A8LNYC

I have the same issue and in my opinion it is unsafe in the city, sometimes I'm afraid i could hit the car in front of me.
I told the salesman about this and he told me that it is they way they are, I'll tell you sometimes I think that they don't know anything about the cars they sell.

xradman

I had the TSB update on my car and I think it was to fix smoothness of transmission during shifts and not this off idle hesitation. My car still has that hesitation taking off from stop even after the TSB fix.

GR8-LIFE

if its a simply an update then consider yourself lucky. I had a weird problem at about 1400 miles. The car vibrated at very low rpm after 3rd gear. The best way to describe it would be like being in 4th gear driving a stick while traveling 20 mph. The engine was straining like crazy if you were soft on the throttle below 18K rpm. Once you got close to 2K rpm it went away. At first it was subtle but The problem continued to worsen, making it more obvious. It was also felt when the car was slowing down (where the trans was downshifting) and you were hitting LOW RPM.

An AUDI Field tech had To be sent out to look at it after I demonstrated the problem with the service mgr and the shop foreman as passengers. I asked them to call me when he was inspecting it as I was very curious. It turned out to be something in the clutch (or near it) had too much play. I needed a brand new transmission. For those AUDI owners who are abour to have their warranty expire, u better make sure you extend it. I asked to see the bill to AUDI and it was $11,000, Never own a german car without a warranty. She's been behaving since the new tranny

HouTexAudi

I was entering a freeway today from a clover-leaf on ramp (so I was in the middle of a curve) and when I saw a break in traffic I stomped on the accelerator and it did nothing for a couple of seconds. By that time other cars were approaching so I had to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision. This is totally unacceptable--I need to visit the dealer. My transmission shifts very smoothly--that is not the problem. What I am experiencing is a drive-by-wire programming problem that needs to be fixed.

Dr.Aronis

There was an add on module which a friend tried on his S5 which helped a little.

I spoke with some S4/S5 tuners an an Audi event and they know about this issue on the 4 and 5's but not much on the 8's. This was apparently COMPLETELY fixed with a software revision.

The issue is there are so many types of drivers. Some are clueless on how to drive in the first place so they don't notice the delay nor see it's significance in daily driving.

The first step is for Audi to Admit there is an issue, then they can fix it.

As you get used to the car you can compensate by pushing the pedal a bit faster but it's still dicey to get smooth acceleration without spilling all the coffee! LOL....

Now when I drive the minivan I end up jumping out from a stop faster than needed as I am used to pushing my A8 gas pedal in the way needed for smooth acceleration.

I'm just glad to see this post as it confirms my impression.

(I was standing in the wildness shouting about the poor DRC design on my 03 RS6 until it happened to more people so I learned this time that Audiworlder's can be fast to defend Audi and dump on a fellow forum user.)

Mike

GR8-LIFE

ya, good luck with that. Damage Control is always the name of the game, not just with AUDI, but with virtually every manufacturer. I am glad I tend to drive luxury cars Geriatric style. But it would bother the hell out of me if this was happening to an S or RS model

BigGrasshopper

I had software update and it improved issue maybe 70%. Still lag that is inexplicable in a normally aspirated engine. That said, shifting into "S" will practically eliminate the issue. Granted, the mapping in "S" is slightly hyperactive, but if you want better throttle response, the "S" is way to go. It was the same for be D3 as well.

None of of these luxo barges are perfect. The transmission in the 750 was herky jerky at low speed, and the S550 was a bit sleepy. The D4 is slightly annoying but better than the competition in my opinion.

GR8-LIFE

Some good points on the competition but I hope AUDI isnt making their cars based on this.

The 7 series interior sux butt and whereas its an amazing agile car for its size, its a bit rough for a lux car. When I drove a 2011 S550, it went for a nose dive like a boat when braking. Only MERC sedan i ever liked were the AMG's and even their interior dash became a bit antiquated and at $140K starting price to boot.

I havent been in the latest AMG's but I dont care at those prices. I can have an V8 R8 and a 3.0 A8 for the price of an S65 AMG. Then I'll watch the S65 depreciate like a rock 4 years later when my R8 will be worth more more - lol!

BigGrasshopper

Mark- I agree on all points exactly except that the 750i does have amazingly comfortable front seats.

RL371

I guess I like cushier front seats. I had a 2009 750i for a few years. After a few hours in the seats on long road trips they got uncomfortable quickly. I find the A8 seats much more comfortable.

Lexus still has the best seats though, they just need Audi's massage function.