1991 Audi Coupe Quattro: the 190e30 Oppo Review

"190e30-Now with COSWORTH" (190e30)
03/23/2014 at 15:18 • Filed to: Oppo Reviews

So I've owned my 1991 Audi Coupe for almost a year now, and plan on selling it soon (yeah, I've said that for 6 months and probably will for 6 more, but whatever). What better time to do a review than now? I'll try to make this as entertaining as possible.

A brief history:

The 1990s Audi Coupe Quattro was tapping back into the roots of the original UrQuattro and its rally history. A step up from the previous-generation coupes, the '90s Coupe was available in exclusively Quattro form, with a locking TorSen center diff. Power was sourced from the famous 2.3 liter, 20 valve Inline-5 cylinder, which sounds absolutely heroic but does very little else, especially in terms of moving the car. It's good for 164 horsepower at 6000 and 157 ft-lbs at 4500, with a 7000 RPM redline, good for a 0-60 time of 8 seconds. This lack of forward propulsion was a direct result of a curb weight of 3,174 pounds in the 1990 and 3,308 in the 1991. As a direct result of this Titanic-esque weight, I referred to my car as "Tank" for roughly two months prior to going back to its German roots and naming it "Hans." The doors close with enough force to crack a diamond, and probably heads, if that's really what you desire. I haven't tried it yet though.

In typical Audi fashion, the Coupe pioneered a lot of new safety technology. The PROCON TEN system debuted in the 1990 variant of the Coupe for the first time. This mechanically-driven automatic seatbelt tensioner was one of the first of its kind, and is the reason many cars use similar systems today. Additionally, as a result of this high-tech crash safety gear, thick metal, and almost no horsepower, I get literally no money off of insurance. Pro Tip- Insurance doesn't care how safe your car is if you're 17, have one airbag, and drive an old Audi with two doors.

Now, on to the specs.

Interior-9/10

Leather, leather everywhere. Some wood here and there as well. Very comfortable, and could even be considered luxurious. MSRP was $35,000, and the car can now easily be had for under $10,000. Mine smelled like old people for a while due to sitting in a garage for roughly two years (a good price to pay for the ridiculously low mileage), but that worked its way out with use. Either that or I just got used to it.

The Coupe seats five, comfortably. If the fifth is an infant. Otherwise, it's going to be pretty tight back there.

Plenty of truck space, as well. I can fit my entire 155-inch snowboard in, with a little bit of work and some magic.

Overall, the interior is nice. "Quattro" printed carpets look nice and fit well with the general theme of the car, ("Hans, this ist ze Quattro, Ve need to put ze badges everywhar.") the leather is buttery and couch-like, the wood is…woody. The only critique I have is for a different headliner. There's a gorgeous black-and-brown theme going on throughout the entire inside of the car, until you look up and find gray headliner made out of some thin gray fabric. I also like that the seat heaters go up to six, as if five wasn't good enough for the Germans so they needed more.

Ride Quality- 8/10

Photocredit- Desu-San-Desu

I'd say you would call the Coupe a "Sports-Tourer." It's a real thing that I'm making up right now. I could easily drive the car for hundreds of miles in one sitting, if necessary. Additionally, the Coupe performs fairly well under hard driving. Coming from my first car (a track-prepped Dodge Neon ACR), I personally would prefer a slightly stiffer set-up as the lean is definitely noticeable, but I guess that's the sacrifice you need to pay for a super-comfy highway feel.

I had the pleasure of participating in the BMWCCA "Survive the Drive" program in my Coupe this past fall, and had a great time, despite understeer. With better tires, the car would be a blast, (I remember as it rolled off the trailer fresh from Minnesota, my dad and I were circling it, giving the car a once-over as we saw it for the first time. "What the hell is a Riken Raptor?" I asked. "Probably what was on sale at Autozone that day.") as the stock brakes provide more than sufficient stopping power.

