Dustin A4

In Europe it is easy to rent a manual, more costly to rent an auto.

figcar

The tiptronic on my 2001 A4 1.8t is absolutely fantastic...almost as good as (and a lot smoother) the F1 paddle shifter in the new Ferraris. This the first auto I've had since high school...as in 1960...and I've raced vintage Alfas and a Porsche RS America and a '95 993 six speed. Outside of the slightest lag off the line, the tiptronic is just flat out better than a manual trans...for convenience and for performance. But don't think "automatic" means you don't have to drive the car. It straight auto mode it is easy to poop around town and each a sandwich at the same time. You'll find it even more convenient when you leave it in 3rd gear...just like in a manual trans but you let the gear box to the running up and down the gears. When you slide it over to the full tiptronic sport mode...you still can control the speed of the shifts by educating your foot and listening to the engine and feeling the torque. A gentle but quick easing of your foot as you shift with make it much quicker. And for down shifting...as soon as you select the down gear, blip the throttle just lightly and the revs will match as nicely as any manual gear box. The benefit to all this is that you spend much less time and motion. It is faster...and though it might feel slower because you are doing so much less...it is faster. I'd like to try the new CVT because it also gets better milage than a manual and is (based on what I've read) even quicker than the tiptronic. The only reason I would go back to a manual trans is if the car I wanted didn't offer this good an alternative. I know this goes against the grain of most of the posts here...but try to find a copy of Porsche racing ace Hurley Haywood's remarks re: the tiptronic when he drove the Porsche Turbo. I would also expect the paddle shifting on the next generation S4 to work it's way down to the rest of us sooner than later.
John Ireland

ccA4SEA

I was in the same situation as you, my A4 was my first manual and I'm not regreting it at all! Took a little to get used to(almost no manual expirience before this car) but now I feel just as confident, if not more so, then I did with an automatic.

The first few hundred miles I questioned my decision, went through some times of frustration, but as the car broke in more, it got better and better. The few times I've driven an automatic since getting this car have seemed outright boring by comparison.

Bottom line - a sporty car like the A4 deserves a manual tranny - you won't regret it.

Good luck with your decision.

AggregatVier

(SF + Manual) * New = Disaster

Gandalf The Silver

Tiptronic faster than the manual? That's just plain wrong if you look at the performance numbers :-\

if1995

it took me about a month to finally feel comfortable, that include learning to drive the steep hill. But it's all worth it...i love driving the stick.

but make sure u learn how to drive the steep hills of sf before u buy the car. i practice on my new A4 and it was heartbearking sometimes.

But no regrets! Manual shifting gives you better control of the car and chicks dig it. I love it when a fine gal touches my shifter and shifts in the right gear. ohh ya.

A4 3.0 MT6 Quattro

if1995

hey, i was in the same situation as you..there was a time i questioned my decision....but that was just a phase....i love driving stick now.

originaljohn

Thanks for all the replies!

No one has chimed in about regretting the move from auto to stick. Any takers for this?

Thanks again,
John

figcar

If you are looking at just accelleration times where someone plants their foot to the floor and times 0- 60, etc...you are correct...the delay off the line is time the auto can never make back in the pure auto mode. And just planting your foot on the floor isn't very skillful driving. I am talking about the speed of shifting, and again, I'm not referring to the brain dead style of driving where you are expecting the car to do it all. When the tiptronic is used as a sport/high performance shifting tool...it can and will shift faster than a manual box...and will allow more agressive driving because...well for the same reason all the F1 cars are now clutchless paddle shifters. And when you are shifting faster and driving more smoothly and spending less time with your foot off the gas (up and down shifting in a manual) you will be picking up tenths of a second per lap. Ten laps equals one second. One second at 100 mph equals and big fast distance between being first and being second.

Watch the in camera between cart and F1...watch how much later the F1 guys can brake. It's not just because the F1 cars are lighter, it's because they can down gear effortlessly and with both hands on the wheel...the cart guys are still driving ten year old gear boxes. Also watch the world rally cars. Some have the old style gears shifting where the guy has to remove one hand from the wheel...but the more efficient setup is the ring or paddle style shifting. In both cases neither is really using the clutch but the control you gain when you don't have to take a hand off the steering wheel is remarkable.

The best trans system today is the F1 (also seen in street Ferraris)...second best (at the moment) is the Porsche/Audi tiptronic...but I think the CVT with sport/racing program will eclipse the tip...and someday maybe even the F1 style system.

I loved every gear of every mile I drove in my manual gearboxes...but I would feel I was going backward if I had to drive one again...especially since I've gone through the learning curve and took the time to discover how to get the most out of the tiptronic.

John

Turning Japanese

Not having a clutch really helps with left-foot braking. The manual is faster in the straight aways, though. Tiptronic is excellent for an auto transmission, but it still can't replace a manual (sequential or standard). Even with a tip chip, it doesn't shift nearly as fast as an F1 gearbox. I currently have a Tip, and while it is the best auto I have ever driven, I still wish I got a manual.