A4 Avant 2.0tdi - FWD or Quattro any advice?

[craigrobertson]

Hi I am changing from an A4 to an Avant and am undecided between staying with the standard FWD car or going for the Quattro.

I was interested to hear some opinions on this. I know the Quattro is better for handling etc but in the "real world" what are the benefits?

Thanks,
Craig.

[zollaf]

better in mud and snow. better round corners, but only really if you push it.

[b206]

I had the 2.0T (petrol) - its a lot of power going to just 2 wheels, I was always lacking grip, just a quick blip on the gas when the road was wet and the front would be slipping - even with a set of Good Year Asymmetrics!
Quattro is completely the opposite - you really need to push it before it lets go I wouldn't go back to 2WD.

[sbt]

I have owned eight audis now two a6 quattros both 2.8 one 2.5 tdi quattro one fwd a3 and four fwd a4.s and to be honest in everyday driving at legal speeds i have not missed the quattro . that said quattros are fantastic in the bad weather just so positive at speed and just fill you with confidence so if the few mpg you will lose and the little bit of extra road tax dont bother you then go for the quattro every time my next car will be quattro just because it as more pluses than minuses

[AGW82]

I have had a few Audis now A6's and A4's and all have been FWD, except the car I'm driving now... I have to say now I've experienced having Quattro I would not go back, the positive feeling and stability it gives the car is great. As others have said it's so easy to light up the wheels in a FWD car, especially in a Diesel with all the torque, but with Quattro it just grips and goes. I haven't had the pleasure of driving in the ice/snow yet but I'm expecting good things when I do

[theskyfox]

For general gentle and casual driving I would say front wheel drive is absolutely fine. For me the big differences/benefits with quattro are:

-Better grip and handling for high torque/power engines. Even the reasonably small diesel engines can slip the wheels on a 2WD
-Better handling in the wet (No wheelspins on hard pullaways)
-Ability to actually drive in the snow (I have had to tow people out who got stuck in their 2WD cars)
-No Torque steer on angled or hard pullaways

I can't say I've seen any noticeable difference in tyre wear - my quattro car eats front tyres for breakfast in exactly the same way my 2WD one did. There is a slight knock in MPG too, but when jumping from a 1.9 to a 3.0 I was expecting that anyway....and it wasn't even a bad jump. Quattro foreverrrrrrrr!

-Andrew

[sportq]

See my history, I've had two quattros and two FWD A4's. Given the choice (I don't, the last two FWD's are my fathers ex-company cars) I'd buy a quattro. Having said that I bought an extra set of alloys and fitted them with Conti Winter Sport tyres to my current car and I'd say the grip on ice and snow is at least as good as a quattro with all-season tyres. Check out the Autoexpress video on Youtube where they test a 4WD Skoda Yeti with all-season tyres against an otherwise identical 2WD Yeti with winter tyres. The only test the 4WD wins is the pull away from a standing start on ice. The 2WD is far better at braking and turning.

The right choice is therefore a quattro with winter tyres!

Peter

[craigrobertson]

Thanks everyone...

I decided to go with a Quattro and have got a 2.0tdi Avant Quattro S Line. A main reason as has been said here is due to the torque to the front wheels, even my 1.9tdi will spin the wheels so I didn't want to only have 2 wheel drive with the increase in BHP.

Collect on 8/02/14 and can't wait...

Thanks again guys.
Craig.

[Embisix]

Good choice. You won't regret it! Just remember, Quattro does not mean you can necessarily stop any quicker when conditions get icy (unless you're on winters of course!).

[markp306]

-Better grip and handling for high torque/power engines. Even the reasonably small diesel engines can slip the wheels on a 2WD
-Better handling in the wet (No wheelspins on hard pullaways)

The 2 litre 177PS's torque is a lot for these road conditions, which wouldn't be an issue with quattro. I'm also struggling to get the power down when accelerating or pulling away quickly at the moment. I don't think the OE dunlop summer tyres are helping me, so need a rethink here....and a read some of these group tyre tests on the web! (Anyone got a 'must-have' recommendation for 18 inch rims)?