BUYER’S GUIDE
Audi Quattro review
The ‘80s icon and rallying hero is a modern classic on the rise and as charismatic as it is impressive to drive…
Engine
2.3-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol (20V)
Power
220PS (162kW) @ 5,900rpm
Torque
309Nm (227lb ft) @ 1,950rpm
Kerb weight
1,395kg
0-62mph
6.3 seconds
What Is It?
If every interesting car needs a back story the Audi Quattro has one spanning several fascinating chapters, be that the original sign-off from Ferdinand Piech to the game-changing introduction of four-wheel drive to rallying (and famous wins off the back of it for Michelle Mouton, Stig Blomqvist and Walter Röhrl) or the mainstreaming of turbocharging into modern performance cars.
The Quattro is arguably the car that carries Audi’s modern reputation as well, the classic Vorsprung Durch Technik ideals never better expressed while the combination of understated style and a high quality are still key brand selling points.
Iconic looks, a charismatic and powerful engine, innovative engineering and a rock-solid motorsport heritage? The Quattro has it all.
Corrosive Areas
Sills
Door edges
Wheel arches
Checklist
- Whatever else hangs over the Quattro, parts availability will be your biggest concern as an ownership proposition; while the reality may not be as bad as assumed it remains an issue for any restoration
- Body panels, interior parts and random electronic bits may all fall under the dreaded ‘no longer available’ heading, but between the in-house Audi Tradition and respected independent specialists support is out there
- Quattro gained many and various updates over its long life but the main evolutionary steps concern the switch from original ‘WR’ 2.1-litre to 2.3-litre MB and its 20-valve RR derivative – you’ll often see these codes in adverts as a quick reference for what you’re looking at
- Iconic digital dash is pure ‘80s chic and was introduced for the 1984 model year, graphics changing from original green to orange
- Other changes to consider include a 1985 facelift and interior update and the shift from manual locking centre and rear differentials to more sophisticated Torsen centre diff in 1988
- Group B homologation Sport Quattro chopped 24cm out of the wheelbase and increased power on the street version to over 300PS – rarity puts these into the league of serious exotica
- Cars built before the 1985 introduction of galvanised bodies need to be checked thoroughly for rust but, given vintage, even later ones need a thorough inspection
- Engines can rack up big mileages with proper care but look out for smoky turbos or cracked exhaust manifolds, the latter often caused by failing engine mounts
- Quattro powertrain can throw up issues, notably the pneumatic manual diff locks on earlier cars and leaking rear differentials
- Check brake accumulator is working properly
How does it drive?
Where modern performance cars have become more homogenous in their driving manners, the Quattro hails from an era when the big German marques all had much more distinct characters. And while the Audi may lack the refinement of a Mercedes or sporting edge of a BMW its uniquely tech-driven approach stands as something genuinely different, not least for its basis in turbocharging and four-wheel drive.
These dominate the driving experience more than, say, steering feel or finely honed control weights, contemporary reviewers criticising the slow gearshift, nose-heavy balance and steering but wowed by the Porsche-beating performance, overall quality, all-weather traction and lusty turbocharged grunt.
The classic warbly five-cylinder soundtrack and all its associations with the Quattro’s rallying heroics helps make it a real experience as well.
What’s good?
Just as the German brands differed in their driving manners, they all went their own way aesthetically as well, Mercedes transitioning from its chrome-laden chintz to hard-edged ‘80s look while BMW riffed on its timelessly elegant three-box silhouette.
Against both Audi’s square-cut, box-arched brutalism is something different altogether and aging well, there being literally nothing else out there quite like a Quattro in looks. That translates to the driving manners as well and, like so many cars with rallying blood, the Audi’s abilities translate brilliantly to the road.
It’s also a decently practical car, comfortably capable of carrying four grown-ups. Iconic is a much over-used word but, in this context, more than worthy.
What’s bad?
Impressive and clever as it is, the Quattro is perhaps not as sharp or naturally satisfying as some of its contemporaries, blunt styling matched with some less satisfying driving manners. But that’s balanced against its other qualities, and it remains a beguiling modern classic.
Less favourable is the difficulty of keeping them sweet, a level of mechanical complexity compounded by years of poor parts supply. As values rise and servicing that need becomes more cost effective the situation for surviving cars has improved.
But if you’re buying as a fixer-upper make sure you do so accepting that a restoration could hit the buffers if you can’t find what you need.
Which model to choose?
Short version would, inevitably, be ‘the best you can find’ given the core characteristics are shared by all the various evolutions that appeared over the Quattro’s life.
Earlier cars have a slightly daintier and more dated look and lack popular features like the famous digital dash but may have the slightly harder edge in driving terms, even with the marginally more modest power output of the 2.1-litre engine.
For the more aggressive looks, the improved interior and the significantly improved performance it’s hard to ignore the later 20-valve cars, though, these arguably ‘peak Quattro’ for those attracted by the looks and character.
Specifications – Audi Quattro 20V
Engine
2.3-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol
Power
220PS (162kW) @ 5,900rpm
Torque
309Nm (227lb ft) @ 1,950rpm
Transmission
Five-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Kerb weight
1,395kg
0-62mph
6.3 seconds
Top speed
144mph
Production dates
1980-1991