Originally I complained about the "turbo-lag" of my automatic allroad and an astude audiworld boarder enlighted me that it was actually a problem with the engine response timing verses lag as I originally thought. He said that the problem doesn't exist with the six speed.

So, I took my allroad into the Audi Store this morning and complained about the delay in time from when the accelerator pedal is depressed in ("D" automatic mode)and the engine responds. I was told that this is the newest programming done by Audi and ZF in regard to smoothing over the relationship with the electronic automatic transmission and the bi-turbo engine. Tim said that last year in the A6 with the 2.7T that the car would jolt forward violently when the accelerator was depressed in certain situations and the transmission selected a gear lower. He said that people complained that it was as violent a jolt as if they had been hit from behind by another car. So AUDI devised new programming for the automatic. Thus the pendulum swings to the other side...

I was encouraged to drive in "tip" mode where I wouldn't experience this problem.

Now that I have driven my allroad for 45 days I find myself using tip almost exclusively. The response is immediate and the experience more satisfying though the mpg may suffer. I only use "D" when cruising on a highway in cruise control.

I am also enjoying the fact that the car is very stable at higher speeds and my wife doesn't complain that "I am going too fast." Hopefully the state police won't complain either.

Very interesting. Ever since you posted your message and others have commented on it being the auto tranny I have been driving exclusively in tip mode (I wasn't before because the car had less than 500 miles on it). Driving in tip mode does make a huge difference and is really quite nice. This is my first car with this feature and I really enjoy it.

Did the dealer say they could program it back to jolt mode for normal driving??

BTW - You mention the Audi Store. Are you in Dallas?

I have the Tip. I experience the same kind of delays, or pauses, in response. But not on a consistant bases. At times the car responds immediately, other times it seems to take a couple of seconds. Reading about how the car is suppose to "learn" your driving tendencies and adjust the acceleration/shifting accordingly, I started thinking that this might have more to do with the response delays, and maybe why it is so inconsistant. If you accelerate hard all the time the car is suppose to know that is what you expect from the car. If you drive easy, with light acceleration, the car is suppose to know that is what you expect. But what happens when you have more varied driving habits?
My biggest concern is over the inconsistancy. I never know what to expect when I go to pull out into traffic.
I like the suggestion of using the manual shifting mode of the Tip regularly. But it is hard to accept this as a real solution to what appears to be a "programing" issue on the surface.

After all of the postings of acceleration-related issues with the automatic transmissions over the last several months, perhaps Audi will do away with offering automatic transmissions for future allroads altogether and only offer the vehicle as it should be...with a manual tranny!

I hope all of you Tip drivers find an answer soon...good luck.

While Audis keep popping up all over town (expecially TTs) I have only seen one other allroad on the road here in North Dallas.

So are you going to still keep yours? What's the verdict?

I don't know if this helps, since my tip experience is with my Passat. (While I wait for my 6-speed allroad to come in) The transmission seems to respond to how quickly the gas pedal is pressed and NOT how far it is pushed in. Its hard to explain, but if I slowly depress the pedal, no matter how far I push it, nothing happens too fast. If I snap my foot quickly into the gas pedal, immediate speed.
People on the Passat forum think you can put the tip into a "sport" mode and have it shift quicker and at higher rpms. I have tried this and only notice a little difference on my Passat. Try the following: Turn the key to the "on" position, but do not start the car. Press the gas pedal all the way in until you feel a "click". Start the car and drive. Since I don't have the allroad to test, maybe someone can try this and post their experience.

OK, heres another story from my local Audi service manager. Apparently the TIP has over 70 predefined "programs" for each driving situation. During the first 15 seconds of driving a program is chosen that best suits that particular driving condition. As explained to me, if you start out driving like grandma the TIP will be slow to react and be more suitable for city driving. If you immediately start driving aggressively the TIP will react with more authority. I've tried the theory & it works, unfortunately it's not a real world solution. For example if you are parked in garage & it takes some time at slow speeds to exit the TIP will default into grandma mode & stay there until it "learns" a new driving profile.

So let's try to deal with the issue at hand: the Tip.