"quattro."

[Iain Mannix <mannix@privateI.com>]

One thing I have noticed on this list and in talkingto other Audi owners
are references to Audi's all wheel drive system as simply "quattro."
Yeah, that's what it is called, hmm, I know there's a name for this....ok,
statements like...

"if you lock the rear differential, then it is not quattro, it is just
four wheel drive. If you leave the rear open, it is quattro, transferring
power where it needs it."


As if quattro is something different than four wheel drive with the center
diff locked - as far as I can tell, there's no difference, open axle
differentials, 50% split at the center.  I don't doubt that Audi went
about getting 4wd differently than most manufacturers, but it seems to me
that the end result is 4wd(center locked).  Am I wrong?  I can't see a
difference looking through the manual, am I missing something?  

I guess what it boils down to is this - many people specify "quattro" and
imply that it is somehow better than 4wd(say, an older Subaru wagon or
Mazda 323GTX) - somehow better than a locked center diff and open axles.  

"a speed which should only be attempted in a quattro." 

Why?  I saw that in reference to hydroplaning, no idea who said it.  I
can't figure out for the life of me why it is that "quattro" might be
better than a "normal" 4wd.  Not the whole car, mind you, but the 4wd
system - is it correct to imply that "quattro," the awd/4wd system in,
say, my 4000S, does something differently than a Mazda?  It (AFAIK, and
not including the Torsen V8s) is no different, as far as I can see.

Bottom line - am I missing something big?


I.Mannix