1990 Audi Coupe Quattro | Retro Review

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Dear Audi, bring back the Coupe Quattro
Show 905 | Original Airdate 10-27-1989
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[@sailordave1000]

And it seemed so fast yet it can be beaten by an economy compact sedan today

[@quattroTorsen]

John finally get a car with a *volt meter* and *oil pressure gauge* John: *Doesn't mention it* ............

[@themaritimegirl]

He did though - he said a "full set" of gauges, which is his mark of approval.

[@Hintonbro.]

This classy, understated German design has aged wonderfully.

[@2WhiteAndNerdy]

Agreed! SOOOO much better than the huge grills and fake tail pipes of Audi today.

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

For a 90 car hell yeah! What about the proper Quattro though? Even more timeless

[@Amidat]

True - though the current Audi A5 is better in comparison to it's class than this was. But I still like the looks in and out

[@joshuating5954]

Man, these early audis are an absolute unicorn. I've honestly never seen one on the road.

[@-Barracuda-426]

Lol where are you from?

[@joshuating5954]

@@-Barracuda-426 Why do you need to know? Is that important?

[@_chipchip]

@@joshuating5954 Of course it is. For example growing up in New Zealand these were quite common, also quite common in the UK and Europe.. He’s just asking as maybe they were never common in your country.

[@joshuating5954]

@@_chipchip I'm sorry about that, perhaps I was being a little rude. Yes, I live in Asia where these cars are not very common and I just thought that these cars may be special or may not have been sold here depending on the market. I believe that people in Europe have been driving these old Audis for decades and I'm assuming they're very popular there since you can get parts readily available and people know how to work on those cars. Anyways, thank you for reminding me👍

[@-Barracuda-426]

@@joshuating5954 Asia (not Japan) is communist shit

[@stevend3753]

People back then just couldn’t wrap their heads around something that drives all 4 wheels but isn’t meant to go off road.

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

MotorWeek included.

[@Timico1000]

...as years later with SUVs like BMW X5 und Mercedes M-Class. Of course magazines sent them uphill, over rocks and through deep mud puddles...

[@AE86FTS]

I mean the Audi Quattro exists because of rally

[@Timico1000]

@@AE86FTS But this version was obviously not ment to go offroad...

[@aaronmacy9134]

What’s somewhat ironic is that this all-weather Audi with its locking rear diff, simple underpinnings (compared to today) and non-aluminum suspension arms and knuckles (that are prone to shatter rather than bend) makes it arguably better off-road than almost all new CUVs today. I’d say it’s only a set of coil-overs away from greatness in the emerging “battle car” off-roading scene ..if you can find one that’s still running.

[@allmotorkp61]

When Americans back then think of an AWD passenger vehicle, they automatically think it's made to go off road. Lol

[@kamilkarwat2706]

Well in Motor Week's defense, the original Quattro was a rally beast.

[@Kaibo1997]

Got to love the sound of that 5 cylinder engine !

[@johninama585]

FYI the auto AC is from an American car from the 70s. My grandfather had a Cadillac DeVille with the same system. Audi sourced it from Delco.

[@GeorgiGeorgiev-ne9ps]

Yes. Old school look but most likely they found it very durable. And one of my old audis has the same exact unit and still works 32 years later with no dead pixels

[@BillLaBrie]

First released in 1964. Rare option until the 2000’s.

[@compu85]

Yup, they got the auto climate control, and AC compressor GM. Both worked well! I had an 87 Audi 5000 with them.

[@whackamolechamp]

That AC climate control in Cadillac's also served as an early OBD unit. If you pushed the buttons in a certain sequence it would provide trouble codes. They used to publish books that told you what each code meant.

[@dwalmop2]

If there was one thing you couldn't dispute back in the day, it was that nobody built better AC systems than the big 3 back then. Makes total sense for Audi to source it from GM!

