A4 B8 - 7-speed vs 6-speed Transmission fuel economy differences

[SDF1]

Hello,

My Current 2009 A4 2.0T Quattro Premium + Tech package with 64,000km is at the dealership doing some maintenance. It has an Automatic 6 speed transmission.
They lend me a 2012 A4 2.0T Base model with 10,000km, with an Automatic 7 speed transmission.

On my car I do around 500km on a full tank doing my regular commute to work and back. On the 2012 I am doing around 750km !!!
Yes one is a fronttrack and other is a Quattro, which would be a major contributor but it also shifts very differently and at 120km/h its running at around 1200rpm vs mine runs at 2200rpm.
The car feels lighter and it shifts much quicker and smoother.

Could it be the transmission and Quattro reducing my efficiency by 66%!! ?

Or something is seriously wrong with my car?

[Creatre]

Just FYI it's a 8-speed in the newer ones!

[SDF1]

Just FYI it's a 8-speed in the newer ones!

I know it says 8 speed on the spec too BUT when i switch it to tiptronic, the highest gear is 7.

[SkylineR34X]

The base is not a 7 speed...

It's a CVT, which is completely different from any conventional automatic.

[Vito Roma]

I know it says 8 speed on the spec too BUT when i switch it to tiptronic, the highest gear is 7.

That's very odd, we're you going fast enough?

[SDF1]

That's very odd, we're you going fast enough?

I may have gone too fast... Over 110km/h but less than 209km/h.

Looking for information on the door trim, what I have is
MFD By AUDI AG 06 11
TYPE PC/VT
WAUAFCFL3CN00XXXX

[cory_can]

It's a front-track with a CVT that has 7 "virtual gears". If you're looking to maximize your mileage and not performance I would suspect that a lighter FWD with the CVT would be the optimal choice. Less transmission and drivetrain drag and a lighter overall vehicle.

[SDF1]

It's a front-track with a CVT that has 7 "virtual gears". If you're looking to maximize your mileage and not performance I would suspect that a lighter FWD with the CVT would be the optimal choice. Less transmission and drivetrain drag and a lighter overall vehicle.

Ahhhhh!!! Thank you, that solves the mystery.

[gunsmoker]

I don't know about Canada, but in Europe the 7sp S-tronic is available on the 211HP 2.0TFSI and the 245HP 3.0 TDI.

[Audacious]

just wanted to point out that your math is wrong. with your numbers, the 2012 is 50% more efficient than your 09, which is still a huge number. but as other have stated, it is much to do with quattro and the gearbox.

[NPuter]

Oh man, so much being thrown around here. The CVT is referred to by audi as a 7 speed even though the 7 gears are virtual. The 8 speed and 6 speed are conventional automatics. S-tronic is only used on S4s in north America.

Contrary to popular belief, the CVT does not suck. Like the op says, it shifts very quickly (even though the shifting is virtual) and can be very efficient. In D, it may be a bit jerky, but it keeps engine speed very low and mpgs really high. In M, it becomes very responsive and, like I stated earlier, shifts very quickly.
I'd take my CVT over the standard automatic in my mom's CLK350 any day.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[A4 Centaur]

Hey, my 8 speed Tip delivers a bit better fuel economy IMO than the 6 speed tip on the highway.

My 6MT Avant averaged 34 MPG. I have read that wagons actually have better highway MPG than a sedan. But I don't think that is fact.

[Creatre]

Hey, my 8 speed Tip delivers a bit better fuel economy IMO than the 6 speed tip on the highway.

My 6MT Avant averaged 34 MPG. I have read that wagons actually have better highway MPG than a sedan. But I don't think that is fact.

6MT Avant??

[dracolnyte]

6MT Avant??

probably an older model avant

[A4 Centaur]

probably an older model avant

Yea, sold my 2006 B7 6MT Avant for my new 2012 S-Line Avant

[USMC1488]

In addition the front wheel drive cars have larger fuel tanks.

[SDF1]

According to the Audi Specs

2.0 TFSI is City/Highway 8.9/6.5 L/100km
2.0 TFSI Quattro is City/Highway 9.5/6.5 L/100km

Fuel Capacity is the same across the board 64L. I just filled mine from Empty to Full at 60L when it read 0km left on fuel, same as my A4 Quattro.

It is a CVT and can go up to 8 virtual gears. I was able to push it to 8 gear in tip tronic.

[NPuter]

According to the Audi Specs

2.0 TFSI is City/Highway 8.9/6.5 L/100km
2.0 TFSI Quattro is City/Highway 9.5/6.5 L/100km

Fuel Capacity is the same across the board 64L. I just filled mine from Empty to Full at 60L when it read 0km left on fuel, same as my A4 Quattro.

It is a CVT and can go up to 8 virtual gears. I was able to push it to 8 gear in tip tronic.

I didn't no it could go up to 8. I never tired going past 7 because I thought it wasn't possible...

