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APR, a longstanding Volkswagen and Audi tuner based in Alabama, has released new software that optimizes the behavior of Haldex AWD systems for speed and performance. While APR has released many engine and transmission tunes, this is the first time we’ve seen APR release a dedicated AWD system calibration.

The simply named APR AWD Upgrade for Haldex is “a performance software recalibration with optional supporting hardware designed to optimize torque transfer, improve traction, and deliver faster all-wheel-drive engagement for compatible Volkswagen Group vehicles equipped with Haldex systems.” The idea is that this will help you put power to the ground “through optimized clutch pressure control during high-load and launch conditions,” according to the tuner. The tune is primarily designed for the Mk7 Golf R, 8V RS3, S3, and TTS.

Haldex AWD is most often associated with transverse, front-drive-based platforms, and VW/Audi have been big adopters (though the technology has appeared in a huge range of vehicles, from Volvos to Bugattis). In a VW or Audi application, Haldex relies on two main pieces of hardware to work: a power takeoff/angle drive at the back of the transmission, and the Active On-demand Coupling (AOC) at the front of the rear differential.

The simplest way to describe it is that these cars are primarily front-drive in normal cruising, but the system can proactively engage the rear axle based on throttle input, wheel speed, steering angle, and traction conditions. The AOC’s hydraulic clutch comes into play and varies how much torque is sent to the rear axle. It’s evolved over the years, but the basic idea is that it lets a car have AWD when needed but FWD otherwise to save on fuel. FCP Euro has a more complete rundown on it if you’d like to keep learning.

Even though today’s Haldex systems are superior to those that first came out in the late ’90s, APR still contends that factory systems “can limit clutch pressure, delay rear torque transfer, and reduce driver control during aggressive driving, especially on modified vehicles.”

APR’s new AWD Upgrade tweaks settings for “faster, more assertive clutch engagement, improved rear torque bias, and increased overall driveline responsiveness.” It also lets you switch instantly between AWD Mode and a FWD Burnout Mode. The latter effectively replaces the old enthusiast trick of pulling a fuse or disconnecting the rear coupling to force front-wheel-drive behavior.

“AWD Mode increases clutch pressure and improves responsiveness to throttle input and wheel slip, enabling quicker rear torque transfer and more confident launches. FWD Burnout Mode, activated in Race Mode, temporarily decouples the rear axle for front-wheel-drive operation, ideal for burnouts, drag racing preparation, and dyno use, while maintaining OEM-style usability,” the tuner states.

APR has also updated some other engine and transmission tuning products to work better with this newly available Haldex tune.

The intended benefits of this mod are “more consistent launch performance, enhanced traction, and a more dynamic driving experience without the complexity of standalone controllers.” As for how quickly it would accelerate wear on your driveline, it’s tough to say. APR is a well-established tuning house, and there’s no indication this calibration is inherently unsafe when used as intended. That said, the flame that burns brightest also burns out the fastest. Any modification that increases driveline load or traction tends to accelerate wear to some degree; there’s just no getting around that.

I drove a Golf R with an APR Stage 3 Plus tune on it almost a decade ago now, and it still stands out in my memory for how good it was. Being able to put power down even more effectively would be a boon to Audis and VWs if it works well.

This new tune is $449.95 for a Stage 1 system (enhances clutch engagement within the factory hardware’s operating range) and $549.95 for Stage 2 (integrates APR’s upgraded pressure relief valve assembly, allowing the system to safely command significantly greater clutch pressure during launches and high-load events). You can upgrade from Stage 1 to 2 later for $99.95 if you want.

Core applications for the APR AWD Upgrade for Haldex include:

• 2013-19 VW Mk7 Golf R (global model years)
• 2015-20 Audi RS3 8V (global model years)
• 2016-23 Audi TTS 8S (global model years)
• 2017-22 Audi TT RS 8S (global model years)

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I was recently lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you see it) to test a 2026 Acura Integra Type S on Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires for a week. “Gee, I sure hope we get some weather to test this setup properly,” I told myself when I got the car. Welp, Kuraokami must have heard me, because my little corner of the country got absolutely slammed with snow over the next few days.

After hours of shoveling, I dug this blazing blue ITS out of Frosty’s death grip and went for a rip to see how it held up against the elements.

