New 2012 Q5 Girl

There is no lag or downshift when I use the S mode - my husband and I both tried that at different times and both of us had a better experience in the alternative shift option.

New 2012 Q5 Girl

Well John Boy Too - I wish you lived in PA - I know I have to have the heart to heart with our Audi service - especially since there are only 2 places for me to take this vehicle within a 75 mile radius and the other one has a worse rep than mine! So wish me luck on working with this guy - to be fair, I do think he is trying but I don't think he was prepared for someone who would question him and he was REALLY ticked off when I did not give him all tens on the Audi post service evaluation. I think that since Audi is such a great vehicle that they can rely on that reputation alone to get good scores.

The Q5 is so scarce here that I test drove a 2011 with a 3.2 as no
2.0T's were available. I had to order the 2012 in order to even get one. That was my first mistake I think. That said, I do notice that, with over 5000 miles now, that the automatic shifting is improving. I still have the lag, particularly in situations that require me to accelerate after a turn going uphill. The downshift jolt happens when I glide into to a stop. I don't have a lot of experience with driving a standard transmission so I am now in the process of training myself on how to use the alternate shift in these situations to see if I can get better performance. It is a little weird doing this with no clutch and so very little engine noise...

Thank you for your advice...I really appreciate it.

New 2012 Q5 Girl

Thanks Cabo- I will look into that.

uberwgn

Many, including myself, experience the same with this 8 spd automatic. Some cars seem to be at the "worse" end of the spectrum. We've had loaner cars with the 8 spd and none behaved like my A4. Much of it has to do with the rate at which you tip into the throttle. A faster tip-in rate will minimize the lag.

I don't have any downshift issues. Apart from the lag, the transmission is really pretty smooth and assists in delivering excellent fuel economy. And that was their game plan when designing it.


Alternates:

• Use S mode all the time
• Get the car chipped and it eliminates the "economy" programs (and the hesitation)

Welcome aboard, Ms. Girl !

The G Man

I am sure the turbo lag doesnt help, there is no lag at all in the A6 3.0T with the same 8 speed transmission.

jrhubbs

I have the same issue with my 2012 Q5. I took it in to the shop to get fixed, but the diagnostics on the car checked out ok. So they contacted Audi headquarters in Germany and found out that the engineers are working on a fix to the transmission software for this version of the transmission to resolve the issue. They said it will be available in the next 4-6 months. They said the software was modified for this year's version of the transmission to improve fuel efficiency and what the transmission does is disengage the gears when idle to save fuel and then needs to re-engage when the accelerator is pressed which causes the lag. I'm no mechanic to know whether that's an accurate rationale or not.

MrsAdams2007

Sorry you guys are having the issues you are. This does not describe the car I'm driving at all. I almost can't tell when the car is shifting and the down-shifting is flawless in mine. I nursed my car along for the first several hundred miles, but after a talk with my service manager about a squeak in the brakes, he told me to drive the car and quit baby-ing it! Not sure if this could be an issue you might be having. Whatever it is, I hope it's resolved soon. I LOVE my car.

johncaravello

My new Q had an abrupt downshift when slowing to a stop for the first 800 miles or so. It now has about 1300 miles and the shifts in both sport and drive have become very smooth. 2.0T with 8 speed.

Stuttgartrob

The A6 is supercharged so there would be no lag with that car.

RCM09

My wife's 2011 2.0 8 speed A4 has a terrible lag. You come to a stop at an intersection step on the gas and there will be nothing going on for second and then it will just launch. At 13,000 miles I think it should have figured out how to drive by now.

I keep telling her to have it looked at especially with the 15,000 mile service coming up.