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Audi Quattro: A Revolution in the World of All-Wheel Drive

Published

3 weeks ago

May 22, 2024

Audi makes great cars, yeah! We know that. And their cars are all luxury with high-end in-car technologies and driving features. Although the company has pioneered quite a number of innovations in the global automotive industry, one of its most remarkable impacts is the revolutionary all-wheel drive system that debuted in the Audi Quattro.

The Audi Quattro was the first car to feature an all-wheel drive system; it was unveiled in 1980 at the Geneva Motor Show in the same year. The Quattro showed exceptional traction with the new drivetrain by channeling power and torque to the entire four tires available on the car. Not long after the Quattro debuted the AWD system, many other new cars integrated the tech.

Today, we are looking at the impact of Audi Quattro in the wide adoption of all-wheel drive systems in the industry.

How Audi’s 1980 Quattro Triggered a Revolution in the Automotive Industry

Until the early 1980s, rear-wheel drive rally cars from Lancia and Ford dominated world rallying but then came the Quattro in 1980 to turn things around. Although the story of the Quattro traces back to the 1977 winter season, when Audi’s engineer, Jorg Bensinger, tested an all-wheel drive system on the Volkswagen Iltis Jeep.

Seeing the performance, Audi engineers launched a more powerful all-wheel drive prototype vehicle; it was called the “A1,” which would go on to become an instant success upon showcase. With all these, the company went up to improve on its all-wheel-drive system and then launched it officially with the 1980 Quattro.

The Quattro was an instant hit for the obvious reason. It came with a 147kW, 5-cylinder turbo engine paired with the all-wheel drive system. The Audi Quattro drove to dominance in world rallies between 1982 and 1984 before other automotive manufacturers were able to come up with their own all-wheel drive systems.

Over the years, the Audi Quattro all-wheel drive system has evolved to become a sophisticated technology being used in virtually all Audi models (but not the standard). With the success of AWD, 2-wheel drive systems were relegated to “base” trims, while higher trim levels come with all-wheel drive as standard.

It’s been more than 40 years since Audi introduced an all-wheel drive system and the role of the Audi Quattro’s all-wheel drive system in revolutionizing driving dynamics and forcing the wider adoption of AWD system cannot be overemphasized.

Did Audi Make All Models of the Quattro All-Wheel Drive?

Since debuting in 1980 as a rally sports car, all models of the Audi Quattro came with all-wheel drive systems, but for each vehicle model, Audi tailors the Quattro drivetrain to specific tunes. However, not only the Quattro was Audi’s finest production that makes their cars efficient and fast; but Audi also produces some of the best filters for car engines.

Particulate filter Audi is special in that it allows the engine to run at its finest. This filter can get clogged or damaged due to quite many reasons; it is important to replace the particulate filter on your Audi vehicle anything it shows signs of failure so the engine can continue to perform at its finest.

What Else is There to Know?

Well, the main thing is that Audi’s Quattro system pushed global automotive giants into building all-wheel drive systems for their vehicles. Auto brands like Subaru are known to use all-wheel-drive systems in all its vehicle models. With all-wheel drive systems, drivers drive more smoothly and perform stunts (if they wish).

Also, there are many advantages of an all-wheel drive system; hence, some enthusiast car owners who got 2-wheel drive on their old cars opt for aftermarket all-wheel drive (or four-wheel drive) systems. Quattro is Audi’s nomenclature for its all-wheel drive system, other car manufacturers have codenames for theirs; for example, Mercedes's all-wheel drive system is called “4Matic.”