So I know I'm new to the club and have already posted a lot but perhaps you all can offer some incite into one last concern. I drove my family's A4 3.2 today and at 80 MPH the rev count held at about 2,000 RPM.

Driving my new A3 at 80 MPH the rev count was north of 3,000 and the engine was much louder. I know that it is not the same engine but this seemed odd to me and could help to explain my poor gas milage.

Anyway I just got an oil change so is this normal or something to have checked out?

Thanks guys!

 

Yes, that was what I was going to say to you in the last post. The A4 obviously has a econobox slushbox transmission, with a super high top gear for good mileage, but at the expense of widely space lower gears, which is bad for spirited driving.

The A3 has a close ratio 6 speed transmission, with the top gear geared so that it will achieve top speed at the max HP point. Thus a useful transmission where when you upshift at redline, it does not drop you into a torqueless region of the engine.

That is why more and more companies are coming out with 8 and 9 speed slushboxes. A top gear that will barely break above idle at highway speeds and low gears that are so low that they could make low horsepower engined cars accelerate fast off the line.

 

Thanks man! You've been really helpful. I really appreciate it!

 

yeah, no prob. just a few of us 3.2 quattro around on the forum. I can't answer much on the timing belt, hpfp, cam follower issues that people usually have. but the 3.2, I can.

 

i was wondingint the same thing. thanks for the info.

and your right, not many of us 3.2 owners on here. om having a problem with my first gear it seams
you go to accelerate, and push push push that pedal then it wants to go..... idk if its a saftey thing?
but off the line an a4 2.0t will take me for the first 3 car lengths, then the engine actually responds and gets up and goes =P
any clue as to what that is?
or maybe you both have the same thing??