Audi A4 Owners Manual
Four-wheel drive (quattro®)Driving tips / Intelligent technology / Four-wheel drive (quattro®)
On quattro models the engine power is distributed to all four wheels
General notes
On four-wheel drive vehicles, the engine power is distributed to all four wheels. The distribution of power is controlled automatically according to your driving style and the road conditions. Also refer to, “Description”.
The four-wheel drive is specially designed to complement the superior engine
power of your Audi. This combination gives the car exceptional handling and performance
capabilities – both on normal roads and in more difficult conditions, such as snow
and ice. Even so (or perhaps especially for this reason), it is important to observe
certain safety points ⇒ 
.
Winter tyres
Thanks to its four-wheel drive, your car will have plenty of traction in winter conditions, even with the standard tyres. Nevertheless, we still recommend that winter tyres or all-season tyres should be fitted on all four wheels when winter road conditions are expected, mainly because this will give a better braking response.
Snow chains
On roads where snow chains are mandatory, this also applies to cars with four-wheel drive, “Snow chains”.
Replacing tyres
On vehicles with four-wheel drive, all four tyres must have the same rolling circumference. Also avoid using tyres with varying tread depths, “Replacing wheels and tyres”.
Off-roader?
Your Audi does not have enough ground clearance to be used as an off-road vehicle. It is therefore best to avoid rough tracks and uneven terrain as much as possible.
WARNING
- • Even with four-wheel drive, you should always adjust your speed to suit the conditions. Do not let the extra safety provided tempt you into taking any risks when driving – this can cause accidents.
- • The braking ability of your car is limited by the grip of the tyres. In this respect, your car is no different from a car without fourwheel drive. So do not be tempted to drive too fast on icy or slippery roads just because the car still has good acceleration in these conditions (accident risk).
- • On wet roads bear in mind that the front wheels may start to “aquaplane” and lose contact with the road if the car is driven too fast. If this should happen, there will be no sudden increase in engine speed to warn the driver, as with a front-wheel drive car. So do not drive too fast in the wet: adjust your speed to suit the conditions (accident risk).
