Once again the armed forces do not want to play a wrong note like they did with the DKW Munga who`s four-wheel drive was not bad at all, but who kept the two-stroke engine much too long. The contracts are given to the successor group and already in 1976 the tests start. The vehicle derives from Audi 80/Passat models modified by Audi. Maybe this time however they try to make it a bit too good. At least, the car is also available for the private customer and so the remarkable price of 40,000 DM becomes known. Since the military are involved, the result is an almost too perfect car. Nowadays 1300 kg of tare weight (armed forces implementation 1550 kg) may not be such a big problem. At the end of the seventies this is a huge weight for a car less than four meters long and without roof. When the four- wheel drive is switched off, why does the vehicle drive the back wheels which clearly raises the complexity? Why is a 24-volt arrangement including starter absolutely necessary if the 181 gets along with an additional 24-volt generator? However, the cornerstone for the basic construction of the later Audi Quattro is laid here which, besides formidable sales figures, gains a lot of honour in ralley sports. Already the 'Iltis' proves good abilities on the track as well as on the road. Four wheels suspended individually with cardan joint shafts are the key to it, even if on the track - more often than at other off-roaders - one wheel looses ground contact. In any case, the cross-country vehicle fans are happy when they can buy used armed forces vehicles with a mileage of sometimes below 3000 km (!) for nearly nothing. Frustration, however, begins with spare part prices! 04/10