Mehh...can't decide between 6 spd. or tiptronic...

[flaudia402]

Mehh can't decide between a stick or Tiptronic...

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Coming from a 5 spd B6 1.8T A4 I'm used to the manual tranny. I'll be honest though, I haven't been that impressed with the Audi slushbox. Not sure if its a B6 thing. I've driven the BMW's, and their gearboxes are oh so smooth, but I'm not going to give up the Audi's good looks for a BMW -- among a few other things.

Looking to pick up an '07 or '08 Avant 2.0t within the next few months. First of all I'm having a REALLY tough time finding one with a 6 spd, but regardless, should I even look that hard? I've driven the one with the tiptronic and all the '08's come with the shifter paddles behind the steering wheel. I MIGHT chip this car (sort of tired of modifying the car heavily), definitely going with coilovers and wheels, and I'm really feeling the '08s coming with the Sline standard. So my question is, 1) should I just get the tiptronic with the paddles (easier to find, thus i'll be able to get it a bit cheaper, rather than ordering the car and paying MSRP), 2) has Audi improved their gearboxes since the B6s - those of you coming from a manual b6 stepping up to a b7? 3) With a chip, is the fun factor of the 2.0t's the same using the tiptronic, or is it pretty much, once you go manual, you never go back?

I'm really caught up on whether I want a car that I can just get into and chill with, not having to shift gears, and feel around. Also, do any of you feel like your manual transmissions are more fragile than the Autos? I don't mean that in all technical aspects, I mean literally, when I let other people drive the car, techs, family/friends, I feel more cautious to choose who drives my b6 with the manual transmission because a person could do so much more damage if they don't know how to drive the car properly. Grinding gears, stalling out, shifting hard, etc. Where as with an automatic, if you leave the car in drive, theres very little they can do rather then just step on it. Aside from dropping the car into reverse or slamming it into sport mode would you agree?

I just don't want to go through the hassle of changing out my clutch (like i had to on my b6 after 40k miles, of course after adding several mods to the car, chip/flash/injectors *no big turbo*), but wondering if this should even be a concern. Sorry I'm rambling, just at work, and have a bunch of random tangent thoughts in my head, seeing if anyone else has any ideas or comments.

Thanks!

[1sicknickel]

Depends on the traffic you drive in. I personally love the 6sp Manual. But when I drove the R8 last week I fell in love with the R-tronic.

[a4dc89]

I would say that it depends mainly on what kind of driving situation you have. i generally do not drive in rush hour traffic and i do not commute to work very far. For those reasons, i choose a manual because it is more fun and helps you to focus on driving. The fuel economy difference is negligible between the two.
In the case of the 2.0t, i would be more willing to go the route of the auto because of the lack of low end torque of the engine.

[trifeoc]

Man up and get stick.

[supamannn99]

in my opinion I think you should get a manual. I got my a4 with tip but that became one of my biggest regrets. The paddle shitters are nice and all but it can't beat manual. Most of my friends have stick and I'm so jealous of them. I just think its so much more exciting to drive a stick. But it solely depends on you and how you drive though. If you drive in a lot of traffic then maybe auto would be better for you.

[Ken@German]

Manual all the way!

[jojogoya88]

STick, itl be a 10 second car.

[doublezero30]

manual. if you dont like the slop, get rid of it with some JHM products. [:D]

[provenflipper]

(easier to find, thus i'll be able to get it a bit cheaper, rather than ordering the car and paying MSRP)
Thanks!

Who says that you have to pay MSRP when ordering a car? I'm ordering my car next week and I'm paying far less than MSRP.

I say find a dealer that will give you a good deal on a ordered car, and order a manual.

[4-tified]

Mehh can't decide between a stick or Tiptronic...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coming from a 5 spd B6 1.8T A4 I'm used to the manual tranny. I'll be honest though, I haven't been that impressed with the Audi slushbox. Not sure if its a B6 thing. I've driven the BMW's, and their gearboxes are oh so smooth, but I'm not going to give up the Audi's good looks for a BMW -- among a few other things.

Looking to pick up an '07 or '08 Avant 2.0t within the next few months. First of all I'm having a REALLY tough time finding one with a 6 spd, but regardless, should I even look that hard? I've driven the one with the tiptronic and all the '08's come with the shifter paddles behind the steering wheel. I MIGHT chip this car (sort of tired of modifying the car heavily), definitely going with coilovers and wheels, and I'm really feeling the '08s coming with the Sline standard. So my question is, 1) should I just get the tiptronic with the paddles (easier to find, thus i'll be able to get it a bit cheaper, rather than ordering the car and paying MSRP), 2) has Audi improved their gearboxes since the B6s - those of you coming from a manual b6 stepping up to a b7? 3) With a chip, is the fun factor of the 2.0t's the same using the tiptronic, or is it pretty much, once you go manual, you never go back?

