Y-U-C-K. The Indian Audi A6 is FWD only!

GTO · 28th April 2005, 19:30

Didnt realise there was no quattro option till I read some recent test-drives. Especially when all its competition is RWD.

When I spend anything above 20 lacs on a car, I dont want to have the power, braking (majority) and steering all from the front wheels.

GTO

manticore · 28th April 2005, 19:43

Ow. Thats bad news....leaving out the feature that they're most famous for. Maybe it's because majority of the people who buy it will be chauffered around and they wouldnt know the difference between FWD and Quattro.....or maybe they couldnt care less. Anyways, thats not heartening to know.

With power going to the front wheels, it'll sure be a lot less rewarding to drive. Quattro is a much safer and useful thing to have on a car....and you're paying 25+ lakhs on it too. Guess Audi would do better to bring the Quattro models......but the prices?? Would they be much higher than the regular versions?

BTW, spotted one in silver. The car looks gorgeous and sublime, except for the new corporate grille. But I guess the A6 does not come with the old grille anymore, do they?

Manti.

Harrie · 28th April 2005, 19:45

Not to mention the awful torque steer that would come with it. would really spoil all the fun. if not AWD atleast RWD would have been fun...

Revvmaster · 28th April 2005, 20:03

Why is there so much hatred for anything FWD. Why even the Superb at 25 lakhs is FWD. But does that make it an incompetent car? Sure we all love the rear wheel drive format which allows you to have the front wheels only to steer... but what is it that modern FWDs don't offer

Look at the 147GTA. Its a hatchback, it produces 250 bhp. But look at that thing go around a track and you'll be amazed that it is a FWD.

As for the A6, sure it is FWD, but it handles quite well, packages everything in the front thus liberating masses of space in the rear and is quite a nice car to live with. I don't see anything wrong with it being FWD.

Revv

P.S. All this, and from a BMW nut!

manticore · 28th April 2005, 20:09

Guess it's a personal thing. I cannot afford it, but if I could, the car would have to be RWD. True, the lines are becoming thinner and thinner, but there is no substitute for the inherent fun and balance of a RWD car, no matter how much techno-wizardry you pack into a FWD. And of course the Audi's a very competent car, no doubt about it.

Manti.

islero · 28th April 2005, 21:00

Oh damn, this is going to be tough then, if they're going to go upmarket, then why cant they go the whole hog and sell Quattro?

Mpower · 28th April 2005, 21:17

For handling high horsepower, I'll take an RWD anyday. But my second choice will be FWD.

I dont see the point in carrying 200kg of dead weight for 4wd components. Not to mention the possibility
of differential whine or propshaft noises. It makes sense in Europe, US where you get snow in the winter but
in India quattro is only for bragging rights. As far as torque steer, Audi claims to have eliminated it by using
a hi-tech front suspension.

Mondeo is a FWD but will beat the pants off any RWD Mercedes when it comes to handling.

Sahil · 28th April 2005, 21:58

A6 is not worth the price...46 Lakhs! Agreed its a nice car, i really like it .... but for it to sell in India it needs to be atleast a few couple of lakhs cheaper than the E-class... instead this is almost 6-7 Lakhs more expensive than E-240/270Cdi.

vandan · 28th April 2005, 22:18

ok i know this is really stupid of me but wat diff does it make wether your car is FWD or RWD¿

Rehaan · 28th April 2005, 22:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpower

I dont see the point in carrying 200kg of dead weight for 4wd components. Not to mention the possibility
of differential whine or propshaft noises. It makes sense in Europe, US where you get snow in the winter but
in India quattro is only for bragging rights.

Exactly!
Lets not forget this is a A6 we are talking about.... surely its dissapointing to have an audio without the quattro, but the AWD itsself would add huge cost to the car, which wouldnt be a terrible thing in this price sensitive indian market. Surely the quattro has advantages in indian conditions as well, but definitely not for 95% of the driving that these A6's are gonna be doing.

cya
R

Revvmaster · 28th April 2005, 22:22

Quote:

but for it to sell in India it needs to be atleast a few couple of lakhs cheaper than the E-class... instead this is almost 6-7 Lakhs more expensive than E-240/270Cdi.

