Re: '95 Quattro Wagon Info please

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

On Thu, 3 Nov 1994, Andrew Duane USG/PE wrote:

>The Quattro
> drivetrain adds some weight, but it also adds more resistance in
> the driveshafts. I read here a while ago that, measured on a dyno,
> the FWD absorbs 26 HP, while the quattro absorbs 50. This, coupled
> with the weight, and the small engine output, adds up to non-impressive
> 0-60 times. Of course, the stability of the AWD platform, and the
> extraordinary handling characteristics make up for that ;-)

the lesser known fact is that tire losses increase with the fourth power
of loading.  thus, under conditions of high tractive loads such as
travelling at a high speed (where the car has to overcome wind resistance)
the tire losses become significant to the point where 4wd becomes a win. 
that's why some cars equipped with 4wd can accelerate just as well as
their lighter 2wd counterpart. see, who needs rain or snow to benefit
from 4 driven wheels?  :)
 
> The V8 is a nice car/engine, but $$$$$. It
> has been sold here in small numbers for a few years. I don't know
> if it still is. Eliot?

the v8 was available through special order in 1994.. it has been dropped
for 1995.  saying that it was a slow seller is an understatement. the
dealer here finally got rid of a *1993* V8 that was sitting in the lot for
almost 2 years.. but used 1990 models are in demand because of its
depreciated price of about $20K.  '90 V8's on sale here go within a few
days and the dealer has confirmed my suspicions.  92 and 93 models have
pricing that was set by a chimpanzee.  almost $60K! 

the new NA audi boss has seen the light and has cut $7.7K off the
price of the 1995 A6 quattro.  i agree that the previous guy really
deserved to be fired.  the 100Q was within $3K of the S4 which was
madness.  options on the S4 such as pearl white paint cost less
than the 100Q and the S4 also had more standard equipment.

i feel sorry for those who bought a 100Q (V6) new, because used
prices are going to take a real beating because of the new
pricing scheme. 

the main theme of marketing the 95 cars would be how much car one got over
its competitors, and audi is really going out to town to undercut such
duds as the vigor or the mid range lexii/infiniti. i think even the
mainstream japanese sedans are within striking distance of the 90.  i
expect sales to pick up significantly from this year. 


eliot