I'm really caught up on whether I want a car that I can just get into and chill with, not having to shift gears, and feel around. Also, do any of you feel like your manual transmissions are more fragile than the Autos? I don't mean that in all technical aspects, I mean literally, when I let other people drive the car, techs, family/friends, I feel more cautious to choose who drives my b6 with the manual transmission because a person could do so much more damage if they don't know how to drive the car properly. Grinding gears, stalling out, shifting hard, etc. Where as with an automatic, if you leave the car in drive, theres very little they can do rather then just step on it. Aside from dropping the car into reverse or slamming it into sport mode would you agree?

I just don't want to go through the hassle of changing out my clutch (like i had to on my b6 after 40k miles, of course after adding several mods to the car, chip/flash/injectors *no big turbo*), but wondering if this should even be a concern. Sorry I'm rambling, just at work, and have a bunch of random tangent thoughts in my head, seeing if anyone else has any ideas or comments.

Thanks!

YES, you should find a 6spd quattro. The slushbox Audi auto really zaps the decent lower rpm torque the 2.0T puts out. Also, overall the slushbox is sluggish to respond.
If you really don't want to drive manual anymore, then wait for the new B8 A4 as it's supposed to have an optional DSG trans, maybe a year after next summers B8 launch.

I had a 2003 BMW 325i sport with manual. The B6 A4 manual was disappointing, and the 3 series of the same era was a bit nicer.
However, overall the B7 6spd manual is every bit as nice as the E46 and current E90 3 series manual. Audi improved The A4 manual with the B7.
BMW's E90 doesn't feel much different than the last E46 3.

Overall, neither the BMW nor Audi can match Honda/Acura manuals, and are a notch down to most Mazda manuals as well.
The old Lexus IS300 had a VERY nice manual, but the new IS manual ain't so great.

If you need to replace your clutch with such low mileage, then either you had a poorly made clutch from the factory, or you just need to drive a manual better. Just because someone has driven a certain way for a long time doesn't mean he's been doing it correctly.
[:p]

I'm due for a new car in 1.5 years. The DSG A4 should be ready by then. If it is, then I'm going with DSG, and I'm a manual trans guy. The DSG is that sweet.[up]

[FlyPenFly]

Yeah, the S2000 snick snick 6spd is the ultimate in OEM shifters. It's like you're using a German bolt action competition rifle when you shift that thing.

[revspd]

stick all the way.

[TSlice]

STick, itl be a 10 second car.

What's with all the Fast & Furious references lately haha?

6MT, btw...

[Sharkfin]

i was in the same situation as you and i went with the tip just because of the kind of driving i do. there is a ton of traffic and hills where i live (PA) and i also hit the gas and breaks pretty hard and with the tip i don't have to worry about burning out the clutch, which my friends do rather frequently with the same driving style. think of it like this, if its gonna be a pain in the ass then go with the tip if you want the true feel of a car and have the patients and desire go with the manual. you also have to think about all the things you might be doing in your car in traffic besides driving, i.e. talking on the phone, eating/drinking something, changing the music, etc. hope that helped a little...

[pepperoni1979]

I just picked up a 2006 A4 Sline 2.0T with a manual (my first Audi) and I have to say it has not been a factor in traffic. I came from driving my heavily modified 95 Mustang GT so that probably doesn't help you, but all I can say is the Audi manual is super sweet. I drove a 08 A4 with the paddles and it was very nice, but I don't think it was enough of a convenience to give up the fun of rowing my own gears.

Just my $0.02. You experience may differ.

-Dan

[jimmyrecluse]

Sounds like you know what you want. Dont comprimise

[jojogoya88]

i feel like watching Fast and Furious right now. but its 5 in the morning and i need to get ready for work so maybe another time...

[Josh_877]

i feel like watching Fast and Furious right now. but its 5 in the morning and i need to get ready for work so maybe another time...

its 5:15am here and i just started watching it.[drive]

[Lewie06A4]

From what i've heard and known, I always thought the auto's were more fragile than the manuals. If your only performance mod is going to be a chip, then either trans would suit you fine. Do you sit in traffic alot? Got a lot of hills? If you take a long jaunt to work with less traffic I would go with the manual. You do get a little bit better mpg's with a manual compared to a auto. Also, the tiptronic is no where near the rtronic of the R8. The tip still uses planetary gears and a torque converter, while the rtronic if i'm not mistaken is a DSG style trans.

I chose a manual so you know how i'm biased.

