Hi guys & gals,

Great forum and I need your help. First a little backgroud about myself, I used to own an Audi TT Quattro but traded it in for a 350z. I still have a Audi A6 2.7T Quattro [yep the family sedan] and thinking about trading it in for a G35x.

I live in Toronto and winter traction is very important to me, so I am wondering if there are any ex-Audi Quatrro owner here who now drives a G35x that can give me a road behaviour comparison between the ATTESA and Quattro. I am particularly interested in aggressive driving (turning) on snow covered road. For example, does the car understeer/oversteer or does the ATTESA and/or VDC cut power too soon, can you easily induce a power 4-wheel slide ? Does the G35x fish tail on slippery surface if you stomp on the throttle when going 50 Km/h ?

Thank you all in advance

 

I can help a little... I recently got lucky with Hertz and ended up with a new (400 miles) A6 (3.2) for my rental instead of whatever else, and I have test drove two 05X's (don't own).

The A6 was a pleasure to drive, although a bit slow off the start, As far as that in snow, I just had to take it out in some of the Chicago suburbs (empty parking lots) and screw around with it. It was fun.

I never drove the G35X in the snow, but had it on some very sandy roads, with the salesman telling me to try and do some donuts. With the VDC on, couldn't do one, with the VDC off, I could barely feel that it was an AWD car.

I'm sorry that I can't answer your specfic questions I just thought that the A6 was better car, although the G had more of a RWD feel to it then the A6, and the G would take the A6 off the line. There is also that $20K USD price difference!

 

I'm not sure it's really a fair comparison but after having driven a few cars with FWD ESP and now driving a RWD G with ASR, I have to say that ESP wins in all categories over ASR. ASR is at times intrusive, over-compensates, and takes a while to be 'done' so you can get on it again. ESP is for the most part very much more 'detailed' and does it's part with less noise and jerkiness. ESP has less 'lag' and kicks in at the right time. ASR seems to lag and kicks in kind of late, and overcompensates by being extremely aggressive.

With ESP you feel you are in control even when it's really kicking in. With ASR you feel like you're just kind of "waiting it out" until you can start driving again.

Again, I know FWD vs RWD and on top of all that a 2WD comparison when you're looking for a 4WD one, doesn't quite seem fair, but I thought I'd let you know how I felt about it and others can chime in with what they know.

This is coming from a pretty aggressive driver who has driven both ESP and ASR and tested both to the limits (in both controlled conditions and in real-life conditions)

Hope it helps a little. You really need to get out there and drive the crap out of one before you make a decision.

 

I used to own a 1998 A4 1.8 5spd with Quattro. As there was no VDC or traction control aside from Quattro, car was quite easy and fun to do controlled drifts in the snow, with very positive feedback through the steering wheel.
As far as the X goes, I feel it is equally competent in the snow for everyday driving. I believe Automobile Magazine did a comparison about a year ago and found ATTESA to be comparable and, in some cases, better then Quattro.
Now, as far as having fun in the snow, the VDC kicks in in a timely manner (as you would expect). While you can easily induce a slide, the VDC catches it before it gets out of hand. As others have posted, the ratcheting "sounds" coming from the wheels/brakes etc are a little disconcerting, but normal.
With VDC switched off, I find the car slides way too easily on hard packed snow (due to the amount of power and torque availability). I have the stock Turanzas which aren't so great in wet/snow conditions. As most will agree, the quality/ type of tire is the big factor in snow. With a more aggressive snow or A/S tire, I'm sure it would be more fun. Maybe its my imagination, but it seems that -even with the VDC turned off- if you start to get too crazy, you still hear some of the drivetrain safety system noises (ratcheting/pinging) almost as if car is warning you that it wants you to re-engage the VDC.
In summary, I'd say both are equally safe in everyday snow driving. I'd have to admit the A4 was a little more fun for aggressive snow driving primarily because it was a 5 speed. Also (and this may sound weird) but being underpowered, the A4 was less prone to uncontrolled wheel spin in the slick stuff, allowing it to hook up a little better. Again, better snow tires on the much more powerful X would likely allow the same.

 

Let me qualify my response by saying that I have limited seat time in the Audis...maybe a couple of hours in a 2000 s4 and half that in an a6 2.8.

