I just returned from the Audi Experience in Summit Point, WV and had a great time. I've seen this question addressed before, but not under it's own thread. What do you get with the 3.2 upgrade? $3,300 seems like a hefty engine premium....(premium plus versus premium plus).

The only difference that I know of so far is the dual exhaust. Anything else?

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There are many who will disagree but.the bottom line is no one has test driven the two side by side in the US yet. Any day now.

LY the diff between the two engines was $4300 or so diff is less now. To each his own.

I understand the value of the V6, I just want to confirm there are no other differences not mentioned in the literature. (ex. BMW 335 vs. 328 has larger brakes and wheels).

IMHO $3,300 is a substantial amount of money for an engine upgrade. And no I don't intend to tune it. If I just wanted a fast car I would buy the Pontiac G8 for $30K.

OMG LULZ

Otherwise it's all the same stuff.

The 3.2 has a painted black filler panel up front while the 2.0T has the matte gray plastic

I was at Summit point on Friday and didn't know what to expect. I was hoping we would be able to drive the 2.0, too, but overall it was a great day and I was impressed with the amount of freedom we were given with the cars.

After the initial time share-like 30 minute pitch on Audi Drive Select I expected it to be all smoke and mirrors, but the difference between Comfort and Dynamic was night and day. I'm not sure if that was because Dynamic was so much better or that Comfort simply neutered the car. Coming out of the last turn and heading down the front stretch in the two modes resulted in a 20+ MPH difference heading into turn 1.

The biggest shock of the day for me was how bad (really bad) the MB C300 handled the short course. It was like driving a 70s era Cadillac. I expected the IS 250 to take 4th place but it was well ahead of the MB.

- Resale: even though the 2.0t is probably more reliably than the 3.2, the public is, at large, still scared of turbos dying. The 335is probably aren't helping that.

- I've seen the new 3.2 vs 2.0t torque curves. The turbo's tq curve looks much fatter, but unless Audi has performed a miracle with the new engine, that's only part of the story. I've never seen accurate objective measurements of 2.0t turbo lag (you'd have to get the car coasting such that the engine is at the speed that delivers peak torque, slam on the gas, and measure the time until peak torque actually arrives), but switching between a b7 3.2q manual and an a3 2.0t dsg, the 2.0t's turbo lag is REALLY noticeable.

On my 3.2, if I slam on the gas while cruising on the highway, the acceleration is almost immediate. I'm going to guess that the acceleration delay is about 50 ms. I'll be really generous to the 2.0t and say 200ms. Not quite good enough for a musical instrument, but plenty good for a car.

Doing the same thing with the much lighter a3, with the DSG locked in gear, you hit the gas and then you wait while torque slowly builds up. It feels to me nearly 2 whole seconds before the car reaches full torque. The delay isn't going to matter at all when you're accelerating from a stop, but it's going to be huge if you're trying to shoot out of turn or playing in traffic.

Driving the 2.0t around a turn turn, you either hit the gas at the apex (in which case you have to wait a bit before you start accelerating), or hit the gas before the apex (in which case the early application of torque pushes the car out and ruins the turn).

And then there's traffic. On my commute, at least, you often find yourself behind a slow car wanting to change lanes. If you hit the gas on the 2.0t before you change lanes, you risk hitting the car in front of you. If you wait until you've changed lanes, it's another couple seconds before you're really accelerating, in which case you've, at minimum, really upset the driver behind you. In my 3.2, I shift, change lanes, hit the gas, and I'm gone. No waiting for the the guy behind me to rear end me. Of course, this is also half the reason I won't buy an automatic.

Maybe Audi really improved the throttle response on the new 2.0t. Even if they halved the delay, it'd still be about 5x slower than my (high) estimate of the 3.2's delay. And I bet the new 3.2 has slightly better throttle response as well.

- My 3.2 sounds like an angry cat at 5-6000 rpm. all the various 2.0ts I've driven sounds like they're gonna break at 5000 rpm. I'm sure the new one is better. Maybe it doesn't sound like it's gonna break until 6000.

- On the other hand, I won't buy an automatic (or a DSG or a CVT that doesn't have fully manual linear ratio control and a clutch) ever, if I don't have to. If there won't be a B8 3.2 manual, I guess I really wouldn't be paying that $3300.

- On the other hand, if you live above 6000 feet, the 3.2 is a really, really bad idea. At that altitude, the 3.2 feels breathless and weak, while the 2.0t will be as strong as ever. Even 4000 feet is pushing it.

I really enjoyed every aspect of the event except the 30 minute introduction.

I thought the initial 30 minute overview was a waste of time and the only thing he discussed was the drive select. The guy talked as if he was discussing car technology with non-enthusiasts (very basic &amp; poor analogies).

