1990 Audi Coupe Quattro Is Ready for Act Two

From the September 1989 issue of Car and Driver.In 1982, Audi unleashed the stunning Quattro in the United States. Bearing turbocharging, intercooling, and perma­nent all-wheel drive, the two-door Quattro won considerable praise as a technological tour de force.The Quattro’s high profile and capa­ble road manners focused attention on the performance potential of four-wheel drive—which became the most copied technical advance of the eighties. In turn, the Quattro put the spotlight on Audi.Bolstered by the attention given to the Quattro’s mechanical wonders, praise for the fine new 5000 sedan, and a string of other well-received Quattro models, Audi watched its sales take off. By 1985, Audi sold a record 74,061 cars in the U.S. Nothing could have prepared high-fly­ing Audi for the debilitating series of events that began in 1986. First, Audi became the primary target in the unin­tended-acceleration controversy, one of the most baseless and pathetic media witch hunts of all time.The unintended-acceleration accusations alone would have been sufficient to grenade the sales of any low-volume im­porter, but to add to Audi’s misery the dollar began to depreciate rapidly in rela­tion to the deutsche mark—causing the prices of all-German cars sold in the States to soar. In short order, Audi sales plummeted. In 1988, the once-hardy German maker sold a paltry 22,943 cars. Happily, there is now good news for Audi enthusiasts: the Quattro is back. It’s markedly different in form (the new model, for example, has a rear hatch) and is now called the Coupe Quattro, but its mission is similar to the original’s: to forge a high-profile image for Audi that will invigorate sales throughout the mak­er’s line. The original Quattro resembled a front-drive Audi Coupe with fender flares. The new Coupe Quattro has no Audi front-drive counterpart in the Unit­ed States. Its closest relative is the 90 se­dan, on whose platform it is based. The Coupe shares only its hood and grille with the sedan, however. Every other body panel it wears is unique. And though the Coupe Quattro rides on the 90 sedan’s floorpan, its wheelbase is a half-inch longer. It’s also a bit shorter, wider, and lower than the 90. In photos, the Coupe Quattro looks chunky and dull. It looks a bit more pleasing and aggressive in the metal, but this is hardly a beautiful car. The Coupe’s assertive stance is aided by its handsome Speedline spoked alloy wheels, carefully chosen, according to one Audi engineer, “to send out a mean message.” Despite flush, frameless side windows, recessed door handles, and fog lights tucked smartly into the front fascia, the Coupe Quattro cleaves the air with a me­diocre 0.36 drag coefficient. That’s a sur­prisingly poor figure, considering that Audi is known for the aerodynamic effi­ciency of its cars. The body is fully galva­nized, as are the bodies on all other Audis, so the Coupe will likely be all but immune to the ravages of rust. The Coupe’s suspension, like the 90 Quattro’s, consists of struts located by control arms at all four corners. But the Coupe gets gas-pressurized shock ab­sorbers and stiffer spring rates. An anti-­roll bar is fitted only in front.
European markets will offer a front­-drive version of the Coupe fitted with Audi’s well-known ten-valve, SOHC, 2.3-liter inline five-cylinder. But the U.S. will get only the Coupe Quattro, powered by a new, twenty-valve, DOHC version of the 2.3-liter five. More Audi Reviews from the ArchiveFitted with the new twenty-valve head, the omnipresent Audi five-cylinder pro­duces 164 hp, a 34-hp increase over the ten-valve engine. Torque is a modest 157 pound-feet, peaking at 4500 rpm. A Hitachi/Bosch engine-management sys­tem looks after the engine’s business, with port fuel injection, two knock sensors, and two distinct fuel-quality programs to opti­mize the engine’s operation. A five-speed manual is the only transmission available with the new Quattro. It delivers the engine’s output to a Torsen center differential that distributes the power to the differentials at each axle. The Torsen unit normally appor­tions the torque 50/50 front/rear, but can send as much as 78 percent of the en­gine’s output to whichever axle has the better traction. Only one driver-activated differential control is necessary with the Torsen sys­tem: a button on