[@garyfarmer3147]

I had one of these in 1990 with pearlescent white paint and black leather. Styling was very understated, yet I got constantly asked what kind of car it was. Absolutely loved it but had to sell it a year later to pay for college. I wish I still had it.

[@Lrules364]

I have never seen one of these, anywhere. Ever. They have to be one of the rarest coupes of the 90s

[@BigWheel.]

They didn't hold up very well, and weren't very desirable when new.

[@super-kami-guru]

I had a 91 with the turbo engine swapped into it, never should have sold it

[@FerrariCarr]

I’ve only seen it in toy car form. Not even by Hot Wheels….it was part of a cheaper set (similar to Dollar Store toy cars) that I got from Montgomery Ward in the early 90’s.

[@jmorris023]

This or the Hyundai Scoupe.

[@andi4life]

I‘m german and an uncle of mine had such a car, an 1988 model. He sold it back in 2001. They are very rare now even here. The Audi 80 sedan is much more common.

[@kristianhermann5971]

A timeless design that still looks good today. These are rare cars nowadays.

[@TheBandit7613]

Because they sucked. Living in Colorado, people did buy these. And they broke down regularly and were expensive to repair.

[@javiermouzo2000]

@@TheBandit7613 I have a coupe with 32 years old and 140k kms on the clock, never had a problem with it, just regular maintenance.

[@Bubblun1]

Only sold in the US for two model years: 1990 & 1991. These were rare when new, the yellow would be a complete unicorn find.

[@cutroc350]

Kind of like the small hand full of 91 200 20v turbos in the US. Guess we were lucky to get any of them.

[@technorunner1]

@@cutroc350 My cousin has a Coupe Quattro in Red, and I have a B3 90 Quattro in a rare color combo with the tan interior. If my dad gets a '91 200 20v that's for sale near me, we will have the collection of unicorns essentially

[@ic1815]

Haha. The way it bucks when they floor it on the 1/4 mile 😂

[@cutroc350]

Squattro is alive and well here. Almost lifted the front wheels lol.

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

I thought the same! Too much power for the poor car 😂 Them things literally go off like a rocket.

[@2006gtobob]

I was 19 in 1990, in the Navy, and a hard-core car nut. I don't recall ever seeing one of these on the road, anywhere in the world. A true unicorn.

[@waswolltihr1526]

They were quite common here in Europe.

[@davidg4026]

I'm the same age as you and I used to see them on the road all the time up here in Canada.

[@2006gtobob]

@@davidg4026 maybe Canadians had better taste than Americans when it comes to cars. I know Canada was a lot less restrictive with what came into your country back then. Even in 2010, for the Winter Olympics, I recall seeing European and Japanese cars in Vancouver that just weren't available here.

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

@@2006gtobob not available because of poor sales. Not because of restrictions.

[@davidg4026]

@@2006gtobob You probably saw a lot of Japanese market right hand drive imports under the 15-year rule (U.S. is 25 years).. Vancouver is the port that those come into, so they're everywhere in that city.

[@aronbennett4760]

I've always loved Motor Week... I also love my Coupe Quattro. Fun in the snow and a real head turner.

[@theKevronHarris]

I love that bright jasmine yellow color of the Audi quattro coupe!

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

It looks very very nice.

[@computerguy5437]

108 ft braking is damn impressive for a 1990 car

[@super-kami-guru]

I had a 91 with the "aan" turbo 5 swapped into it and it was a beast of a car!!

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

Wow!

[@lomax4992]

Currently working on my swap rn! This wiring is quite the mess

[@wasdwasdwwasd]

The braking performance is very impressive for a car of that vintage. A good consolation for all the understeer.

[@UncleMcTouchyBottom]

my dad owne a 1990 - Audi 90 2.3 20v 5 cycl quattro, the engine sound was incredible, still one of the best sounding engines i've ever heard

[@djsonic6533]

The 5 cylinder engine is the sexiest sounding ever!!!