That being said, I was also pleased with the freedom the program provided (since I wouldn't let just any old hack drive my $40K car on a race track).

In terms of vehicle rankings, it was not very clear to me. Some thoughts:

- BMW seemed to handle well, but also had a very basic interior
- Mercedes probably handled the worse, but I liked the interior/ergonomics
- Lexus had comfy seats, but those paddle shifters were huge and blocked the view of the gauges. I also had the pleasure of hearing the VSC kick on with all the warning beeps. I think the exterior it way too generic for this class. Honda Accord looks classier.
- Audi seemed to handle well, but also really squealed through the slalom. I was just wondering this morning if someone might have turned off the stability prior to my drive since I didn't notice this behavior on the race track.

Of course, the refreshments and free hat was a pleasant surprise...

My only gripe with both of my turbo engined cars (a fairly large one at times) is the turbo lag. It can be pretty nerve wracking when you need to go NOW and there's that moment or two when nothing is happening as the semi is hurtling towards you, then suddenly, as the boost builds, "whoosh", just in time.

Having lived in Colorado with these two for 4 years or so, I agree that the turbos were spectacular. All the power, all the time. It was fun pulling up I-70 into the mountains, passing wheezing car after wheezing car. Now that I'm almost at at sea level, that advantage is moot. (Unless we ever move back to Colorado)

As for the Tip, driving the A4 at NH Speedway, I was amazed at the progress made since 2002 in shifting speed. Not only were the shifts seemingly much more responsive than my two A6's but much smoother as well. My days of manual shifting are well behind me and the new Tip will come as close, funwise for me at least, as when I was a kid pretending to be Mario. And my left leg can remain on vacation.

So, what I will lose in turbo "whoosh", I will gain in zero turbo lag and semis be damned. Not to mention a smoothness gain. I doubt I would be completely happy going from a 6 cyl twin turbo to a 4 banger single turbo in a car with almost the same weight, despite the same torque spec on paper.

If there is one item I disagree with, it was your very first line. I doubt a valid claim could be made that a turbo engine is more reliable. While I've had no turbo problems on my Audis (no chipping here and knock on wood..), anytime a small block engine is pushed harder than a larger block engine, the wear and tear has got to eventually take some toll. I'm sure under normal driving, reliability for both engines will be comparable but long term aggressive driving could sway the advantage to the 3.2, especially if the 2.0 is chipped.

With all the other stuff that will eventually break on the new A4 (I've got my battle scars, thank you), a turbo is one thing I can cross off the "when will it break" list.

The 3.2 is a more refined engine...no question. I had a chance to play with the 2009 3.2's at Loudon, NH and they felt and sounded great. Would I spend another $3K+ to own one? Probably not.

The 2.0 is coarser sounding, not quite as fast, and does, at least with previous versions, exhibit significant initial turbo lag. Still, it is quick, reliable, and gets impressive gas mileage. It's a good motor and well matched to the A4.

If money was not a factor, and the gas mileage was not as big a deal as it is now, I would certainly go for the 3.2. For me, the money is a factor...especially with the initial lack of dealer discounts being offered on the 2009 A4... and I am concerned about the reduced fuel economy of the 3.2, so I'll likely stay with the 2.0 when I order my 2009.

I was there on 7/30 but no email as of yet.

While I understand what you are talking about; the time it takes the car to accelerate with force from an idle highway speed.

This however is 90% the DSG not wanting to shift out of 6th gear, not the engine. An easy way to test this would be to keep the car in 3rd gear at 2000rpms, and floor it. You will then see that there is very little turbo lag with the engine. It is mainly sourced to the DSG not wanting to cog down from 6th to 2nd or 3rd gear for heavy acceleration.

The DSG's Drive mode is very conservative, shifting much too early. Sport mode shifts much too late: I drove in manual mode about 75% of the time.

I also had a B7 A4 2.0T Quattro 6 speed. While the car was much slower, it was the weight that made it feel laggy, not the engine.

So clifnotes, I think the "lag" most people think of in the 2.0T is the Transmission for DSG, and the weight for the A4.

how many chipped 2.0T's have had blown turbo's? I haven't heard of ANY

But please, go ahead and have the last word. I'm bored.

auto mode on the dsg drives me mad ;-)

I got it last week. My wife got the same offer the same day. A friend, who was also there, got his email offer last week too.

you're just the first jackass that came to mind.

"you're just the first jackass that came to mind."

- Like I said. Glad to see that I'm still on your mind. LOL!!

You don't ever cross my thoughts. You should think about doing the same about me. Because your unprovoked attacks against me makes it look like I hurt your feelings in the past. Not a good look dude.