Haldex 4-motion

[MikTip]

This is the Haldex controller(electronics) on my 2015 Audi S3

Notice the "4motion" and VW

[Spinnetti]

That's how you know you got the cheap version ;) The A3 is all VW as is the TT. The A4 starts the "real" Audi (sedans at least) with Torsen, longitudinal engines, and multilink suspension instead of cheap struts. That said, there's VW branded parts on my R8 too. It also goes the other way. The old Passats were rebadged Audi's once upon a time. Its the same everywhere.. Toyota = Lexus, Ford = Lincoln etc..

[QuadRings]

Yeah, it's the "fake" quattro. Kinda fine by me though. My previous jobs made me come in no matter what the weather was, so I leaned towards the A4 and Subarus in the past, but now I can work from home, so I don't need the "best" AWD. The A4 has also gotten big, the A3 size wise is closer to my B7 A4. There's always a trade off.

[Spinnetti]

Yeah, it's the "fake" quattro. Kinda fine by me though. My previous jobs made me come in no matter what the weather was, so I leaned towards the A4 and Subarus in the past, but now I can work from home, so I don't need the "best" AWD. The A4 has also gotten big, the A3 size wise is closer to my B7 A4. There's always a trade off.

Yeah, same. I had 3 A4's and loved them, but too big and too generic now. S3 is nice looking and a good size, but some of the tradeoffs are a bummer sometimes. Sure goes like stink though!

[MikTip]

I loved the Quattro drive system on my B6! Totally mechanical...no electronics. 4wd full time.

[morris39]

Yeah, it's the "fake" quattro. Kinda fine by me though. My previous jobs made me come in no matter what the weather was, so I leaned towards the A4 and Subarus in the past, but now I can work from home, so I don't need the "best" AWD. The A4 has also gotten big, the A3 size wise is closer to my B7 A4. There's always a trade off.

It seems that the consensus here is that the mechanical AWD is more fun b/c of the subjective feeling of power to the rear wheels when/if they are just beginning to break loose .
How about day to day performance? For me Haldex earns its keep on icy roads and under full power straight ahead on slightly slippery conditions. Those are important for me and worth the trade offs. Sliding the rear is of no value to me (and probably 98% others) However Are there any credible tests for Torsen vs Haldex performance difference on the street(conditions above)? Audi says Haldex is asn good if not better there.
So how many slide the rear on this forum?

[Spinnetti]

It seems that the consensus here is that the mechanical AWD is more fun b/c of the subjective feeling of power to the rear wheels when/if they are just beginning to break loose .
How about day to day performance? For me Haldex earns its keep on icy roads and under full power straight ahead on slightly slippery conditions. Those are important for me and worth the trade offs. Sliding the rear is of no value to me (and probably 98% others) However Are there any credible tests for Torsen vs Haldex performance difference on the street(conditions above)? Audi says Haldex is asn good if not better there.
So how many slide the rear on this forum?

Me. I have had all 3 variants. Torsen (3 A4's), Haldex (S3 - current) and Viscous (R8 - current). Its not just the subjective feel at breakaway. With the non-haldex, you can have rear bias. Can't on Haldex. My stage III B6 would slide like a Mustang when you wanted to - and I wanted to alot! The R8 of course is even more rear biased and slips the rear at will. Its hard to describe, but for me its all about the behavior of the car on-limit handing at corner entry - you are right in that it makes no difference for 99% of the people 99% of the time and Haldex is a great setup for a street car. But when you are really "driving" it, the A3/S3 just falls over at the cornering limit in a way the A4 and up (and any BMW pretty much) doesn't. I've done a lot of mods to fix that, and I'm maybe at 90% and looks like that's about as far as I can get it. Still a bit disappointing at the limit, but much better and If I corner perfectly it does respond well, but just hard to get right.

[QuadRings]

It seems that the consensus here is that the mechanical AWD is more fun b/c of the subjective feeling of power to the rear wheels when/if they are just beginning to break loose .
How about day to day performance? For me Haldex earns its keep on icy roads and under full power straight ahead on slightly slippery conditions. Those are important for me and worth the trade offs. Sliding the rear is of no value to me (and probably 98% others) However Are there any credible tests for Torsen vs Haldex performance difference on the street(conditions above)? Audi says Haldex is asn good if not better there.
So how many slide the rear on this forum?

There are tons of comparison videos on YouTube comparing the two. I'm with you though, for 98% of people and for a commuter car, it's certainly adequate. I never got stuck with good all seasons in my little crappy Saturn SL 20 years ago when I was 16 years old, so I think the A3 will do just fine. My fiancee has a new Subaru Forester, so if we really need to get anywhere in bad weather, we have that with the added ground clearance too.

Like Spinnetti said, you'll really notice the difference when driving hard, and I certainly do get the understeer in corners when doing so. That said, this isn't a sports car either...it's exactly what I expected/needed. I'll be getting a second dedicated sports car (again) after my wedding!