I just got my brand new 2011 A5 coupe this week. I really love it, but as im driving i occasionally notice a strange feeling when the automatic transmission switches gears. I feel it mainly on downshifting, like if im cruising down a street without accelerating, I will slightly feel the down shift. Or when stopping at a traffic light, i can feel the gears go down to 2 then 1 real fast ( kind of a little jumpy )

I asked a friend of mine about this who has had an A4 for a while, he said his audi was the same at first, and it takes time for a new audi to "adapt"?
Is that at all true, or should I be seeking service / look into returning the purchase?

Thanks
- First time audi owner

 

I have just over 1,000 miles on my 2011 A5. When I first drove it, I also experienced what I believed to be odd transmission behavior. However, I had been warned regarding the need to let it "learn" how I drive by another newer model Audi driver. It is perfect now!

 

I also have a 2011 A5 with 5000 mi and it seems to clunk into gear sometimes and when excellerating from a stop it seems to pause and then lurch forward. I too have heard it takes time for the car to learn your driving style. Well I'm still waiting. Have you had any problems with hesitation on starting off?

 

Just had my 5000 service and when I mentioned some hesitation when accelerating it was taken care of quite nicely by the young man. There is apparently a service bulletin out, some sort of software update....

 

So I took my car in for 1 year service ( I still only have 3000 miles on it )
before the service it was more of the same, jerky on a downshift when on 3rd gear and slowing down to around 25 mph. However i took my car to a new place this time, and the guy i was explaining the issue to was able to explain it to me better than I was able to explain to him!! apparently thats the way the car is "designed" to function, they know it quite well.
IU got real lucky and was able to reproduce it right when i pulled out wiht the technician, he knew exactly what it was, and said "thats how the car drives"
I cant believe any luxury car company would design a $50k car to drive like ****, but oh well, never buying audi again.
On the plus side, they did do some work on the car, i think they upgraqded some software, and it had been behaving noticeably better ( not 100%, but def better than before )
RFlem - if by hesitation you mean it feels like the car is a bit delayed to accelerate from when you press the pedal, then yes most definitely i feel that too!!

 

Glad to hear that I'm not the only one to be having acceleration issues. Going in for service on Tue. Let you know if it fixes the problem.
Ya I know, Spending a lot of money doesn't insure reliability. I really like the ride, comfort and handling. Big fan of the entertainment system. But they need to get a handle on the drivetrain.

 

RFlem - having driven Audis off and on from the time I learned to drive I can tell you this car is by far the "sportiest" of all Audis I have had to pleasure to drive, the others being sedans. I purchased the A5 over other car options because I am someone who loves to drive, and feel a car respond. That said, when the hesitation that was initially present as it was "learning" seemed to return I was greatly disappointed. However, after the recent service it is back to being the lean smooth machine I fell in love with a year ago.

I pulled the paperwork and the tech bulletin number 2025272/1 is the one that told the Audi guys here what needed to happen. There is a reference to 37302599 reprogram TCM and create engine readiness code along with some other references to tests performed afterwards.

I hope this helps.

 

Having been driven only 3000 miles in a year, the engine might simply need to have the soot blown out oif it and a dose of Seafoam or Techron

 

My '11 A5 2.0T Auto had a "similar" issue, an usually "rough" downshift into the lower two gears when coming to a slow stop. Car did adapt to function more smoothly over time, but it was never silky smooth like a Lexus or Caddy. I think it has something to do with the newly mated 8-spd tranny to the 2.0T with all that torque, but still, it shouldn't be felt regardless.

 

If you want snappy, responsive shifting buy your next Audi with a stick.