, says he'd only want another A4 quattro anyway and there's nothing wrong with his "old" one yet ...

[Ardy]

If you have the money for running costs i would go Quattro of course.

My choice was 2.7tdi or 2.0tdi with q. I went for the power/economy(ish) of the 2.7 - which cannot be specced with Quattro. Anyway - only time it struggles is off the line getting the grip down. Just had my bi weekely jaunt up to glentress from newcastle and me o my what a drive it is - never struggled on corners but im sure with 4x4 it would be even more exciting.

All in all aye if you can do it do it im sure you'll love it!

I was also scared of having to replace 4 tyres at once or near enough. Weather this is a well founded thing or not i do not know - i just presumed it must happen. And that would be a stinger in a single month for me:-)

[ScottyUK]

Simples - just put away an amount each month to cover all cars things. ;)

[Ardy]

Now that sounds like a man who is way more organised than me - and yes that would have been a good idea!. I've told myself next time if im still working it will be the Q and ill do just that to make the hits smaller. All in all though very happy after a year with my Audi and was very happy with my 2 years before in the B7. I dont kick myself for not going for the Q option, car handles just great for my use, just know i would like to own a car with it some day to experience the extra benefits. Especially cornering in crappy conditions - i mean the FWD is great but must be real grin factor with 4x4.

Cheers Scotty :-)

[HotChip]

I've had my new quattro for little over a week but I've instantly fallen in love with it. The difference in the drive over my fwd is astounding and it's an absoloute pleasure to drive. I would recommend it to anyone (who isn't paying for their own fuel, like me :-) )

HC

[Cobstar]

I do love quattro - particularly the Torsen variant. But just about to move across to a FWD A4 Avant - a 2009 car in great condition with a very nice spec. The quattros failed the fuel economy requirements we'd set + there were none in my price range. I'm moving across to save on the rather heavy running costs of a Honda S2000. Be very sorry to see that little car go but the A4 is another gorgeous car.

The RS2 I ran for five years was awesome. Him indoors has a 2002 S3 he's had from new and the Haldex quattro is good but the Torsen on the 1994 RS2 was better.