Hi.

I just test drove a 2001 A4 Avant 1.8T Quattro. I really liked it, for the most part. It was well-equipped. Handling and ride were great. Relatively low mileage. Certified. Loved the deep exhaust note. 17" Sport wheels and suspension. Even the stereo sounded great.

But, I was pretty disappointed with it's engine's power and responsiveness. (what we used to call "pickup".) It seemed to take a few seconds to take off. And, the auto tranny would downshift at the slightest provocation, sending the RPMs into the 4K's, whenever I tried to jam on it. So...

A. Is this normal for the A4 1.8T engine with Quattro auto transmission?
B. Are there relatively inexpensive mods that can give this car some pickup? (I don't want to spend thousands, I could just buy a better car. But, I am willing to spend hundreds $$).

The only thing holding me back is this lack of pickup. Otherwise, I'd jump all over this car. What sort of real performance increases have you experienced Audi owners achieved with your low-cost mods? The more specific, the better. It'll really help me decide.

Thanks in advance..

Gary

 

Hi garypenk, welcome to the forum. Your in luck there are several manufactures that make a chip to remap the ECU. It's good for another 20-30hp for around 500 bucks. You can also chip the tip tronic so it behaves more like a manual. Do a search on this site for chip, giac, and apr (just to name a few).