My initial impression of the Quattro was that it was a tad 'nose-heavy' or had a tendency towards slight understeer. I never had the opportunity to thrash them as I would have liked.

The G35X is much more rear-biased in its power delivery. Unless the snow switch is activated, locking the torque into a 50:50 split, it handles like a RWD car until slip is detected. I have found myself drifting wide of my lane on an icy road, only to be roped in by the application of one brake at a time to correct the heading, gently urging me back into my lane.

With VDC off, when you stomp on it in the snow, the car simply hurtles forward in a straight line until you lift the pedal.

The VDC seems less necessary on the AWD car. On the RWD car, the way I drive, I would have the SLIP light permanently lit !

You can rotate the car with the throttle, but only in reduced traction conditions (and with the VDC off). I like to toss the car sideways in the rain, but the opposite lock required to correct attitude is far less than with the RWD cars.

PM me if you would like more info. BTW, I love the 2.7t motor. A true beast waiting to be unleashed with a pair of T04's......

 

Not sure if you've seen his posts yet, but GEE35X has one and he loves it. He could give you some insight too if you contact him.
He's in Kincardine.(snow country).

 

Thanks guys for all your inputs. I've just played with my friend's Murano in 4" of fresh snow and find the AWD in the Murano pretty capable. Now my next question is:

Can anyone tell me the difference between the AWD in the Murano Vs the ATTESA in the G35x ? Does it automatically transfer torque between front and rear OR is the torque in the Murano at a fix ratio ? The Murano has a AWD button as well...

 

I think the only difference between the awd in the murano and the g35 is the murano is a fwd based awd system while the g35 has rwd based awd system. also as expected since the g35 is a sport sedan i read the awd was tuned a little sportier than the awd in other nissan/infiniti cars but i could be wrong.

 

I put 90,000 miles on an A4Q 2.8 and 12,000 miles on a G35x. While the A4 is more "tossable" (much smaller car), the rear bias of the G35x is great. The G35x came with the same terrible Goodyear RSAs that the A4 came with and on delivery I immediately replaced them with Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss. In 12,000 miles, with the combination of the A/Ss and AWD, the VDC has never come on. The car is almost neutral steer vs. the Audi which tends toward understeer. The Attesa system is even more seamless than Audi's mechanically system. In the rain, the "x" (w/Michelins) drives like your on dry pavement. In several times driving on snow, the car seems at least as competant as the Audi, though both (with good tires) seem almost uneffected by snow. Of course the G35x is much quick and a lot more reliable; as well as less expensive.

 

From what others have posted elsewhere....
In the OFF mode VDC is not 100% off.

 

Hey lowbeeZ, how is it going.
Nice to see you on this board.

Don't know if you remember , but you & I chatted about the TT.
At the time I was considering the new TT 3.0 DSG. (situation changed, 2 seater was a no go)

I ended up getting the G35 sedan RWD, and love it. (i'm in GTA as well)
I know of one person with X & he loves it;
mainly because it has a RWD feel to it under most condtions.

Having driven several Audi cars, I think the biggest thing you will find is that it will NOT feel like quattro at all.
It will feel more like your Z, but with amazing traction.

 

mdg35x or others,

Do you use the "Snow mode" button ? Or is it not necessary ? The manual said the button would reduce engine output and that's got me worry. Say if you don't use it, I assume the G35x would automatically switch to 50:50 torque split when it detect wheel spin so why bother with the button ?

inTgr8r, yep, I remember you and were wondering where you went. I think my final deciding factor(s) would probably be price differential between the (2006) B7 Audi A4 3.2 and the G35x since I do prefer the interior feel of the Audi plus the availability of the Adaptive Headlight - it's just a matter of how much money more over the G35x I am willing to spend on these two items.

 

i agree, it is never 100% off especially in the x model. i even tried holding it down thinking that it would start to flash or something and go completly off. with vdc off there is deffentilly an obivious difference if you are on sand, snow or wet pavement. with it off the slip light still comes on and i think it does cut some power just not as much as if it were on.

 

haha kilometers/hour. damn canidians. with vdc on the car(x model) does an amazing job of straighting itself out when it breaks loose, but with the vdc off when the car starts to fish tail you better know how to hold it. but thats my favorite part.