JoeyA4B8

Im sorry it wasnt a honda to begin with it was acura tl 2009 i always get confused she had the 06 accord before that...i get confused because honda made the sh-awd but never used it on the hondas instead the used it on there sister company acura. Sorry

AudiAnnie

Most of my 4WD experience is with Subaru. I've also owned a Colt Vista 4WD and an F100 4-spd 4x4. So far, I haven't experienced winter driving with my A4, so can't make a direct comparison, but there are an awful lot of plusses and minusses for different systems, and each will be optimal in different situations. For that reason, don't put much emphasis on someone else's test results.

The quattro system is sophisticated, with its 40/60 torque split, limited slip center diff., and electronic limited slip for each axle. That means it's highly adaptable, and should handle a wide variety of situations very well. My boss has owned several Audi quattros, and a couple of Land Rovers, and says emphatically that the quattro has best grip on slippery roads.

The ultimate system for grip is a "part time" system with a simple (solid, no diff) transfer case and limited slip at the rear axle, at least. That's the variety fitted on the Vista I owned, and it was like a horse in the snow - just unstoppable. The only problem was that it only wanted to go straight, even with the wheels turned! It was a real challenge to keep on a curve in snow. The F100 was also part-time, but with open diffs at both axles. It was more willing to steer, but could also get stuck easily if diagonally-opposite wheels lost traction (not an unusual occurrence on primitive roads).

Subaru has two different systems. With automatic transmissions, rear drive is (nearly) off normally, and a computer-controlled wet clutch applies torque to the rear if the front starts to slip. Manual transmissions have a center diff with viscous coupling to limit slip. Both systems drive very well, but none of the Subarus I owned had limited-slip axles (not sure whether current models do).

I think the bottom line is, even if the quattro system isn't the very best you can find today, it is an excellent system and cannot be far behind any other. In the end, it's more likely to be your choice of tires, which determines whether or not you get stuck in bad weather. Tire type, tread design and compound can matter much more than the differences between AWD systems.

perdido34

I owned a 2005 Saab 9-2x. This was the Subaru WRX of that year, with no difference in the engine/transmission. I thought the AWD was excellent--never got stuck in five years of Cleveland winters, and the system never broke. My 2010 A4 was excellent last winter, and the traction control (or ESP??) easily corrected skids if I went around an unexpectedly slippery corner; I just kept my foot on the gas, steered where I wanted to go, and the car snapped back into line. The Saabaru had no traction control or ESP, so I had to resolve such skids myself by taking my foot off the gas and doing a steering correction.

In summary, they were both excellent AWD systems, but the Audi does more of the HELP! SAVE ME FAST! work<g>.

kleinbus

Similar posts...


https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...3#post23964033


https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2767164

Sourdough Josh

This thread is dumb. The best AWD system on the market is obviously the one on the A4 Avant I ordered.

Just mine.

Not all A4 Avants.

Just the one.

B8aruba

I just lol'd a little...

S4orceaudi

I like the old Audi system best, last time it was used was in 95. The thing is unstopable and has the rear diff lock button for when you dig yourself in a little to deep. Its a 50/50 lock with a center torsen diff that can send power front to rear or the other way around.

kleinbus

Lucky you, I almost fell off from my chair

markcincinnati

The "best" AWD system today is probably not so much specific to the auto manufacturer, but to the AWD manufacturer. I would say TorSen is the best AWD system -- Audi is typically associated with TorSen (to be fair there are other mfgr's who also use TorSen, but Audi is perhaps the one company to really embrace TorSen instead of some other systems that may qualify to be called AWD, but are not, literally Torque Sensing (TorSen).)

Quattro does NOT univerally mean TorSen. But for purposes of this discussion let's just say Audi Quattros are based "typically and widely" upon the TorSen system.

The TorSen system is, as far as I know, the only non-reactive AWD system on passenger autos. It is, unlike reactive systems, "real time."

It does not base its torque shifting upon wheel slippage, then a millisecond later, react. TorSen systems "bind in real time."

Why? Broadly speaking because TorSen systems (quattro for our purposes) are mechanical; i.e., they do not have to have a sensor detect a reduced-traction issue, trigger a response and then send the response instruction to a computer to in turn send a command to a device that shifts the torque where it will do the most good.

Quattro apportions the power where it needs to go when it needs it, not a fraction of a second later. There is no latency in a quattro AWD system.

The current maximum state of the quattro art includes rear biased torque (40/60 split), real time shifting and torque vectoring (side to side apportionment of torque to aid in countering understeer, for instance.)

A TorSen Audi quattro with torque vectoring in a vechicle with a decent F/R weight balance, ESP, Brake-assist, ADS, etc, like an A4 or S4 is routinely said (by those who get well paid to test and write about it) to be the best representative of the AWD automobile art today.

The fact that ALL the "players" seem to now offer AWD in virtually all of their finest representations of their engineering prowess is further testimony to the value (and market demand) of AWD systems, generally.

The fact that the Audi quattro is pretty much the only high zoot car line that is synonymous with TorSen is perhaps telling, too, since Audi has the most experience building AWD sporting intentioned cars (experience in years).

But time waits for no one -- I would assume that most folks don't even know that Audi is the leader (based on experience) in this field. Hell, most folks probably assume that Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, Acura, Lexus, Infiniti, VW, Porsche, Cadillac, Linclon, Jaguar (not to slight the Mitsu or the Subaru) and so on, all come in AWD (just like Dr. Piech predicted some 30 years ago) and have, since the beginning.

For years, BMW turned up its nose at AWD, claiming AWD was not suitable for any car with the Roundel on it. Hmm. Now, according to our BMW dealers here in River City (10th largest US market for BMW's), the majority of BMW's sold are #1. auto transmission and #2. X-drive. Now that the 7's offer AWD, it is pretty hard to even find an RWD sample in stock.

So, the point is, TorSen (despite it's heft) is probably the best technology from a purely engineering point of view. From a marketing point of view, not so much.

B8aruba

Well said. I must say, this thread is turning out some great info on AWD systems. Couldn't agree with you more on the Torsen system and Quattro overall.