the center console that locks the rear differential for driving in ultra-slippery conditions. Locking the rear differential disengages the Quattro’s standard ABS system, but an­other control system automatically un­locks the differential and reactivates the ABS at speeds over fifteen mph. If you’re thinking this hardware might make for an enthusiast’s delight, you’re mostly right. Audi chose to introduce the Coupe Quattro to the press in the mountains around perpetually moist Seattle, and there the new Quattro felt com­fortably at home. On rain-slicked mountain roads, no companion is as comforting as a car with well-developed four-wheel drive. Be­cause the power is distributed to all four wheels, it’s much harder to break trac­tion, and handling remains predictable on most surfaces. In the wet, the feeling is inspiring; on dry roads, the Quattro is almost impossible to trip up. The Coupe Quattro steers with typical German feel—reasonably light on center and stiffening progressively as steering angle increases. The fine steering makes hard driving in the Coupe a joy—there is plenty of feedback, and the handling is always predictable. Given the merits of the Coupe’s all-wheel drive, 205/60VR­-15 Dunlops, and inherent balance, even hard cornering is mainly a matter of finding the proper line and planting your right foot. We’re less impressed with the Quattro’s engine. Although the twenty­-valver revs to its 7100-rpm redline with a seamless, snarly whine, it needs more power at low rpm. With 3232 pounds to motivate, the high-revving five-cylinder needs 8.7 seconds to lug the Coupe from 0 to 60 mph. Shorter gearing would defi­nitely make the Coupe peppier in typical American driving conditions. The Coupe Quattro doesn’t want for luxury. Handsome leather is standard, and so are power windows, locks, and mirrors, an automatic climate-control system, and . . . well, you get the idea. The only options are a cold climate pack­age (which includes headlight washers and heated front seats), special paint, and power seats with a four-position driver’s-seat memory. Well-outfitted as it is, however, the cabin is cramped. Front-seat headroom is severely limited-even for average­-sized drivers. Rear-seat headroom is even more restricted.
The Coupe Quattro sells for $29,750. Audi considers that an aggressive price, but we’re not convinced. The similarly priced, four-wheel-drive BMW 325iX of­fers a smoother, livelier engine, more headroom, and, of course, that famous propeller on the hood. It’s strange how automotive progress can change your perspective. Seven years ago, we hailed the original Quattro­ with 160 horsepower, a 122-mph top speed, and a $35,000 price tag-a “supercar.” And what do we think about its successor—a car that has more power, goes faster, and costs less? It could stand more power and lower cost if it’s to compete in a changing world.SpecificationsSpecifications
1990 Audi Coupe Quattro
Vehicle Type: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 2+3-passenger, 3-door coupe
PRICE

Base/As Tested: $30,085/$31,385
Options: power seats, $825; cold weather package (consists of headlight washers, heated seats, windshield·washer nozzles, and door locks), $350; California emissions equipment, $125
ENGINE
DOHC 20-valve inline-5, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection
Displacement: 141 in3, 2309 cm3
Power: 164 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 157 lb-ft @ 4500 rpm 
TRANSMISSION
5-speed manual
CHASSIS

Suspension, F/R: struts/struts
Brakes, F/R: 10.9-in vented disc/9.6-in disc
Tires: Dunlop SP Sport D8
205/60VR-15
DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 100.4 in
Length: 176.0 in
Width: 67.6 in
Height: 54.3 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 44/30 ft3
Cargo Volume: 14 ft3
Curb Weight: 3232 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS

60 mph: 8.7 sec
1/4-Mile: 16.5 sec @ 85 mph
100 mph: 25.2 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 11.9 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 12.1 sec
Top Speed: 133 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 185 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.79 g 
C/D FUEL ECONOMY

Observed: 18 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
City/Highway: 18/24 mpg 
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
Source: caranddriver.com