What Is It?
Audi Pikes Peak quattro
What's Special About It?
Billed as a high-performance sports touring vehicle, the Pikes Peak quattro borrows its name from one of the world's most famous off-road races to emphasize its dual-purpose nature despite the sleek European shape that suggests something else entirely. The unique seating arrangement consists of six forward-facing bucket seats, each with its own power adjustments. Rear passengers also get the luxury of flip-down screens that not only can display vehicle functions through Audi's MMI (Multi Media Interface) but DVD movies and Internet Web sites as well.
The high-performance image is backed up by a twin-turbo direct-injection V8 that produces 500 horsepower — more than enough to get five web-surfing passengers and their driver moving in a hurry. Audi claims a 0-to-60 time of just five seconds. Off-road ability is enhanced through the addition of a variable-height active air suspension that can raise the vehicle to allow for as much as 11 inches of underbody clearance.
Another new innovation built into the Pikes Peak quattro is a lane departure warning system. Consisting of an optical sensor that scans the road ahead, the warning system will warn the driver if an unintentional lane change is about to occur either through audible tones or motor-activated steering wheel vibration. Inadvertent highway naps could be a thing of the past if this system ever makes it to production.
Why Should You Care?
Audi already has the allroad quattro on the market but it has signaled its intention to go even further with a more dedicated crossover vehicle. The Pikes Peak quattro may not be exactly what the company has in mind for production but don't be surprised to see many of the quattro concept's innovative technological features on Audi's eventual allroad replacement. — Ed Hellwig
Audi Pikes Peak quattro
What's Special About It?
Billed as a high-performance sports touring vehicle, the Pikes Peak quattro borrows its name from one of the world's most famous off-road races to emphasize its dual-purpose nature despite the sleek European shape that suggests something else entirely. The unique seating arrangement consists of six forward-facing bucket seats, each with its own power adjustments. Rear passengers also get the luxury of flip-down screens that not only can display vehicle functions through Audi's MMI (Multi Media Interface) but DVD movies and Internet Web sites as well.
The high-performance image is backed up by a twin-turbo direct-injection V8 that produces 500 horsepower — more than enough to get five web-surfing passengers and their driver moving in a hurry. Audi claims a 0-to-60 time of just five seconds. Off-road ability is enhanced through the addition of a variable-height active air suspension that can raise the vehicle to allow for as much as 11 inches of underbody clearance.
Another new innovation built into the Pikes Peak quattro is a lane departure warning system. Consisting of an optical sensor that scans the road ahead, the warning system will warn the driver if an unintentional lane change is about to occur either through audible tones or motor-activated steering wheel vibration. Inadvertent highway naps could be a thing of the past if this system ever makes it to production.
Why Should You Care?
Audi already has the allroad quattro on the market but it has signaled its intention to go even further with a more dedicated crossover vehicle. The Pikes Peak quattro may not be exactly what the company has in mind for production but don't be surprised to see many of the quattro concept's innovative technological features on Audi's eventual allroad replacement. — Ed Hellwig
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