The Evolution of Audi’s Quattro All-Wheel Drive System

Nothing says Audi quite like the Quattro All-Wheel Drive system, which took the world by storm over forty years ago. How this system has evolved over time?

Audi is one of the most highly respected German luxury automotive brands. It falls under the Volkswagen Automotive Group family and is one of the cornerstone brands among the dozen names that share technology, information, and platforms together. Regardless of the other brands, Audi has something that makes it stand above the rest of the VW names, the Quattro All-Wheel Drive system.

What made this AWD system popular?

The heyday of the World Rally Championships was nearly forty years ago. At this time, the WRC was getting started and didn’t have many rules for automakers to follow. Several brands brought various vehicles that offered different types of driving on the dirt tracks WRC used around the world. Audi cars had something special, which put this brand ahead of most other names. That special ingredient was the AWD system, which was dubbed Quattro, after the first car it was used for.

During the early 1980s, Audi dominated the WRC, which made every brand take notice of the impressive drive system used. This drive system sends power to all four wheels, which was something special for WRC at the time. As other automakers adapted similar systems, they caught up to Audi. Of course, Audi stayed ahead of the tame, taking the Quattro AWD system to road courses with Trans-Am, IMSA, and DTM racers that lasted through the early 1990s.

How did Audi develop its AWD system?

As a partner with Volkswagen, Audi learns from vehicles wearing the VW badge and has done so for many decades. The first Quattro system was the product of lessons learned from the Volkswagen Iitis. This vehicle was an off-roader meant for the military that was developed in the 1970s. The original system had a manually engaged center differential operated by a vacuum switch to send power to both axles. Eventually, this system was upgraded with a Torsen center differential that automatically split power 50:50 front to rear.

Fast forward to the new millennium

The next major development of the Quattro All-Wheel Drive system came in 2000. The calendar turned to a new millennium and Audi created the Haldex coupling for use in transverse-engine vehicles. The packaging that makes a transverse engine possible requires the Haldex coupler to enable AWD, which uses a prop shaft and clutch to send power to the rear wheels.

Until this development, most vehicles with this engine type were strictly FWD models, but adding this coupler allowed Audi to utilize more efficient engines and send power to all four wheels.

How many AWD systems are necessary?

Currently, every AWD system for Audi vehicles is called Quattro, but not all of them are close to the original. The system used for larger vehicles is the closest to the original system. This setup uses front, center, and rear differential.

Audi has five AWD systems to ensure all Audi models have useful ways to send power to all four wheels while on any road or terrain. One system is made for large vehicles that share the MLB Evo platform, and another was created for smaller MQB models, including the A3 and TT. There’s also an efficiency-focused Ultra system for its efficient sedans and SUVs and a bespoke setup for the R8 supercar. Finally, the EV models have a version of the AWD system which uses two electric motors to power both axles.

The performance models from Audi receive a “sport” differential that allows these vehicles to offer torque vectoring. The MQB models use the Haldex system and the R8 has a rear transaxle with an electro-hydraulic multi-clutch pack which sends power to the front wheels.

Those Audi vehicles using the Quattro Ultra All-Wheel Drive system default to FWD to improve gas mileage but send power to the rear wheels if extra traction is required.

This Audi system has come a long way

The original Audi Quattro won many trophies and captured our imagination on the WRC tracks throughout Europe, Africa, and South America. From that system, we have the five different Quattro All-Wheel Drive systems available today. These systems give each Audi vehicle the special feeling of extra control when required, sending power to all four wheels during your drive.

Now that you know a little more about the Audi AWD system, will you choose one of the many vehicles from the four-ring brand?