I live in the Lake Effect Snow Belt in West Michigan. We get dumped with lots of snow. The quattro really shines in that. Now I agree about braking being the most important thing in winter. That's why I bought dedicated snows for my car. Virtually no wheel slip during take off, and much shorter stops than the all seasons. The performance biased all seasons just aren't the greatest stopping. It doesn't matter if the car is AWD or FWD. You also have to remember these cars are really heavy for their size. Almost 4000 lbs. without passengers. The extra weight is harder to stop. Because of the extra weight, someone nicknamed my car "the fat little porker". I shake my head whenever I hear it.

 

That's hilarious. I never realized they were proportionally so heavy.

My view on the quattro thing is that these cars are MADE for quattro and have a racing heritage due to that AWD system. If you're getting an Audi, get quattro.

 

Yep, these German cars are quite heavy. Even my Jetta was much heavier than other cars in it's class. I'm guessing the weight is part of the reason that Audi/VW's and other German cars don't get quite as good gas as mileage as other makes. But to be honest, I'd rather have the heavier built, and more sturdy vehicle, especially in an accident. My parents old 2005 Chevy Malibu is a roomier and larger car than our A4's, but it's at least 300 to 400 pounds lighter, and it's V6 with similar power to our 2.0t motors, was rated one or two mpg better, and achieved that and more.

 

I'd take my "fat little porker" over a Chevy Malibu any day, though.

 

i live in southwest michigan.. funny coincidence.. It isn't all about 'stopping fast'.. its about maintaining control over the vehicle while its moving.. there is nothing worst then getting stuck or hitting a patch of slush or having your *** end slide out from underneath you.. in the winter you shouldn't HAVE TO stop fast.. you should be planning and slowing down ahead of time.. 4wd or not.. my audi is a tank in the winter..

you really cant compare it to a chevy malibu though.. you need to compare it to something of equal ability.. if you were comparing it to a 4wd chevy 1500 you would be under weight..

and more weight doesn't ALWAYS mean its harder to stop.. traction has more to do with stopping then kinetic energy.. and more weight can give you an advantage in traction.

 

We weren't. Really, we were just talking a bit off-topic about the weight relative to other cars this size.

I still say getting an Audi without quattro is like getting a 2WD Jeep Wrangler. You could, but why?!

 

Agreed.. You wouldnt