P.S., if you have a wife or significant other, are they going to be driving this car? What about if a family member needed to drive it in case of an emergency. I chose manual so my gilfriend COULDN'T drive it ;), and several people including my parents, brother, and uncles, grandparents, all can drive stick so it was irrelevant here.

[Allwheel Driver]

I'm not a fan of the 2.0T with an Auto box, I felt it keeps it in too low a gear and the car vibrates unless you stomp on the pedal and it downshifts a couple gears.
Also sometimes it feels like it's not sure if it wants to build boost or downshift and I hated that.

I have both V6 with 6 speed and with auto and either is a great choice, however I would never get the Turbo engine with the auto.

[rlopez]

'Manual' gives you complete control

[JCleary]

I was on the fence since I was coming from a 6-speed truck that was a PITA to shift. I pulled the trigger on the TIP...

And have regretted it since I drove off the lot. The Audi TIP is crap. Shifts are waaay to slow, and if you don't come to a COMPLETE stop for 1 second or more, then the car takes off in 2nd gear. It has no spunk (off-boost) so you give it more gas and then your neck rolls back as the turbo spools. Really annoying...

So much so I gave the A4 to my woman and bought a new truck...

If it was a stick I would still be driving it.

IMO there are three viable choices:

1- 2.0T with a manual
2- V-6 with a manual
3- V-6 with a TIP

The 2.0T with an auto is garbage. I can't emphasize this enough. They either need to get the DSG in there, or pirate the shift logic BMW uses for their automatics!

[drmeegge]

Just an fyi the difference between the B6 5pd and B6/B7 6spd is night and day.
I traded for a friend's 01 325i 5spd for a week. If you think BMW's 5spd is more solid than a B6 5spd, than I'm pretty sure you'll be impressed by the B6/B7 6spd. It's not sloppy and all, and is extremely smooth. All gears are synchro'd in the 6spd whereas only 1,2, and 3 were in the 5spd.

[AudiA4_20T]

Just an fyi the difference between the B6 5pd and B6/B7 6spd is night and day.
I traded for a friend's 01 325i 5spd for a week. If you think BMW's 5spd is more solid than a B6 5spd, than I'm pretty sure you'll be impressed by the B6/B7 6spd. It's not sloppy and all, and is extremely smooth. All gears are synchro'd in the 6spd whereas only 1,2, and 3 were in the 5spd.

/ thread

Tip [down]

[turbo4s]

go with the tip and get the paddles, they are fun to play with[up]

[07-Aythree]

so are boobs but you don't see us getting those

:D

[turbo4s]

so are boobs but you don't see us getting those

:D

good one. lol but really I had 6speed in my 06 A4 and now i have the paddles in my S4 and i really like it.

[tgt]

My first A4 ('99) was a tip, and the last three have been manual, I'll never go back....to me it's a better 'driving experience'.

Best of luck,
Travis

[4-tified]

good one. lol but really I had 6speed in my 06 A4 and now i have the paddles in my S4 and i really like it.

Big torque and big HP can make even a slushbox automatic fun to drive.
However, with the 2.0T and quattro, you lose TOO MUCH with the tiptronic, and the overall performance is flat.

Your S4 has over 2 times the displacement of the 2.0T. At idle and just off idle the 2.0T has nearly no boost, thus pretty much no power.
Even at idle in "D", the tiptronic and 2.0T actually give a shake and vibration as the 2.0T strains to keep idle while in gear, and it's even worse if the AC is one creating even more drag on the engine.
Taking off from a stop in the tiptronic shows how much lag even the 2.0T FSI has. Your V8 does not suffer any of those problems even with the tip.

[JCleary]

................. with the 2.0T and quattro, you lose TOO MUCH with the tiptronic, and the overall performance is flat...........

..........Taking off from a stop in the tiptronic shows how much lag even the 2.0T FSI has............

Summed up pretty well.

Manuals are the way to go with these cars. Or a DSG if it was offered...

I drove the GTI with the DSG. Absolutely amazing with 2wd! I'm not sure why Audi won't engineer one to work with the longitudinal motor, or why they won't engineer Quattro with the DSG they do have...

[Noffy]

so are boobs but you don't see us getting those

:D


Only because we can't and we try our hardest to get a pair of loaners in chance we get

[turbo4s]

yeah i agree that my V8 does not suffer like my 2.0T did. I guess i really have no say. ok peace guys i will leave this one and say go for the manual, but the tip is not half bad with the 2.0T.

[RealSanaii]

Get the manual...as some of us have said, this was our biggest mistakes.

W/ Tip:

The car will vibrate alot. Your car will be slower/less fun.

[OceanBlueB7]

Hi there, my name is Ocean BlueB7, and I'm a tip-o-holic. I like my tip. Probably because I'm stuck in shitty traffic jams far too frequently. When I want a sportier drive without torque-converter slippage - I just drop it into sport or manual mode. Best-of-both-worlds IMHO. TETO.