[@McBeamer94]

I've never EVER seen one of these. Even the short Quattro of the first generation is more common compared to this one.

[@dwalmop2]

Only about 1700 of them between 1990 and 1991 ever made it to the USA.

[@briannavarrete49]

3:20 "up yours, granny!" *"YOU COULDN'T HANDLE IT"*

[@dafunk100k]

I was shocked they kept that in the edit. That was crazy.

[@junali94]

Rip Lucille. She was a real Hellcat! 🔥

[@vetteluvnh]

Back in auto tech school, an instructor had one of these. He constantly had it tying up one of the lifts bc it was always breaking down. The other instructors used to tease him about trading the Audi in for a Yugo bc it would be more reliable.

[@GeorgiGeorgiev-ne9ps]

They had some Efi problems but if you figure them out it still runs until today. Blocks are capable of 200k miles easyli

[@FCT8306onTwoWheels]

My old boss said the older Audi cars were a masochist nightmare

[@vetteluvnh]

@@GeorgiGeorgiev-ne9ps I def remember he had an intermittent fuel pump issue that took him months to figure out. Don't ever remember him having any actual mechanical engine issues. Just seemed like everything outside & around the engine, including the pcm/ecm was regularly failing. That aside I do love the look/design of these cars.

[@GeorgiGeorgiev-ne9ps]

@@vetteluvnh yes they are known for the fuel problem i think but whoever fixed it they drive untill today and that block was derivative of the turbo engine so people now turbo it with 4-500 hp and still holding. This old quattro is much simpler to fix than newer ones

[@user-ok5xp9bf8d]

Always wanted to test drive one , respectable numbers for the 90s

[@ericbritton9346]

Finding this Audi Quattro Coupe , it's just like finding unicorn in the forest. Because I don't even remember this car and if I have I saw that movies

[@rovert94]

1:13 that overhang tho.

[@xnopyt13]

I don’t even know any car today that has 4 memory seats.

[@dogchainsaw3923]

My 95’ Audi S6 has 4 memory seats!

[@xnopyt13]

@@dogchainsaw3923 so it’s an Audi thing then?

[@dogchainsaw3923]

@@xnopyt13 on the new ones it’s not like that. So must be only the older models

[@xnopyt13]

@@dogchainsaw3923 I know but back then having memory seats at all is kind of a big thing

[@spanieaj]

My 2003 Audi A4 has a 4 memory seat.

[@Tonyk24]

Such a beautiful car. Can't wait to get one one day!

[@lemonstrangler]

i want one too, looks like a car i exactly imagined

[@BurtSampson]

Dang, that braking distance is great.

[@UPRISING144K]

I love the body lean and dive when braking, probably a nice comfortable ride, but can still handle great.

[@twainjones]

I f*#¤ing ❤ AUDI. On my 6th. which is an RS3 but sorta miss the analog cars of yesteryear. Thanks for the uploads Motorweek!!!

[@chuckhpnwx]

I still want one of these. I had a 4 door and loved it.

[@steveclark5206]

Used to see these all the time in the 90s. I guess they were more common in New England (Vermont) because of all the snow and Audi’s AWD were a great match. “Well off” people bought these, others bought Subaru’s or Volvo’s.

[@bilalahmed2123]

What a beautiful car !

[@lemonstrangler]

clean looking audi airline on the road

[@ferdinand12390]

i didn't even knew this car existed, also that distracted guy in the Pontiac almost caused an accident, good thing the driver in the Audi knows how to drive

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

So it was not a dedicated track?

[@nickmotsarsky4382]

Pretty sure that was staged as a demonstration.

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

Good driving? It is, if not banging your car at the very last moment, into the one crossing you is good driving.

[@SataniaMcDowel]

AWD ? *takes it offroading*

[@alexander1485]

ive only seen like 2 or 3 of these but never taken any pics of any :(

[@CalvinHikes]

Did they ever figure out that moon roof? 4:16

[@Kiss__Kiss]

After owning the Audi brand for over 30 years.. I still prefer it.

