# Quattro or not?



## stumardy (Oct 25, 2009)

Hi Guys,

Thinking of getting a TT SLine STronic 2L TFSI. Just want to know if I should get Quattro or not? what do people think? Will have the car for 4 years and had 2 Mk2's with Quattro, but really want to know what people think?

Any advice would be good!


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## patatus (Jun 12, 2006)

If you already had 2 with Quattro, you will be disappointed with the car if you don't get Quattro... So short answer is:

Yes, get quattro.


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## can_quattro (Jun 11, 2009)

Quattro, without question!


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## Pale Rider (Nov 15, 2011)

Quattro gives you better traction which is handy when there's not much grip and also gives you a quicker 0-60 time (despite the extra weight). Against that it costs more to buy, slightly more to maintain and uses a bit more fuel. You'll forget the costs the first time you have to drive in slippery conditions though - and you'll probably get some of it back when you sell. I'd get quattro every time.


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## Shug750S (Feb 6, 2012)

Try both, buy the one you like.

I have a mk2 FWD (only) and perfectly fine. Don't drive in snow, like we ever get much in London anyway...

All depends what you want really...

No doubt the Quattro is better in the wet if your really pushing it, but in normal everyday driving, at legal speeds, would reckon the car would be in two wheel drive most of the time anyway.


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## drjam (Apr 7, 2006)

Pale Rider said:


> ... you'll probably get some of it back when you sell...


Yeah, I can imagine resale value could be an issue, given how successfully Audi's marketing has been in terms of hyping up its capabilities. Though I have no idea how much difference it _does _make in financial reality (e.g. extra at resale vs. the extra paid to start with).

In terms of actual driving though - based on having a quattro (TT), RWD (Lotus) _and _FWD (Alfa) in the family fleet - for me personally it doesn't rank as a "must-have".


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## Pugliese (Aug 4, 2010)

drjam said:


> In terms of actual driving though - based on having a quattro (TT), RWD (Lotus) _and _FWD (Alfa) in the family fleet - for me personally it doesn't rank as a "must-have".


Interesting, I don't have a lotus but have a TTS quattro and Gulietta Cloverleaf and the Alfa even in the dry can struggle to get the power down. I also test drove the BMW 235i in the wet and managed to lose some traction (some would say that is the attraction of the RWD) but no such issues with the TTS - so far! So on the evidence so far, I would on balance opt for the Quattro option.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

quattro to me is a must have, others will disagree..!


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## drjam (Apr 7, 2006)

Pugliese said:


> drjam said:
> 
> 
> > In terms of actual driving though - based on having a quattro (TT), RWD (Lotus) _and _FWD (Alfa) in the family fleet - for me personally it doesn't rank as a "must-have".
> ...


Sure, and don't get me wrong - I'm not disputing that 4wd can give better traction in slippy conditions than 2wd. 
Going without means that pulling away in the wet you may not win any 0-60 races and you'll have to be less digital with the throttle. 
But personally, I just never find lack of traction problematic enough or often enough in the other two to regard 4wd as a 'must-have'.

I'm certainly not saying those who prioritise it differently are wrong: as with anything car-related, you pays your money and makes your choice - every car is a series of compromises.

/thread drift/
(By the way, how do you find the Giulietta? We've got - wife's car really - the cloverleaf Mito. I Like: surprisingly quick in a straight line, engine, brakes & gearbox, comfy, depreciates so was cheap 2nd hand! I don't like: handling when it sees a bend, pointless 'DNA' system, dodgy materials/fitment in places, bizarre height it jacks up to to change a wheel!).


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## Dash (Oct 5, 2008)

I see quattro as _the_ selling point of the TT. I'd probably have got a Z4 or similar otherwise.

But each to their own. No point in speccing up quattro if it's not something you really want. There will be plenty of second-hand buyers who don't want to pay the premium for quattro too.


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## SiHancox (Sep 12, 2011)

Was reminded by a friend years ago, Quattro is all well and good when you want to get going but it's a different story when you want to stop! Had Quattro on the A4 Cabrio years ago but for the TT Mk2 went for front wheel drive only and must say never had an issue, so for Mk3 still stuck with front wheel drive.

Yes, you do loose a little bit on acceleration (watch out for cameras), and if it does snow and the gritters haven't been out (that's a pet hate of mine because round by me they seem to grit for slight frost!) you will certainly pull up that hill easier - but those are odd times in this country and the extra cost to me was not justified - plus as I previously said, in poor conditions I'm more concerned with stopping.

I would advise think very carefully and ask yourself if you will really use the Quattro's ability before spending the extra, it's costly if it's only going to be a badge to give you bragging rights. But, saying that, if in the future you might be considering getting her chipped to release more power, Quattro might then be worth it to give you back some welcome control.


