Transmissions
The supreme fuel economy and dynamic performance offered by the new Audi A4 also results from the standard usage of 5-speed and 6-speed manual gearboxes and 6-speed automatic transmissions with a wide range of gear increments. The current generation of the continuously variable multitronic transmission now has seven predefined transmission ratios that can be preselected as an alternative.
Ultramodern Manual Gearboxes
The manual versions of the new Audi A4 come with Audi's new generation of ML transmissions, the abbreviation ML standing for Manual/Lengthwise.
Featuring tight gear increments, this sophisticated gearbox of the latest generation combines extreme precision in shifting gears with short, clearly defined gearshift travel. Thanks to a special mount for the selector forks, the gear lever is effectively protected against driveline vibrations; the driver does not feel the gear lever trembling at all.
Internal friction reduced by a series of measures increases the efficiency of the manual gearbox. This means that engine power can be converted even more efficiently into forward propulsion.
The 6-speed Tiptronic with Sport Program
The 6-speed tiptronic transmission is available in conjunction with the very high-torque 3.2 FSI, 3.0 TDI and 2.0 T FSI power units featuring permanent four-wheel drive. Having already made its debut in the high-performance Audi S4, this transmission converts the power and muscle of the engine into a superior symbiosis of dynamism and operating convenience.
Weight reduction, a fast and crisp gearshift, as well as an optimised gearshift strategy help to combine the superior convenience of automatic gearshift with the sporting performance so typical of the A4.
Compared with its 5-speed predecessor, the new 6-speed gearbox is 14 kilograms lighter, the overall weight of the transmission being a mere 115 kilograms.
Again compared with a 5-speed automatic transmission, the overall spread of gear ratios is up by 18 percent on average. This means a much improved accelerating performance in the low gears and a clear reduction in engine speed and consequently a reduction in both noise level and fuel consumption at high speeds.
The shifting speed of the new 6-speed tiptronic has also been significantly optimised. The driver benefits from more spontaneous gear changes particularly when downshifting. In addition, the fact that the engine automatically double-declutches further increases agility.
Both in stage D and in the S sport program, the electronics respond efficiently to parameters such as lateral and longitudinal acceleration as well as to the movement of the accelerator pedal. This helps to prevent any unwanted upshifts when cornering.
Continuously Variable Multitronic
After making its production debut successfully in the year 2000, Audi's continuously variable multitronic automatic transmission is again offering its superior qualities in the new A4, combining the benefits of a manual gearbox with those of a geared automatic transmission. Fortes typical of multitronic are smooth but very dynamic acceleration as well as convenience in use and the efficient transmission of power.
The high standard of operating convenience offered by multitronic exceeds that of a conventional converter-type automatic transmission, while in terms of dynamic performance and economy, multitronic can by all means be compared with a manual gearbox. If the driver wishes to actively choose the appropriate transmission ratio, he is able to do so at the gear lever or using the optional shift paddles on the steering wheel, now providing no fewer than seven predefined gear ratios.
Numerous reinforcements and adjustments, as well as optimised cooling, serve to significantly enhance the performance of Audi's continuously variable automatic transmission. The multitronic is now even able to convey torque of up to 330 Nm, and is thus the ideal partner even for the most powerful V6 engine in the series, the 3.2 FSI which develops an output of 255 bhp and 330 Nm of torque.
Modified for the new Audi A4, the multitronic variator spans an even wider range of gear ratios: the overall ratio between the largest and the smallest gear transmission ratio is 6.25, virtually ideal for such a transmission. It permits dynamic, sports-style acceleration thanks to the use of lower ratios, but also fully exploits the engine's economy potential by using the highest ratio.
A further special feature is the ability of the electronics to emulate the functions of a manual gearbox. Introducing the latest version of multitronic, Audi has opted for no fewer than seven forward gears activated by the driver using the selector lever by means of a one-touch function in the second shift plane or by pressing down the gearshift paddles on the steering wheel (optional).
These seven gearshift stages are memorised by the system as fixed shift programs. Depending on which gear the driver selects, the controller is supplied with the ratio as a set point, which it establishes at the variator and maintains. Even these manually prompted gearshifts take place smoothly and jolt-free, satisfying the desire for sports performance.
quattro Permanent Four-wheel Drive
quattro permanent four-wheel drive has long since been one of the favourite technical concepts of Audi drivers. Around 25 percent of all 2003 models of the Audi A4 were equipped with four-wheel drive; the figure will undoubtedly be higher for the new-generation model. Because right from the production start, Audi will be able to supply the engine versions of the new A4 from 120 kW (163 bhp) upwards as quattro models.
Its major strength lies in capabilities that have come to be regarded as a matter of course over the past 20 years: a persuasively superior dynamic performance and driving safety, and a distinctively superior form of travel.
A vehicle with permanent four-wheel drive can translate significantly more traction and consequently higher cornering forces into propulsion. This in turn means greater driving enjoyment and safety for the driver. Improved directional stability, much lower susceptibility to cross-winds and better towing properties also characterise the superiority of the Audi A4 quattro.
On the new Audi A4 quattro, with its longitudinally installed four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines, a Torsen centre differential automatically distributes power to all four wheels. This system is also used on Audi's highest-performance vehicles, the A8 as well as the 480 bhp RS 6 Plus, for example.
The name "Torsen" is a contraction of the two terms "torque" and "sensing". The Torsen differential is a self-locking worm gear.
The advantage is that the locking action is only prompted by the driveline. Yet this type of differential accommodates differences in speed when the brakes are applied and when cornering. Normally the power is split 50:50 between the two pairs of wheels, but in extreme cases the entire propulsive power can be diverted to either pair. In the event of more than one wheel encountering considerable slip, the electronic differential lock EDL can even concentrate this power on one wheel.
[Gasoline] [Diesel] [Transmissions] [Specifications]