[@marekw.9816]

They took it off road, haha.

[@rabit818]

I suppose most of these Audis end up in the east coast where it snows. I’ve only seen one

[@quincee3376]

And here in Canada.

[@koolkev75]

Love these

[@douglasb.1203]

Seeing this very rare car driving down a muddy rutted hill gave me the Chads

[@f.ashour5921]

Many sedans of that era were AWD or 4WS like mitsubishi gallant, Mercedes W124, Honda prelude.

[@sannissansanjuan5074]

Man, Back in 1990 seen very few on road then, by 1990 DSM's were Selling 10 times GSX, for 16k

[@tkewrestler2662]

Awesome!

[@ak1ranger]

When I was a kid my Dad replaced our 1983 Audi 4000 4E sedan with a coupe Quattro although we never called it that, was the "Coupe Quattro" actually its name? This was my Mom's car after we, the kids were gone. This car was a looker for sure but it was pure trouble spending a lot of time at Ed Carroll VW Audi Porsche in Fort Collins Colorado for many reasons, the biggest of which was that it would just turn off dead while you were driving and you could not re-start it for hours, then it would just start as if nothing was wrong, puzzling. The A/C failed and very strangely the assembly for the cruise control got dislodged from its mounting and fell out while my Mom was driving, dangling from its vacuum hose and a few wires. The dash and instruments were still almost identical to the 1983 except for the auto-climate control panel. I drove the car many times up and down the Colorado Rockies to the Summit ski areas when I was home from college. The car finally died in 1999 but it was no longer my Mom's daily driver. It had left her stranded far from home and wouldn't start so my Dad had it towed home. It sat for while and we eventually sold it to a guy who collected rare Audis and thats where it died suffering from a head gasket failure and coolant leak, burned the engine up from what he told us. The 1983 4000 was a lot less troublesome but not nearly as fun!

[@goclunker]

5 cylinder still sounds nice even NA

[@randellgribben9772]

when they showed the video on the underside of the ca...my first thoughts were.. how old is this car?

[@bonesnharmony3422]

in a way, this looks like a type of predessesor for my 2010 audi s5 manual

[@jeffreypaul9428]

Scott Bakula does not care for the sunroof at all.

[@zcctchh5547]

I was not even born at that time but they look great

[@Tuneman1984]

I was looking away from the screen at 4:49 and thought the guy had just ripped something in the upholstery

[@kurt8327]

3:20 really caught me surprised. Whoever is driving that audi reacted incredibly late.

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

Perhaps the audi driver was busy looking at instrument panel. only saw the other car at the very last moment.

[@Smegma_pirate]

There are less than ten of these still In the road in California right now... lol

[@lemonstrangler]

wow i want this car

[@goodbonezz1289]

These are pretty nice but, I really prefer the style of the 80’s quattro.

[@lfsracer79]

2:39 ridiculous squat and body roll

[@davidaubin3902]

I’d take it, or the 325ix coupe

[@Smegma_pirate]

The ix came quite a bit later

[@bzilla1090]

Wouldn't mind one of these in S2 spec

[@andersonfirmino8925]

Amigo que sensacional 👏👏👏

[@andersonfirmino8925]

Muito da hora 🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷👍👍👍

[@DarinNederhoff]

I owned one from 1996 until 2003. Really fun car aside from the stupid expensive Hitachi injection system.

[@Land_Cruiser_40]

1:10 Engine bay and chassis look like they've been in the rust belt for 20 years. Cheers

[@Planetary13]

I think it is dirt. These things are very resistant to rust

[@2URLex]

I’d love to modify the suspension on this thing

[@TimeisReel]

Lowered with some 19's...

