The one word that is synonymous with Audi in Canada is quattro. Quattro is Audi’s version of all wheel drive and is available on every Canadian Audi. In the A3, quattro takes the form of a very fast acting hydraulic multi-plate clutch that acts as a centre differential. Since this centre diff can vary how much it locks up, the amount of power that gets shifted from front to back can be varied as well.
Quattro is an option on the A3 Sportback in Canada and front wheel drive is the standard configuration. When Quattro is ordered, this means the basic drive mode is front wheel drive. When the computer senses wheel slippage, power transfer takes a fraction of a second to go from roughly 90% to the front to a 50/50 split or if necessary going nearly all to the rear. Individual wheels are controlled by the computer working through the ABS sensors and brake system.
My test unit came with quattro and winter tires. At first, I thought that Audi was nuts leaving the winter tires on in the middle of May and then it snowed. My early morning sojourn for a Starbucks latte for my wife, the stuffy boring accountant seemed normal enough. I couldn’t figure out why everyone was tip-toeing about. Then I got out of the car and took a bit of a slide and decided that perhaps quattro and the tires were doing more to make me look like a good driver than I thought.
The other major upgrade in this particular A3 is the twin clutch automatic. These types of transmission are becoming more common due to the efficiencies offered to both manufacturer and consumer. Everyone’s fist thought is that the transmission must be some type of performance unit. The answer to that question is a very clear “it depends”. What it depends on is how you use it.
If you are performance minded and want to shift your own gear box, the paddle shifters on the steering column are something you had best get used to because in sport mode using the paddle shifters, you get crisp shifts at the rpm you want. The single biggest reason for this is that this type of gearbox can be set to do shifts in considerably less than a tenth of a second.
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| Quattro takes the form of a very fast acting hydraulic multi-plate clutch that acts as a centre differential. |
Quattro is an option on the A3 Sportback in Canada and front wheel drive is the standard configuration. When Quattro is ordered, this means the basic drive mode is front wheel drive. When the computer senses wheel slippage, power transfer takes a fraction of a second to go from roughly 90% to the front to a 50/50 split or if necessary going nearly all to the rear. Individual wheels are controlled by the computer working through the ABS sensors and brake system.
My test unit came with quattro and winter tires. At first, I thought that Audi was nuts leaving the winter tires on in the middle of May and then it snowed. My early morning sojourn for a Starbucks latte for my wife, the stuffy boring accountant seemed normal enough. I couldn’t figure out why everyone was tip-toeing about. Then I got out of the car and took a bit of a slide and decided that perhaps quattro and the tires were doing more to make me look like a good driver than I thought.
The other major upgrade in this particular A3 is the twin clutch automatic. These types of transmission are becoming more common due to the efficiencies offered to both manufacturer and consumer. Everyone’s fist thought is that the transmission must be some type of performance unit. The answer to that question is a very clear “it depends”. What it depends on is how you use it.
If you are performance minded and want to shift your own gear box, the paddle shifters on the steering column are something you had best get used to because in sport mode using the paddle shifters, you get crisp shifts at the rpm you want. The single biggest reason for this is that this type of gearbox can be set to do shifts in considerably less than a tenth of a second.
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| Ride quality on the A3 can vary a bit depending on if you choose the sport suspension with stiffer shocks, springs and sway bars. |