Kris Hansen

I meant the actual speed of the gearchange, not the speed with which it tries to get to top gear. Back in the 4 and 5 speed days, the shifts were glacially slow, but buttery smooth. I recently went from a 2000 A6 2.8 with a trans so smooth you barely felt it shift, to an 06 A4 2.0T which shifts in very strange ways sometimes, and I know it's programming, because you can duplicate it based on throttle position and road speed.

Reggie

Good point

BlackSVT

There is one big difference between the older autos and the more modern variants like the ZF 8 spd - the torque converter is almost always bypassed/locked on this trans so that there is no way to use its slop to cover up messy, ill-timed shifts. You feel it all, direct drive, as if a newbie was driving a manual.

I personally wouldn't want to be the one writing control software for this thing given the vast range of operating conditions and people's varying expectations. I like the rapid, positive upshifts under moderate to heavy throttle, very slick. I also like that 95% of the time, if the trans isn't already in the right gear, it gets there quickly and without drama in a decisive way. The best stock automatic I've ever driven in both respects. The other 5% of the time? Ehh...there's some things that could be improved, but nothing a whack on the shift paddle or drop to Sport mode can't fix. Overall, I'd still have to rate this as the only auto I have ever driven that doesn't incite frustration and strong dislike.

There is one thing I notice though regarding shifting roughness and ugly behavior (keeping in mind mine is the 3.0T if that matters here) -- if I drive slowly, with lots of light throttle for several days (daily commute sometimes necessitates such undesirable driving behavior...) The low speed shifting does seem to degrade over time...as if the learning mode forgets how to deal with things because it's had a narrow "experience" to draw from. I don't know how else to describe it. More liberal use of throttle and running through gears with wider speed range has fixed the roughness every time for me.

USAVAGEU

I totally agree. I love this ZF tranny. I like feeling the shifts. I usually am in "Dynamic" mode, but perhaps running in "Comfort" would lessen the "seat of the pants" feel of shifting gears.

stash64

I do agree with the above comments about normal/slow versus aggressive throttle. It seems my tranny shifts fine if I am aggressive but not so much when just trying to drive normally. That said, I'm ready to get back into a vehicle with the dual clutch tranny. I loved it in my A3 and may even look at trading in the Q5 for a Golf R next Spring. If the Q5 had the dual clutch transmission I think I would be happy with it for many years but this 8 speed really irritates the heck out of me.

ex-quattro PETE

Apologies for the newbie question, but can the "Sport" mode on these transmissions be permanently engaged? Or will it always go to "Drive"/Standard mode upon shifting out of Park and then you have to give it a pull to get it into "Sport"?

spijun

Owner's Manual:

ex-quattro PETE

Right, I saw that. So another words, there is no way to have it default to "Sport" automatically?

spijun

NO

acadianbob

I think the Audi programming of the ZF 8 speed is poorly done. I find it nearly impossible in "D" to get a smooth getaway from a standing stop. It seems to me that they take out some throttle when shifting between gears. If you happen to increase throttle while it is trying to shift from 1 to 2, say after a roll-out from a stoplight, you get a VERY abrupt surge of accelerate once the 1/2 shift is completely.

I have a buddy with an X3 with the same ZF 8-speed. His BMW doesn't exhibit this behavior. In my mind, this is just poor execution of drivetrain software.