gkgeiger

Just wondering if anyone here had a previous A4 with the 6 spd auto and now has the 8 spd. Just curious what you think and how it has improved the car.

wpg2.0T

I went from a B7 Avant with the 6 spd Tip to a B8 Avant with the 8 spd Tip.

In my opinion, there is no comparison. The 8 spd is by far a superior trans. and seems seamless. No lurching and no hunting for the gears. I think the newer 2.0 engine also helps.

Canuk1.8T

I currently have a 2010 A4 w/ 6pd auto and just spent 4 days with an A5 w/ 8spd and to be honest I couldn't feel all too much of a difference.

Now with that said my vehicle's trans didn't feel all that smooth and never came to a stop smoothly but I was recently in for service and they must have upgraded the programming as it's now butter smooth. Day and night difference! I strongly suggest that anyone experiencing issues with the 6spd to look into if they have the latest programming.

All Audi's with paddle shifters allow the user to tab up or down while the gear selector is in Drive and if a shift isn't made by you in a short time the system goes back to normal, Drive that is. With the 8spd the delay is much longer which can be useful when you truly want to keep the gear you selected.

In the end I was really hard pressed to notice anything different.

Hope this helps.

Big W

the most difference you'll notice is on long drives highway mpg's as the 8spd revs a lot lower at same speed

jdong

The fact that the new 8spd doesn't feel WORSE than the old 6spd is definitely worth noting. The main benefit is going to be better fuel efficiency thanks to the lower highway revs, and possibly better kickdowns thanks to gear spacing.

jfo

There is some interesting info about the 8 speed on the ZF site..

http://www.zf.com/corporate/en/produ...enjoyment.html

Canuk1.8T

Very true. I noticed that when I placed the trans into Tip mode while at 65kph it would be in 6th, maybe 7th so naturally the higher gears do help with interstate speed/travel.

Thinking back to last weekend when I was in the A5 I did find I didn't mind having it in Sport mode during most times where as in my A4 I tend to avoid it as I find it feels odd. Can't put my finger on it. Just something I don't enjoy and therefore don't use.

All in all getting a 2010 or 2011 A4 is a good thing

pierreb

Are we sure the 8-speed transmission is the same in the A4/A5/Q5 as the one in the A8?

We have both a Q5 with 8spd and an A4 with 6spd. Both with the same 2.0 engine. Right now I can't tell much of a difference, but the Q5 is in a self-imposed break-in period.

jdong

Well certainly it's one of the ZF 8HPs and the difference between the sub-models is the torque rating. Of course, this is not to say the transmission's shift programs are calibrated in the same way. For that matter, just having a different sized engine is going to change the way it feels.

gkgeiger

Thanks for the feedback.