Audi Glossary
S tronic or not? What does quattro actually mean? At Lookers, we love Audi's but we understand the jargon used can be a bit confusing.
Explore the full A to Z of Audi terminology here or find out more about some of the more common terms below. You can also find out more about some of the technology in our new models like Pre sense and Matrix Beam on our dedicated Audi Technology page or read more about our new engine naming convention. If you're still unsure, please contact us.
Cylinder on Demand
This system can temporarily deactivate two of the four cylinders by closing their valves at low and medium loads. When the accelerator is pressed harder, it can instantly switch back to four-cylinder mode to provide the power needed. This can help make a vehicle more fuel efficient.
quattro
quattro is Audi's all-wheel-drive technology and provides excellent grip in all conditions. The quattro drive is available in different versions customised for each model, but all ensure that power is directed where needed so that you enjoy a comfortable drive.
S tronic
An S tronic gearbox combines features of both a manual and automatic gearbox. Depending on your preference the gears can be shifted in fully automatic mode or in manual mode using gearshift paddles on the steering wheel, in any case gear changes are performed easily and with no noticeable delay.
The S tronic is a dual clutch which means one clutch engages the odd-numbered gears and reverse while the other engages the even-numbered gears. This produces and gear change of less than 0.2 seconds with no interruption to power. When in use, one gear is always engaged while another is pre-selected so it's ready to engage at a moments notice.
Tiptronic
Tiptronic transmission provides the comfort of automatic shifting and outstanding performance. The dynamic shift program integrated in tiptronic transmission automatically selects the optimum gear by detecting driving behaviour and adapting the gearshift strategy to conditions. You can override the automatic mode if needed.