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## Pale Rider (Nov 15, 2011)

Pugliese said:


> Interesting, I don't have a lotus but have a TTS quattro and Gulietta Cloverleaf and the Alfa even in the dry can struggle to get the power down.


Exactly. From a standing start in a 2WD car I reckon anything with more than about 150bhp struggles to get the power down - you always see the traction light flickering. No such problems with 4WD. That's why they're so quick off the line - without any drama too. A quattro with S-Tronic makes the most of whatever power its got.


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## 35mphspeedlimit (Sep 25, 2010)

I have recent experience of both and whilst the 1.8TFSI FWD was fun to drive it was very twitchy. Given normal driving conditions the Quattro is an unnecessary luxury but I am happy to pay that premium for certainty and sure footedness!


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## Dash (Oct 5, 2008)

Pale Rider said:


> Exactly. From a standing start in a 2WD car I reckon anything with more than about 150bhp struggles to get the power down - you always see the traction light flickering. No such problems with 4WD. That's why they're so quick off the line - without any drama too. A quattro with S-Tronic makes the most of whatever power its got.


It's more torque than maximum power, but I get your point. My 85bhp car spins the front wheels fairly happily, but they're skinny and I've got 220nm of torque from like 1 rpm.


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## StevesTTS (May 16, 2015)

I've just come from a V6 diesel RWD which was always 'interesting' in the wet. In fact it could be interesting in most conditions and positivly useless on ice.

I'm absolutely loving 4WD - quattro all the way for me.


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## Critter10 (Nov 4, 2010)

The wife has a MK7 Golf GTi. It's great fun to drive, but it's nothing like as sure-footed as my TTS. That's like driving on rails .

I had a MK2 FWD TT TFSI and that suffered badly from torque-steer, although I recall someone on here saying the MK3 variant didn't suffer from that. All I can say is that when the ice arrives, like the past 4 years, I'll have Quattro and Dunlop Wintersports and I wouldn't swap for any other combination  .


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## gvij (Jan 27, 2011)

I'd never go back to 2wd. 
I drive a mk1 Quattro and advantages are no wheelspin at any point , feelsyour in control, when you power out of a hairpin you can feel the power transfer to the rear and it sticking in. Makes the car feel planted basically.
Against it is poorer fuel economy, weight, more to go wrong, cost on a new car. But these are little compared to the pros.
Ps Quattro isn't a get out of jail card. I remember reading a post that someone wrote off their Quattro mk2 on the motorway when he lost it on a wet patch in a straight line.


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## jryoung (Feb 8, 2015)

gvij said:


> someone wrote off their Quattro mk2 on the motorway when he lost it on a wet patch in a straight line.


Must have been aquaplaning - in which case quattro isn't going to help (although may aid recovery) - so basically going too fast for the conditions


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## ChrisH (Jul 19, 2007)

It depends how hard and fast you drive IMO. 
My Mk III 2.0 petrol has proved a good choice for local driving as it is quite fast enough for me, light weight and economical (42 av.mpg so far). I had an old (remapped) S3 for a short time before and was a much heavier car, it did 33mpg on a run and I never did find out whether the Quattro 4WD was actually working, so obviously I am too gentle a driver.
It's very much horses for courses, best advice is to drive both and see if you can tell the difference.


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## TRTT (Sep 16, 2015)

Dash said:


> I see quattro as _the_ selling point of the TT. I'd probably have got a Z4 or similar otherwise.
> 
> But each to their own. No point in speccing up quattro if it's not something you really want. There will be plenty of second-hand buyers who don't want to pay the premium for quattro too.


100% aligned with Dash. I'd personally have opted for some RWD fun if the snow in our region wasn't to be taken seriously. The only vehicle to tick all the boxes and include 4WD was the TT for me.


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## ChrisH (Jul 19, 2007)

TRTT said:


> Dash said:
> 
> 
> > I see quattro as _the_ selling point of the TT. I'd probably have got a Z4 or similar otherwise.
> ...


Sure in Germany where you get serious snow you need 4WD, I'm in the south and we're unlucky if we get more than a few inches a year when it causes total chaos and then I don't use the car.


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## Mr R (Mar 1, 2015)

It's other drivers I tend to worry about when there's snow/ice, and their behaviours and lack of ability.

4WD ain't gonna help if someone comes skidding towards you. Agree with ChrisH... I can live without the car for the few days a year when things grind to a halt with 2cm of snow.


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## galum (Sep 4, 2015)

stumardy said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> Thinking of getting a TT SLine STronic 2L TFSI. Just want to know if I should get Quattro or not? what do people think? Will have the car for 4 years and had 2 Mk2's with Quattro, but really want to know what people think?
> 
> Any advice would be good!


For me i was going for a diesel again until i learned they were not doing the diesel quattro any more. In my opinion it just makes the drive so much more responsive. Had my car a few days now any its fantastic (particularly with the extra oomph from the petrol engine! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


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