Audi Shooting Brake: when TT meets Avant... (retrospection)

What Bulgaria wrote 20 years ag magazin de piese auto online.

Audi Shooting Brake: when TT meets Avant... (retrospection)

As strange as the combination of a sports coupe and a station wagon may sound, it must be admitted that with a talented stylistic interpretation, this mixture does not look bad at all. Moreover, the combination is not something new, because the eccentric British people from Aston Martin have long taken care of both translating this concept into action and finding a special name for the strange automotive breed – “Shooting Brake”.

The Shooting Brake concept model that Audi presented at its stand at the Tokyo Motor Show also bears the name Shooting Brake. The athlete with 19-inch wheels, a length of 4.18 m and a height of only 1.35 m is currently only a study, the serial implementation of which is subject to further assessment. Only the layout of the front end and the design of the dashboard of the prototype are close to the serial production, which will be adopted almost unchanged in the second edition of the TT expected next year.

The greatest interest in the Shooting Brake, however, is undoubtedly caused by the layout of the compact rear part, under whose retracted and dynamic shapes there is space for two more passengers and a luggage volume that, depending on the position of the seats, changes between a minimum of 255 and a maximum of 730 liters. The prototype is powered by the familiar 3.2-liter gasoline V6 with a power of 250 hp in the company of a quattro all-wheel drive system with a multi-plate clutch.

There is also a rather curious novelty in the chassis of the Shooting Brake. Independent suspension on all wheels is not a surprise, but in this prototype Audi for the first time demonstrates unique shock absorbers with variable operating characteristics. The system is called “Magnetic ride” and is based on the property of the special oil in the shock absorbers to change its viscosity under the influence of a magnetic field.

According to Audi, thanks to this system, an extremely high speed of changing the vehicle's behavior depending on road conditions or the driver's wishes is achieved and optimal comfort and stability are guaranteed in every situation.

Car parts AutoPower
Car parts AutoPower

As strange as the combination of a sports coupe and a station wagon may sound, it must be admitted that with a talented stylistic interpretation, this mixture does not look bad at all

The Shooting Brake concept model that Audi presented at its stand at the Tokyo Motor Show also bears the name Shooting Brake