- GT Style -

<i>History of the 325IX - In the wake of the Audi Quattro and its rally success, many manufacturers adopted four-wheel drive to its models. BMW was not interested in Audi's progress in the rally scene, but when the press and the public cried out for more, BMW changed their mind.</i>

We came 1st
We were better
We are 1st gen quatters<ul><li><a href="http://www.caroholic.com/88_BMW.htm">http://www.caroholic.com/88_BMW.htm</a</li></ul>

- GT Style -

<ul><li><a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/4000/msgs/106899.phtml">https://forums.audiworld.com/4000/msgs/106899.phtml</a</li></ul>

urqisgood

I actually have both, hardly any comparison.

For example,

urq electrical system BAD
ix electrical system Good

ix drivetrain BAD (Transfer case)
urq drivetrain Good.

I drove both this morning, at 3 degrees F.
ix nice heater
urq poor heater

urq urgent and exciting
ix calm and steady.

To each his own, for some, both is good. Especially in snowy places!

I actually think the E30 M3 is more of an urq wannabe (Fender box flares). But then an urq isn't really much of a competitor to that little car is it?

- GT Style -

<i>1986 full time All Wheel Drive offered on certain models, the part time system available through 1989.
1987 Subaru offers All-Wheel-Drive (awd) automatically varying the power delivered to wheels (Audi's Quattro system introduced in 1980). </i><ul><li><a href="http://www.cars101.com/subaru/subaru_history.html">http://www.cars101.com/subaru/subaru_history.html</a</li></ul>

racingiron

Ever hear of the Jensen FF? An argument can be made for the Audi being the first to be successful at it, though.

- GT Style -

<i>However, it was not until <b>Jensen applied the <u>Formula Ferguson four wheel drive system</u> to their 1966 Jensen FF</b> that the system was used in a production sports car, but with a total of 320 build units this did not sell in appreciable numbers. The first manufacturer to develop four-wheel drive for road-going cars was Subaru, who introduced the mass-produced 4WD Leone in 1972. This model eventually became the best-selling 4WD car in the world. <b>Audi introduced the first permanently all-wheel driven high volume road-going car, the Audi Quattro, in 1980</b>.</i><ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_wheel_drive">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_wheel_drive</a</li></ul>

urq20vt

Audi wasn't the first road car with 4WD or AWD. Subaru and lowly AMC (Eagle) had mass produced cars first. AMC made almost 200k Eagles before Audi even brought quattros to the US. Audi WAS the first to be successful racing AWD cars, and to make high performance production models with AWD. The key is the quattro transmission, which allows AWD with a minimum of added weight. The downside is the necessity to hang the engine in front of the front axle, which messes up the weight distribution. Audi has been working ever since to make engines lighter and shorter.