Audi Steppenwolf

2000 September 28: Audi continued its practice of designing striking motor cars, showing the Steppenwolf concept car at the Mondial de l'Automobil 2000 (Paris Motor Show).

The car is a three door, four seater, with a lot of the Audi TT look about it.

@udi
@udi

The car is powered by Audi's 3.2-litre V6 engine (165kW, 320Nm) which is transversely mounted and drives through a manual six-speed gearbox and quattro full-time four wheel drive. Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) help control the car.

An interesting touch is the absence of a mechanical hand-brake (parking brake): "An electronically controlled electrohydraulic system performs the function [...] the lines to the rear brake [disc] callipers [are] activated via hydraulic valves in such a way that the hydraulic circuit of the foot-operated brake is decoupled. When the driver presses the button for the parking brake in the cockpit, an 80 bar hydraulic pump takes command of the rear brake callipers."

@udi

Front suspension is by McPherson struts, rear suspension by "a longitudinal double-wishbone axle". Springing is by air-bags, as per the Audi Allroad, and four ride heights can be selected over a range of 60mm (2.4"), up to a maximum of 223mm (8.8") ground clearance. Tyres are low profile 225/50R19 with a tread said to suitable for on-road and off-road driving. The spare wheel is kept in a drawer under the rear luggage compartment.

The weather is kept out by either a carbon fibre hard-top or a removable soft-top.

4wd.sofcom.com/4WD.html - Go to the Audi pages

Der Steppenwolf is the name of a 1927 novel by Hermann Hesse.