[@2URLex]

@@TimeisReel that’ll be so aggressive, that’s perfect

[@yuriypodgorniak2728]

I am surprised it's 16 flat on a quarter mile that's not bad at all.

[@waltervila33]

Suspension is very soft lots of body roll through the cones

[@quincee3376]

But does that BMW at the end they compared to have an AWD system like the Audi.

[@xnotx2]

Audi CEO: We need to make the front suspension soft! Audi Engineer: How soft? Audi CEO: Yes.

[@super-kami-guru]

I had a 91 and it would eat bumps like nothing else, was a proper grand tourinng car drive it from south carolina to upstate ny and the last few states were heavy snow/ice storm and it was solidp

[@COYGunners]

Car: has awd MW: Let’s off road!!!

[@grunkohlaktionar7474]

94 Galant e50 please!

[@alexander1485]

what about an AMG Galant VR4?

[@RallyLancer95]

@@alexander1485 We didn't get that here

[@grunkohlaktionar7474]

@@alexander1485 Japan only

[@gxdjoeybaby07]

the automotive definition of "sophomore jinx"...the original a4 couldn't arrive soon enough

[@hitlerwearshermes2651]

Cars from the 90s are looked at like how cars were in the 70s when it was the 90s

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Cool 😀

[@DominicMaj]

Cool car 😘😘😘😘😘

[@klasseact6663]

That Members Only jacket and sunglasses, doens't get much more 80's than that....oh wait, its 1990.

[@SnarkyRC]

It must be an overlap.

[@Kalateya]

This is definitely 7A engine.

[@dominicanstig5196]

Holy body roll

[@americanstylefreak]

😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@sashoxxx]

Gotta have that all-hweel-drive, I tell you hwat

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

Nice car, prefer the coupe gt/UR-RR Quattro more though.

[@allencheng1356]

4:28 .. must be Genesis - Abacab

[@seinsmeld13]

And Audi as in my RS3!

[@kireality]

Just about 30K in 1990. Inflation adjusted for today is???

[@kylesoler4139]

"Bring back the Coupe Quattro" Isn't that what the A5/S5 coupe is?

[@TimeisReel]

I used to want one...Bad.

[@GregDepeche]

Fantastic car! I have Coupé quattro 20V 1990 USDM Version from Washington State. Now in Kraków, Poland. 63.000 miles car! :) @depechegreg

[@jareknowak8712]

Czesc!

[@GregDepeche]

@@jareknowak8712 Witaj! :) 👍

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

I love them Audies.

[@jareknowak8712]

They forgot to install suspension springs.

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

Intalled the wrong ones. Soaks the big bumps, leaves the smaller one. And that body roll

[@Amidat]

@@kamrankhan-lj1ng had to make compromises with the AWD system back then

[@Agent1996]

Why did the undercarriage look like it had 200k miles

[@SataniaMcDowel]

I'm guessing they took it off roading first then take images XD

[@TheBandit7613]

Sell quickly before the warranty runs out.

[@nixaeagle141]

Great car , new ones boring hodgepodge

[@Cigaristocat]

What's this Audi "Coup" the narrator keeps talking about?

[@hnlpharmd]

If you're implying that the host should take cues from self-styled sophisticates like you and pronounce it "coopay," bear in mind that you're also pronouncing it incorrectly unless you say it in a native French accent. If you insist on wielding the "you're pronouncing it wrong" sword, bear in mind that you too will die by it at the hands of individuals whose language has been incorporated into the English lexicon. In that sense we're ALL wrong, so can the smugness, will you?

[@ilopancharov]

Worst launch EVER

[@el_pinguino4087]

POV you are here from LegitStreetCars

[@corinecornacchio5875]

I love audi but I love volkswagens the best

[@77x5ghost]

the rear profile oddly reminds me of the celica from that era

[@dragonbutt]

3:19 AAAAAAAAAAAA

[@doublevanoz]

That thing is a dog lmao. Omg that poor launch