Audi RS4 Quattro slays Tesla Model 3 Performance in winter testing despite EV's impressive showing

The Audi RS4 and Tesla Model 3 Performance are two of the best family-friendly performance cars on the market, and both feature very capable all-wheel-drive systems. A recent winter performance test by Tyre Reviews on YouTube, however, reveals that Audi's quattro AWD system handily beats out the Model 3 Performance's dual-motor setup.

Aside from rocket-like straight-line performance, electric cars present an attractive prospect in low-traction conditions, because they can more accurately and quickly modulate the power and torque that the wheels put down to the ground.

It's worth watching the full video, which you can find at the end of the article, but in short, Tyre Reviews conducts a number of tests on snow and ice, and the only time the Tesla scores a win over the Audi is during the snowy drag race with traction control on. As soon as traction control is disabled — or suppressed to its maximum extent, in the case of the Tesla — the Audi gets much more grip and blasts past the Tesla.

Subsequent tests include a similar acceleration test on ice, a snowy hill climb up a 20% grade, during which both excelled, and a handling test around a small track. The latter is where the Audi excelled most, scoring 72.9 seconds around the track as the fastest time. This dropped to 77 seconds when traction and stability control (ESC) were enabled again. 

Meanwhile, the Tesla wasn't far behind, at 74.1 seconds around the same track, although it's not just that the Audi was faster and more controlled and predictable. That predictability and handling also make the Audi a hoot to drive on a track, allowing the driver to decide how far they want to push the car.

Tesla's software and assistance systems aren't quite as refined as Audi's. That said, the Model 3 Performance is also significantly better at braking in the snow, consistently getting from 50–0 km/h two metres sooner.

Critically, the presenter, Jonathan Benson, also notes that while the Tesla doesn't let you turn all of the traction and stability control assistance off, it does let you tune things with much more granularity than the Audi, thanks to the software-controlled electric motors.

Part of the Audi's victory here likely comes down to the simplicity of a mechanical system and the 40-odd years of experience Audi has building cars with its quattro AWD systems for rally events and performance consumer cars.

Current-generation Audi quattro makes use of an automatically-locking central crown gear differential that automatically locks up when slip happens and distributes torque to 50/50 between the front and rear axles, although it allows for up to 75% of the torque to go to either axle when needed.

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