Audi's next Gen Quattro system (world dominance continues)
 

http://www.fourtitude.com/news/uploa...d_600_copy.jpg

Audi works intensively on the improved quattro drive, which for the introduction on the market of the A5 Sportback should be ready for production. The new all wheel system is simpler , has less internal friction and still more versatile. After the rear biased torque distribution the next driving dynamics system called Quattro Torque Vectoring (QTV) is now on the works. QTV regulates the torque distribution between the axles and between the rear wheels. A goal is more agility, more stability and an even better traction.

Translated from: http://www.autobild.de/erlkoen...13911

Disclaimer: The translation is not 100% accurate. ;)

Edited for accuracy

Not a real audi - it's not on fire :D:D

Sounds like what Nissan were doing over 15 years ago.

Its similiar in concept to what nissan and honda have, however audi's system will be better executed. Hondas system is too heavy, nissans is too complicated and not all that good for ultimate traction.

How did you come to that conclusion? What makes the Nissan system too complex compared to the Audi system? Please provide a side-by-side breakdown of how the systems are implemented, their design goals, and where they differ.

Ok give me a couple hours. :thumb:

Who the hell actually needs 4wd on aday to day basis - not many :cuckoo:

Its a marketing gimmick :)

try explaining that one to your wife after you have lost traction and ended up in a ditch with her screaming in your ear "I told you I wanted a 4wd vehicle" :D

Better spend the extra buck!!

Mitsubishi ACD (active centre diff) + AYC (active yaw control) was also doing this years ago. Audi really are catching up. Think ACD was first available on the Evo VII.

Mitsubishi version much more complex. Will explain all indepth later tonight:thumb:

Having to work overtime correcting you today Gaylord :)

WTF? :wonder:

Didn't you know AL's real name :lol1:

Oh, and the answer is in the edits :thumb:

I know now! lol

But will it be such a major change from the "normal" quattro?

I'm positively bursting with anticipation :sleep:

It prolly means the prices will go up even more, if that were possible!

:lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1: :lol1:

Will they be able to do anything with the woolly steering and the on/off switch brakes?

AL you really must get out more!

or the terrible understeer

If it's altering torque between the rear wheels then it's just like AYC on the Evo's. That works by creating a turning moment by applying more torque to one rear wheel to steer the back end. Just like a tank where one track stays still and the other drives to turn it.

AL, if you could bum an audi, any model, which would it be, and would you use some of the half empty bottle of slick50 you bought from Motorworld 10 years ago for the Transit van?

Just think, all those of RWD and FWD cars that are currently lying in ditch now, literally, thousands and thousands of them!! if only they had a 4WD car, then at least they'll be able to pull themselves out of the ditch!

LOL:lol1:

Presumably you have found this a recurring problem when driving your Transit Van, Volvo S40 or your dad's E-class out of the garage? How many of those are 4WD?
:iamwithst

So you going to be buying 1 then:)

I can wait :sleep:

forever :sleep: :sleep:

What we’re seeing is a convergence in all-wheel drive technology between Audi and the rest of the industry, for audi to always remain one step ahead with the latest innovations. Mercedes and BMW, no doubt have access to the same technology and I expect a similar offering from them in the near future, but the route that they have been taking along with the japanese, makes their systems effective, but overall inferior for everyday applications. These developments in all-wheel drive technology appear to have a certain congruence with the introduction of electronic stability programs that we saw a few years back. Nowadays electronic stability programs are pervasive across all brands and multitudes of models and such systems no longer serve to differentiate one competitor from the next. In other words no car maker is out there claiming that their stability program is better than the rest’s….Although audi's ESP coupled with the great traction and roadholding ability of the Quattro system makes it the safest car to drive on the market. Now we’re seeing that the next generation of all-wheel drive systems will make use of complex electro-mechanical differentials to enhance the driving dynamics of an all-wheel drive car. We all know that an AWD car has the natural tendency to understeer in normal conditions, which only audi manages to buck the trend of in their more sporting models, as thats what the enthusiasts want, while average joe likes his understeer on the limit tendancies which the lesser audi models adhere to. Only when clever torque apportioning front to rear is applied do we see all-wheel drive cars adopting a neutral to oversteering cornering stance in non audi models.

The next level in all-wheel drive dynamics is one where the rear wheels are employed more effectively to give the car sportier and more dynamic cornering ability. To do this, engineers have developed technology that capitalises on the rear wheel with the best grip by using a differential that can rapidly direct torque left-to-right in order to adjust the car’s cornering line in accordance with the car’s intended path. Current rear differentials in AWD cars are seldom more than just limited slip devices – if an LSD is employed at all. We’ve already seen such electro-mechanical differentials in Honda’s SH-AWD. SH = SuperHandling (what a cheesy gimmick:lol1: )

I have a feeling that QTV or whatever other clever acronym the marketers will come up with next will become a standard feature in AWD drivetrains and that such technology will differentiate brands for a brief period only. This is in much the same way as we’ve seen with ABS, ESP, Direct Injection, Robotised Manuals, 7 and 8 speed automatic transmissions. Everybody is copying Audi basically. First turbocharged 4wd saloon cars, then TDI, then Aluminium usage and so and so on.

Currently manufacturers use the uniqueness of their AWD configurations for brand differentiation. This has already started to change and soon we’ll see that no manufacturer can lay claim to their all-wheel drive system being superior to another and therefore intrinsic to their competitive advantage, except where the name Quattro creeps up, as everyone knows that Quattro equals ultimate performance and traction as proved time and time again by their vehicles.

AL, give it a rest :p

You're giving us NORMAL Audi owners (and there are a few!! :D) a bad name :P