1988 Audi ur Quattro from UK and Ireland - Comments

Steering mysteriously weighted up and lost sensitivity after having driven several miles - and stayed like this for the rest of the drive. Frustrating as Quattro steering is recognised as one of the best. Don't use Audi main dealers as they have no understanding of the nature of this car. I found Dialynx excellent (www.dialynx.co.uk).

The usual headlight corrosion.

Not particularly fast by modern standards (0-60 in just over 7 seconds) but extremely usable torque band once rolling makes this a fantastic companion. Flat cornering, great stability and body control. Wonderful image - really appeals to those who know what it is (a large number owing to its rally heritage), and has none of the pretentiousness that blights rival manufacturers' efforts.

Well worth spending a little extra, once you have found a good one, on upgrading the turbo or at least getting yours chipped. The later (1990-1) 20v car had 220 bhp and feels substantially quicker (the 10v car, which is the one I owned, has 200).

One of the all-time greats. Prices have dipped as the design has dated in the last 5-6 years, but, as another UR-reviewer has noted, numbers of serviceable cars have now dropped and prices might now start rising for good examples - particularly as modern offerings have become so dull and "efficient".

Good review.

The 0-60 time of the 10 valve Quattro has been figured independently at around the 6.5 second mark, against 5.8 for the 20v version. I was surprised to read that you reckon the 20v feels faster - I actually thought the total opposite. The 20 valve is definitely the quicker car on paper, and has perhaps a mite less turbo lag at low revs (still bad though), but the 10 valve seems to have much more midrange torque as you might expect from a 2 valve per cylinder design. I also prefer the slightly more hard edged sound of the older engine - the 20v version was considerably more refined. Perhaps too much so for a bona fide rally replica.

Both superb cars though. There wasn't a duff version of the ur.

I agree, I always found the 10v engine had superior torque to the 20v.

I’ve had a UR Quattro for the last three years – something I always promised myself. It's an ’88 MB, and has been totally reliable until last week when the power steering went. With the big tyres was like driving a Healey 3000 but tougher. Just V-Belt, so no worries.

Also find Audi dealers don’t know much about them now – found the Quattro owners club very useful – saved me a bomb by using people who care about the car and know what they are doing.

Certainly fast, but this isn’t the best bit. Just get a clear, winding road and point and squirt – marvellous and feels completely safe. Got a great improvement when had the tracking done by Quattro Workshop – now feels like it is on rails.

This model is so good I’ve just gone out and bought another one!

The 20V quattro develops its peak torque of 228 lb/ft at only 1950rpm.

The 10V has about 210lb/ft that peaks at around 3500rpm.