I am new to Audi and to tiptronic and it's taken me some time to figure out how to make the car adapt to my driving style. I was shocked the first time I dug into the gas pedal hoping to change lanes and fit into a gap in traffic. There was a long pregnant pause before the transmission decided I wanted to downshift and move out. Likewise passing on two lanes required more preparation than I was prepared for. I have taken to mixing automatic and manual driving styles by always preshifting the tiptronic instead of relying on the transmission to make those choices for me. I am happy with this solution but see it as an adaptation of my driving rather than the "adaptive" transmission I had come to expect. Since most of driving is cruising around, the transmission seems unable to identify momements when more power is required. You shouldn't have to floor the transmission to get the car to move out.

Am I missing something here?

Perhaps a six spd? (sorry, I couldn't resist)
Atlas Gray 6spd.

but not in bumper to bumper traffic. I'll have to try the 6 speed. How do you like your car John?

So far it's great. I second guessed my transmission choice and still have mixed emotions. I know you came out of an M3 and I had owned a 540I. The ratios are lower in the allroad(I believe) and 1st gear is quite short. I liked the tip I drove but really haven't driven either enough yet to know. Lot's of thumbs up and people stopping me in parking lots though....

I noticed first is very very low on the tiptronic as well. Grearing is clearly aimed at stump pulling. Driving west on 394 I was caught in a backup caused by an accident and then I remembered I had the allroad and raised the suspension and climbed into the express lanes and went on my way.

The tip yearns to be chipped by installing a PES tip chip on the allroad. I have felt the "pause" in power and have cut off a few people because of this. in my 4.2 there is never a loss of torque or power in any driving situation, therefore I have been driving the 4.2 everyday and have my wife playing with the allroad.
I'm currently playing with the idea of chipping the allroad tranny and ECU if the additional horses can be handled by the drive train.

Mike Gross
'01 allroad
'00 A6 4.2

It seems to me that the 4.2 isn't "all on" or "all off" is because the V8 has more torque on tap without having to grab a lower gear,or a much lower gear.Is your complaint that at half or 2/3 throttle it doesn't grab one lower gear, but needs major input and then goes as low as it can? I wonder if a chip will solve this.