The Alfa Romeo Crosswagon Q4 isn't coming to these shores. Yet, we didn't just run out of things to fill the white space - the reason it's here is that the Q4 system will be seen on future Alfas we'll get.
So what's the big deal? Well, it's this: the Q4 system, other than taking Alfa back to the 4x4 market for the first time in a decade, is also very new and very, very trick.
At the heart of it is a new Torsion C differential that monitors and changes torque distribution between the four driven wheels according to grip. In layman's terms, the normal power distribution of 48:52, front and rear, is changed immediately and automatically, with more power going where you need it. Find yourself understeering and more torque is sent to the front wheels to help pull you out of it, and vice-versa for oversteer.
Married to this is the vehicle dynamic control (VDU), which monitors tyre grip, both longitudinally and laterally.
So what does the driver get out of this? Well, since the firm's success in the International Touring Car Championship during the Nineties was with the Alfa Romeo 155 Q4, it should come as no surprise it handles brilliantly. It eats corners for breakfast, devours turns for lunch and it makes a pleasant supper of S-bends. It never feels unsafe or unstable no matter how fast you push into a corner. Even turning at speed on a loose, gravel road you can feel the front wheels surge with more power, providing the extra grip it needs and pulling you round. However, all this is with the 1.9-litre JTD 16v engine that's standard on the Crosswagon, so what it would be like with something a bit fruitier could be a different story.
Still, it's a shame we're not getting the Crosswagon (even though it'll be on sale in Europe long after the standard 156 estate has been replaced by the new 157) although with its jacked up suspension and chunky bumpers, there's a chance you might look a tad silly in it. But there's nothing silly about the Q4 system, and in the right car and the right hands, you could be the devil in disguise.
Another Audi Allroad?
So what's the big deal? Well, it's this: the Q4 system, other than taking Alfa back to the 4x4 market for the first time in a decade, is also very new and very, very trick.
At the heart of it is a new Torsion C differential that monitors and changes torque distribution between the four driven wheels according to grip. In layman's terms, the normal power distribution of 48:52, front and rear, is changed immediately and automatically, with more power going where you need it. Find yourself understeering and more torque is sent to the front wheels to help pull you out of it, and vice-versa for oversteer.
Married to this is the vehicle dynamic control (VDU), which monitors tyre grip, both longitudinally and laterally.
So what does the driver get out of this? Well, since the firm's success in the International Touring Car Championship during the Nineties was with the Alfa Romeo 155 Q4, it should come as no surprise it handles brilliantly. It eats corners for breakfast, devours turns for lunch and it makes a pleasant supper of S-bends. It never feels unsafe or unstable no matter how fast you push into a corner. Even turning at speed on a loose, gravel road you can feel the front wheels surge with more power, providing the extra grip it needs and pulling you round. However, all this is with the 1.9-litre JTD 16v engine that's standard on the Crosswagon, so what it would be like with something a bit fruitier could be a different story.
Still, it's a shame we're not getting the Crosswagon (even though it'll be on sale in Europe long after the standard 156 estate has been replaced by the new 157) although with its jacked up suspension and chunky bumpers, there's a chance you might look a tad silly in it. But there's nothing silly about the Q4 system, and in the right car and the right hands, you could be the devil in disguise.
Another Audi Allroad?