The reason is simple. Its a CBU and Audi is paying 105% duty. Local assembly and CKD kits later, watch how the prices crash. Its a matter of when Audi sets up a plant here. Read today's Business Times-Times of India to know more.

Revv

ajmat · 28th April 2005, 22:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by vandan

ok i know this is really stupid of me but wat diff does it make wether your car is FWD or RWD¿

With a fwd - tendency to understeer, torque steer if you accelerate in corners and a slightly dead steering - Audi's are notorius for this

jigarmuni · 28th April 2005, 23:13

Actually probably coz its not so simple to drive RWD without a traction control...! If given to Indian drivers (who are not used to driving high powered cars) , it can turn out to be dangerous!!! I mean its just so very easy to loose your tail when you are powering out of a corner..!

I remember this one incident wherein a guy about 20 yrs old, with a black merc (dunno remember which one it was....but it was some RWD merc) had taken out the car on the sriperumbedur race track in chennai..... to take a lap of the circuit....so he turned off his TC and was driving flat out on the track....jsut when he was about to exit the last corner of the track.... he happend to power a bit too much ....lost his rear ....and slammed the car from all the four sides...!! I mean its stupid....but can happen in INDIA...!!

Montoya · 28th April 2005, 23:13

Wonder who will prefer the Audi onfront of the BMW 530i it real looks nothing. But the BMW comes with a cassette player no MP3 or CD. Sad for a car of that class. Sad to know that a car like the Audi A6 comes in FWD. When will Companies stop fooling Indians..

X-Machine · 29th April 2005, 03:31

I was really stunned when i read this post.The Audi legacy is known for its Quattro,which also phenominally picked up thier sales.An FWD Audi eont be as exciting to drive.But keeping the enthusiast point of view aside,i guess the Quattro option would've just raised the price of the car to nearly 50lacs when its counterparts are priced much much lower than that.So maybe they tried to cut cost and ended up with this move.But i hope in the near future they introduce a Quattro!!

X

28th April 2005, 19:30	#1
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 71,780 Thanked: 322,453 Times View My Garage	Y-U-C-K. The Indian Audi A6 is FWD only! Didnt realise there was no quattro option till I read some recent test-drives. Especially when all its competition is RWD. When I spend anything above 20 lacs on a car, I dont want to have the power, braking (majority) and steering all from the front wheels. GTO
	() Thanks

28th April 2005, 19:43	#2
manticore BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Cochin/New Delhi Posts: 298 Thanked: 8 Times	Ow. Thats bad news....leaving out the feature that they're most famous for. Maybe it's because majority of the people who buy it will be chauffered around and they wouldnt know the difference between FWD and Quattro.....or maybe they couldnt care less. Anyways, thats not heartening to know. With power going to the front wheels, it'll sure be a lot less rewarding to drive. Quattro is a much safer and useful thing to have on a car....and you're paying 25+ lakhs on it too. Guess Audi would do better to bring the Quattro models......but the prices?? Would they be much higher than the regular versions? BTW, spotted one in silver. The car looks gorgeous and sublime, except for the new corporate grille. But I guess the A6 does not come with the old grille anymore, do they? Manti. Last edited by manticore : 28th April 2005 at 19:53.
	() Thanks

28th April 2005, 19:45	#3
Harrie BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: KA 03, KL 12, TN 38 Posts: 701 Thanked: 36 Times View My Garage	Not to mention the awful torque steer that would come with it. would really spoil all the fun. if not AWD atleast RWD would have been fun...
	() Thanks

