It’s a feeling most people recognise immediately: This is an Audi! The driving experience is unmistakable. From the harmonious balance of motoring dynamics and ride comfort to the precise calibration of all systems whether it is the suspension, steering, powertrain as well as brake and control systems. The driving DNA of every Audi is defined in the concept phase and Audi developers are guided by fundamental qualities that are used to characterise and assess driving behaviour. These are: balanced, solid, controlled, networked, precise and effortless. Audi’s DNA also incorporates the four pillars of Audi’s commitment to Living Progress; Design, Sustainability, Digitisation and Performance -- to deliver exceptional driving experience.
When it comes to roadholding and precise handling, the virtues of quattro are quite evident. Its unique driving characteristics with respect to traction in curves and overall stability, as well as its steering and performance set the Audi all-wheel drive above industry standards.
“An Audi driver has to be able to feel it’s an Audi – in the form of harmonious, distinctive driving characteristics,” says Oliver Hoffmann, Audi Board Member for Technical Development. “The genes of the Audi feeling should be an unmistakable experience for the customer.” That also applies to ride comfort in every driving situation, whether in stop-and-go traffic, accelerating away from urban areas, driving on twisting roads, changeable road conditions or even overtaking. He explains, “That is why the Audi DNA is also firmly entrenched in our battery-powered electric models. At a computer, in the workshop and above all, in extensive test drives, subjective and objective assessment criteria flow together in order to continuously sharpen not only the Audi driving characteristics but also the whole technical development.”
This ensures that every aspect of an Audi is engineered to perfection.
Each suspension control system is precisely synchronised. Dynamic all-wheel steering is intentionally tuned to make the Audi more manageable. When customers order cars with air suspension, they automatically receive a steering tuning that is adjusted for the enhanced characteristics. That also applies to the combination of other systems like electromechanical active roll stabilisation (eAWS), active suspension, and torque vectoring for superior handling and performance.
For instance, the electric quattro in the Audi e-tron governs the torque on demand, from zero to 100% between the front and rear axle. Furthermore, the electric torque vectoring in the Audi e-tron S Sportback – the shifting of torque between the rear wheels – works similarly and particularly effectively. It happens in milliseconds and can engage extremely high torque for improved lateral dynamics. When the car accelerates out of the curve, the electric drive allocates more torque to the rear wheel on the outside of the curve and less to the rear wheel on the inside of the curve.
This is done proactively in slippery conditions or when cornering quickly, before slippage occurs or the car understeers or oversteers. The result is highly precise handling, which can be adjusted over a wide range via the chassis control systems – from stable to sporty. In sport mode, for instance, the control systems intervene later to enable driving with more oversteer. These driving dynamics will be enhanced with the torque splitter, which distributes drive torque between the rear wheels in a fully variable manner in the new Audi RS 3.
Finely tuned wheel damping avoids unpleasant phenomena like shudder or shake, which are induced by road unevenness and often intensified by powertrain and wheel harmonic oscillation. The end result is the incomparable Audi driving comfort with vastly reduced secondary vibrations.
For the Audi driver, the Audi DNA delivers a finely crafted, technologically superior and a truly comfortable Audi.