Another thing to note- The Audi Coupe/90 drivetrain is literally derived from a snowmobile, and was drawn up by Antarctic Eskimos. As a result, the Coupe/90 are literally unstoppable in the snow. Twice this past winter, I was stuck riding the bus because my dad jacked my car to deal with a few inches of snow. Every time he came back astonished, despite having owned basically the same car ten yeas prior.

Acceleration- 6/10

Really, I would've rated this lower, but it just sounds too good. Nothing like merging on the highway and having the pleasure of not the one to two gear changes you get in a high-end sportscar prior to reaching 60, but anywhere from three to four. You get to enjoy the beauty and fun of the manual transmission with a glorious backing soundtrack humming along behind you.

As a personal non-believer in applying aftermarket forced-induction to a stock car (if they spend millions of miles perfecting the reliability of a car, why mess with that?) I feel the Coupe would majorly benefit from some sort of a cam upgrade. The motor loves to rev, and sucks air like an E46. A little bit of work on the induction/exhaust end could probably get the 20 valve over 200 horsepower in it's naturally-aspirated state. Or you could just get an S2 turbo shipped over from Europe. Your call.

Exterior- 10/10

There isn't much to say here. It's gorgeous. I've had people flag me down to talk specs and history with me in traffic while yelling out the window, leave notes on my windshield, people who ask me to pull over so they can take a picture of my car next to theirs (so far, this has happened with a Golf R and a stanced Mk2 Jetta GLI), and have had small groups gather at Cars and Coffee events when there are supercars just a few cars down. I've even had my picture taken in traffic a few times. You literally get supercar treatment for under $10,000. And the Speedlines are one of the nicest wheels ever fitted to a car from the factory, IMO.

At a BMW Club Meeting when I was 15, Sam Smith asked what car I planned on for my first. When I said an Audi Coupe, he laughed and said "Why the hell would you want one of those?" This is why, Sam.

Reliability/Maintenance Costs- 8.5/10

For an old German car, I expected much worse. It's definitely not on par with my old Neon or any sort of Japanese car, but it's been good to my wallet. Over my year of ownership, I've only had to do a few oil changes, tighten up the alternator belt (that was free), pads and rotors (I did that…), a tie rod boot (might have done that too…), and a new radiator (didn't do that. It looked like the Statue of Liberty). The Audi 5 cylinder is also known to easily achieve well over 200k miles in its naturally-aspirated form (just ask 505turbeaux or Desu-San-Desu).

Sound- 10/10

Mine has a resonator delete, that's it. Here you go:

Overall rating: 51.5/60, or 85.8% awesome.

I truly believe this is the single greatest car you can own for under $10,000. It's gorgeous beyond belief in person, has the exhaust note and (almost) has enough performance to back it, and is super comfy. It gets a reasonable and justifiable 22 miles per gallon. (I get 18. Lolololol.) It's also fairly reliable, and decently bulletproof. It's safe enough to carry people who mean something to you. And it will put a smile on your face every single time you climb in. Unless you close the door on a limb, in which place you will cry as you speed to the hospital holding said severed limb in your hand.

Any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. Maybe I'll reply, depending how Tiger is treating me. If you want additional specs, information and data, check out the super-site !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Also, 505Turbeux, this has your car on it too. I love the site so much.

DISCUSSION (5)

jkm7680 > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
03/23/2014 at 15:20

My lord, I want it. Keep it, Haha.

That's a great looking car though.

ixismore > 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
03/25/2014 at 07:32

The pain of being an 18 year old, with good grades (actually helps reduce the rate), and going to a drivers school (street survival, wasn't accepted even though way more essential to driving than grades), and then going to the insurance office to be told your family's rate is going to quadruple... Ouch.
26 year old airbagless BMW.

190e30-Now with COSWORTH > ixismore
03/25/2014 at 17:00

Yup. I got the grade discount and did the class time (the minimum one) but it's still ridiculous.