28th April 2005, 20:03	#4
Revvmaster Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,189 Thanked: 98 Times	Why is there so much hatred for anything FWD. Why even the Superb at 25 lakhs is FWD. But does that make it an incompetent car? Sure we all love the rear wheel drive format which allows you to have the front wheels only to steer... but what is it that modern FWDs don't offer Look at the 147GTA. Its a hatchback, it produces 250 bhp. But look at that thing go around a track and you'll be amazed that it is a FWD. As for the A6, sure it is FWD, but it handles quite well, packages everything in the front thus liberating masses of space in the rear and is quite a nice car to live with. I don't see anything wrong with it being FWD. Revv P.S. All this, and from a BMW nut!
	() Thanks

28th April 2005, 20:09	#5
manticore BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Cochin/New Delhi Posts: 298 Thanked: 8 Times	Guess it's a personal thing. I cannot afford it, but if I could, the car would have to be RWD. True, the lines are becoming thinner and thinner, but there is no substitute for the inherent fun and balance of a RWD car, no matter how much techno-wizardry you pack into a FWD. And of course the Audi's a very competent car, no doubt about it. Manti.
	() Thanks

28th April 2005, 21:00	#6
islero Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,574 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	Oh damn, this is going to be tough then, if they're going to go upmarket, then why cant they go the whole hog and sell Quattro?
	() Thanks

28th April 2005, 21:17	#7
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,397 Thanked: 1,735 Times View My Garage	For handling high horsepower, I'll take an RWD anyday. But my second choice will be FWD. I dont see the point in carrying 200kg of dead weight for 4wd components. Not to mention the possibility of differential whine or propshaft noises. It makes sense in Europe, US where you get snow in the winter but in India quattro is only for bragging rights. As far as torque steer, Audi claims to have eliminated it by using a hi-tech front suspension. Mondeo is a FWD but will beat the pants off any RWD Mercedes when it comes to handling.
	() Thanks

28th April 2005, 21:58	#8
Sahil Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 6,356 Thanked: 8,057 Times	A6 is not worth the price...46 Lakhs! Agreed its a nice car, i really like it .... but for it to sell in India it needs to be atleast a few couple of lakhs cheaper than the E-class... instead this is almost 6-7 Lakhs more expensive than E-240/270Cdi.
	() Thanks

28th April 2005, 22:18	#9
vandan BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 179 Thanked: Once	ok i know this is really stupid of me but wat diff does it make wether your car is FWD or RWD¿
	() Thanks

28th April 2005, 23:13	#13
jigarmuni BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 139 Thanked: Once View My Garage	Actually probably coz its not so simple to drive RWD without a traction control...! If given to Indian drivers (who are not used to driving high powered cars) , it can turn out to be dangerous!!! I mean its just so very easy to loose your tail when you are powering out of a corner..! I remember this one incident wherein a guy about 20 yrs old, with a black merc (dunno remember which one it was....but it was some RWD merc) had taken out the car on the sriperumbedur race track in chennai..... to take a lap of the circuit....so he turned off his TC and was driving flat out on the track....jsut when he was about to exit the last corner of the track.... he happend to power a bit too much ....lost his rear ....and slammed the car from all the four sides...!! I mean its stupid....but can happen in INDIA...!! Last edited by jigarmuni : 28th April 2005 at 23:17.
	() Thanks

28th April 2005, 23:13	#14
Montoya BANNED Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Best City In India Mumbai Posts: 665 Thanked: Once	Wonder who will prefer the Audi onfront of the BMW 530i it real looks nothing. But the BMW comes with a cassette player no MP3 or CD. Sad for a car of that class. Sad to know that a car like the Audi A6 comes in FWD. When will Companies stop fooling Indians..
	() Thanks

29th April 2005, 03:31	#15
X-Machine Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Mumbai/Tokyo Posts: 1,475 Thanked: 29 Times	I was really stunned when i read this post.The Audi legacy is known for its Quattro,which also phenominally picked up thier sales.An FWD Audi eont be as exciting to drive.But keeping the enthusiast point of view aside,i guess the Quattro option would've just raised the price of the car to nearly 50lacs when its counterparts are priced much much lower than that.So maybe they tried to cut cost and ended up with this move.But i hope in the near future they introduce a Quattro!! X
	() Thanks