re: quattro vs. Syncro??

[Steve Valin <sjv@netapp.com>]

Iain Mannix <mannix@privateI.com> asks:

<< What exactly are the differences between the quattro and Syncro
systems?
More specifically, the 4kq and VW qsw - I just saw something in the Audi
newsgroup claiming that "old Syncro" is/was not as desirable for high
performance driving as quattro - any insights?  I have been told many
different things - some say it is the same, some say the rear suspension
is
different but otherwise the same, and somewhere down the line I got the
idea that they were somehow different.  Insights?  Thanks! >>

Quattro is Audi speak for all wheel drive - Syncro is VW-speak. They are
purely marketing terms. 

If the engine is longitudinally placed and drives all 4 wheels, then
it's the classic Audi drivetrain: no VC couplings - either open or
Torsen center diff (the V8Q with automatic is the odd duck with an
electronically controlled multi-plate center diff).  If the engine is
transverse, then it uses the viscous center diff.  Until recently, all
Audi's used the former, but the upcoming A3, TT, and TTS quattros will
use the latter.  

The Quantum Syncro wagon used the same drivetrain as the 4KQ, but the
rear suspension was different.  I can't say if it was better or worse...

-steve

--
Steve Valin		sjv@netapp.com         408.367.3566