[GQ//S4]

I couldn't do an auto on the 1.8/2.0t, just way too much lag, and not nearly enough power to justify a slush box. the 3.0 you'd probably be better able to get away with it.

[KMc]

Who says that you have to pay MSRP when ordering a car? I'm ordering my car next week and I'm paying far less than MSRP.

I say find a dealer that will give you a good deal on a ordered car, and order a manual.

Same here, I ordered an '08 B7 Avant specifically to get the 6-speed and got a great deal from my dealer. I should have it in 6 weeks.

[jriddle11]

I had a B5 A4 that was a tip and the only time I liked it was when I was in traffic. My B6 is a 6 speed with the Stratmosphere SS and I love it!

[DarkW!sh]

6 speed and a new ECU chip IMO

[4-tified]

Hi there, my name is Ocean BlueB7, and I'm a tip-o-holic. I like my tip. Probably because I'm stuck in shitty traffic jams far too frequently. When I want a sportier drive without torque-converter slippage - I just drop it into sport or manual mode. Best-of-both-worlds IMHO. TETO.

It doesn't matter what marketing name you give it, a torque converter automatic is the same. MB make some very great automatics that have "manual" shift. However, they are still automatics using a fluid as a mechanical component.

Automatics in general have gotten better and better over the years.
The current Audi "tip" trans is not one of the better ones as of now.
Perhaps Audi has addressed the downsides of the torque converter automatic in the next A4. But, as far as the current topic and question, the tip is not an alternative for the manual, regardless of what "mode" you put it in. You do NOT get the best of both worlds at all, not even close.

The Audi/VW DSG is a transmission where one can truly begin to get the best of both worlds.

[deolu]

Man up and get stick.

LMAO^^^^what he said

[dreamcar=rs4]

i cant stand my tip...is there any way i can convert to manual? im kinda joking

[tomasmdiego]

Definately get a 6-speed!

[audimeister]

My B6 and B7 are both manuals and I debated whether to get a tip in the B7 with Houston traffic. Over the last two days, I've had a 3.2 service loaner with tip. I thought I would like it with paddles, but it's still no DSG or manual.

The tip is pretty neat the way it blips the throttle to match revs on downshifts in sport mode, but it's still a slushbox, and there's no direct link between revs and road speed- it screws up the part of my attention that monitors whether I need to shift up/down...DSG and manual are easier to monitor. I can't see using the paddles except at the track, where one can plan and rehearse shift points.

DSG is only on A3, and rumored to be coming on B8 A4, possibly with quattro.

Even with traffic, the car works better with a manual.

[greg@dubaudi]

DSG sucks too it just takes longer to realize you should have got the 6spd.....

[Quigaboo]

Ive got tip... and love it. Got to drive both before making my decision, but here in NY driving a stick can really stink in traffic. Lots of traffic.

And since when does the car have dsg. thought that was only available on the TT and VW GTI.....See post above for reference or am I missing something!

[audib7a4]

go with 6 spd, i regret i didn't get it...regret for 2 years and stuck in the non-quattro/auto

[quattrosaint]

I love my tip, and in the sport mode it will shift to 1st without coming to a stop. I have no issues and no hesitation at all.

[Subaru71]

Wow. I have no idea what you are talking about, my 2008 A4 has one of the smoothest gearboxes ive ever driven... sometimes 2nd is a little slushy but still better than most... but this is my first euro car so i wouldnt know the difference i guess? [race]

[delta]

Is it just me or is the auto in the 2.0t really jerky? I test drove an auto and the gear changes were very pronounced.

Nonetheless, I opted to get a manual and I should be getting my car this Sat.[up]

[a4dc89]

You guys are all wrong about the tip being a slushbox. It locks up the torque converter VERY early which means there is no slip. In sport mode this is more pronounced.

Despite this, I stuck with the manual just because i like the way it feel. I do, however, dislike manual in traffic. My next car 5-6 years from now will prob be an auto with more power just because auto can be very fun with a big displacement V8

[wflan]

I'd take a 6 spd A4 2.0 over a DSG 3.2 A3. Get the stick if you don't do rush hour

edit: my family has an auto B6 A4, manual B7 A4 (mine) and a 3.2 A3

[PannikAttk]

Man up and get stick.

Ditto...leave the tip for chicks. I even went with an alternate color combo and non S-Line to get a 6 speed. It was THAT much of a factor for me. If it were a REAL auto tranny like a DSG, I'd say go for it...but the tip really, really, really sucks.

This coming from a guy with a family, nagging wife, baby seat, the whole package. [drive]