I enjoyed the last-gen FK8 Honda Civic Type R immensely on backroads—more than at the track, while the 2024 Acura Integra Type S gave me one of my all-time favorite driving experiences. Whipping it around the Möbius-strip roads in the highlands outside Santa Barbara when that car came out, man, it was an absolute blast. The car felt perfect.

The current DE5 Integra Type S hasn’t really changed since that drive a few years ago; it’s still the same great front-drive platform, hosting a venerable K20C8 2.0-liter DOHC VTEC turbo engine that claims 320 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, paired to a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission.

Revisiting the ITS a few years later has led me to refine my opinions of the vehicle. It’s still, essentially, an extremely well-executed sport compact car with an exceptional manual transmission and great handling. But looking around the cockpit this time, the ambiance felt a lot more “compact” than “sport.” And “luxury” barely even registers. It’s not that the car feels cheap, but it’s almost aggressively unfancy.

As far as cold-weather creature comforts inside, you can get a heated steering wheel ($485 option) if you skip the Alcantara steering wheel, and an OEM engine block heater ($92) if you live somewhere particularly frigid. You might also want to skip the very cool $209 titanium shift knob—even the top of the aluminum one on this test car felt intensely cold in the morning! The cabin heater itself is adequate, and the heated seats work nicely with three warmth settings. Sadly, the seats are really not all that comfortable. I find this surprising, because Acura’s people made a big deal of how they toiled over seat design, and the seats in the last-gen Civic Type R were genuinely great.

Having a basic cockpit is not inherently a problem for the ITS. In some ways, a Spartan interior makes sense for the performance variant of a normie car like this. But at the prices Acura wants for these—list is about $55,000—you should understand that there are many more luxe alternatives.

As for the drive itself, on snow-drenched roads with winter tires, the results were kind of a mixed bag. And yes, we were out in much fouler weather than you see in these photos; I was not about to leave the protection of the heated seat in the worst of the storm to snap more photos.

Initially, the car felt good. At what I considered a reasonable speed for the conditions (occasionally below the limit), I felt excellent traction, turning, gentle acceleration, and polite braking. The ITS has a good balance of responsiveness and comfort for what it is, but it certainly rides a little stiffer than your average Acura. That hurt a little more on the potholed wintry roads of New York than it did on the smooth, sweeping drives of California.

At a more spirited pace, I still felt fairly confident that I wouldn’t be swallowed into the outside of a corner by understeer. Following the most basic rules of winter driving, the car was willing to press on through powder. Handling still felt good when braking and steering were considered with appropriate care.

Hard-charging into boost and VTEC territory, things fell apart a little bit. The Blizzak tires, as much as I love them, spun into oblivion in first gear in a launch. I’d get to about 3,000 rpm, and then the tach would just surge as the front tires lost traction. And that was on dry road patches—I wasn’t willing to exhibit such behavior in the worst of the weather. If I were really going for it, which I tried a few times, I could get wheelspin in second, too.

That made me a little gun-shy about pushing the limits of cornering cohesion, but in a big, empty parking lot, I prodded the car a bit and felt mostly good. For a 320-hp front-drive car, it felt pretty composed as I flung it around. But if you go searching for understeer, you’ll find it.

While acceleration traction was probably the most disappointing, winter braking on Blizzaks was solid. The ITS has some mean-business Brembo four-piston monobloc aluminum calipers clamping 13.8-inch rotors on the front axle, and even in low traction, the Bridgestone tires helped the car reel itself in quickly and consistently in a straight line, which I appreciated immensely.

There’s a lot to like about the Integra Type S. Exterior styling’s still great, and it drives delightfully well, especially if you appreciate shifting your own gears. Its snow performance was OK. Fine enough for daily driving—you can confidently own one of these in a climate that gets snow, but it’s far from the snow-beast status of something like an all-wheel drive Audi RS3 or Subaru WRX. And a longer, more mature look at the car has tempered my initial gaga reaction. The ITS is a great sport compact car, it’s just kind of annoyingly expensive for how it feels.

The Double Apex Blue Pearl paint job did look sweet in the snow, though. Swipe through here to see the rest of my pics of the car in cold conditions:

Acura provided The Drive with a seven-day loan of this vehicle for the purpose of writing this review.