[typer100]

Got a '11 loaner today while my car is in for its addiction to oil...................
On the highway, at the same speed (65mph) the car is running almost 500 rpm less (1600 rpm vs 2100) with the 8speed vs my 6speed tiptronic.
Both are Quattro. Mine is an Avant vs sedan. I won't have the car long enough to do a real test but I'm impressed so far.

[jfo]

Got a '11 loaner today while my car is in for its addiction to oil...................
On the highway, at the same speed (65mph) the car is running almost 500 rpm less (1600 rpm vs 2100) with the 8speed vs my 6speed tiptronic.
Both are Quattro. Mine is an Avant vs sedan. I won't have the car long enough to do a real test but I'm impressed so far.

Both the 6 speed and 8 speed Tip are made by ZF. According to their site they achieved a 6% improvement with the 8 speed.

[A4 Centaur]

The transmission is also standard in Maserati and Jaguar XKF-S it can handle some HP!

[cory_can]

The transmission is also standard in Maserati and Jaguar XKF-S it can handle some HP!

Everytime this topic comes up there is miscommunication. Yes, it's a ZF 8-speed transmission but there are different configurations for each vehicle application to handle varying amounts of TRQ. The A4 has the 8HP45 with a MAX torque rating of 450NM. It's not the same ZF 8-speed specified for the Maserati or Jag.

[typer100]

Both the 6 speed and 8 speed Tip are made by ZF. According to their site they achieved a 6% improvement with the 8 speed.

This call for a Mythbuster special :) They did one episode with 2 rental Ford F-150 with the bed door down and the other up to see which one had a better mpg.

[SDF1]

Ive had the CVT transmission for about a week.
Over my 2009 Auto6 speed its much better on gas but I would never get one. If I put Drive/Reverse there is a 1-2 second lag before anything happens and its more of a jolt. Try parallel parking on an uphill downtown with CVT is not a pleasant experience.

[A4 Centaur]

Everytime this topic comes up there is miscommunication. Yes, it's a ZF 8-speed transmission but there are different configurations for each vehicle application to handle varying amounts of TRQ. The A4 has the 8HP45 with a MAX torque rating of 450NM. It's not the same ZF 8-speed specified for the Maserati or Jag.

Thanks, what are the actual differences besides tougher gears, heat treated internals, welded torque converter, upgraded modulator, etc?

Seems to be pretty similar?

[B8on19s]

The Front wheel drive CVT (like mine) is technically a single gear, working on a cone system as far as i understand. In S(port) mode or if u tap the paddle shift, it 'simulates' 8 (eight) forward gears. Bear in mind, it will only get to the top gears (7 & 8) depending on road speed. I notived on my car, u need to be travelling over 80km/h to get to 8th 'gear', else it will only upshift to 7th.

Also, for information, I get pretty high gas mileage, average about 375 - 400kms per tank with mixed driving which I think is excessive. I have complained about it to Audi (its actually having the high oil consumption TSB being performed today), so lets see what they say...

[Olde English]

Please post up MPG figures instead of miles per tank. Miles/Km per tank isn't really helpful in comparing anything. No one drives their car until they run out of gas, so this figure is not accurate.

Here are my actuals:
2011 Audi A4 quattro sedan
6 speed manual transmission
Current mileage: 10k
Average of 27.7 miles per gallon or 44.5 km/gallon. (1 US gallon = 3.8 liters)

This data was compiled from my last 11 fill-ups. This was from a combination of city and highway driving. I expect this figure to decrease as the weather gets warmer and I start using the A/C more. The past 11 fill-ups were during the fall/winter months. I would classify my driving style as conservative.

In comparison, my last car (2002 VW GTI 1.8T 6-speed manual) averaged about 27 MPG as well, but that car was nearly 700lbs lighter and FWD, which is a significant difference. It should be noted though that I drive much more conservatively now than a few years ago. Overall, I’m very pleased with these numbers. I think the better fuel economy is attributable to a combination of improved engine technology (direct injection, better turbo efficiency) and much longer transmission gearing. The GTI was way more fun to drive though.

How to get accurate fuel economy readings:
1. When you get fuel, always fill-up (as oppossed to buying a dollar amount i.e. $20 worth of fuel). This will give you a consistent marker of how much fuel you just added. Avoid topping off your tank with additional fuel after the auto stop, as this will throw off your consistancy.
2. Write everything down, especially your current mileage and amount of fuel you just bought (gallons/liters). I write down the total purchase price too so I can get an idea of how much I spend on fuel and cry about it later.
3. Your real-world fuel economy for the last tank of fuel you drove on = (Current mileage minus mileage at last fil up) / Gallons you just purchased.
For example, if I just drove 347 miles on my last tank, and just filled up with 13.339 gallons, my actual MPG is 26.01.
Tip: Reset your trip odometer every time you fill up so you can skip the subtraction portion.
Interesting fact: My fuel economy reduced by about 4 MPG when I borrowed my friend's V1 radar detector for 2 months.