Seasonal Driving Habits: Quattro, Tiptronic, V6 TDI

Hello forum,

Just to mention it briefly...

My girlfriend noticed that, according to her opinion, my car (an A4-B5 with a 110kW engine, Quattro Tiptronic) is basically very slow compared to her Citroen Xsara HDi with 90 horsepower.

Sometimes I drive the car myself, and I notice that it responds better to the accelerator.

Specifically, I've noticed that my A4 is extremely difficult to get out of the driveway in the winter... (and it's really loud)... I've always attributed this to the thick winter tires (225R18), the all-wheel drive, the automatic transmission, etc.

My mechanic's response was simply: 'We've seen this before, we know about it, but there's nothing we can do.'

The LMM (likely referring to a mass airflow sensor) is usually replaced once or twice a year because it's faulty (but it tends to work better after replacement). Occasionally, an AT (automatic transmission) engine is installed (so far, only once, please forgive my sarcastic tone). They've also topped up the transmission fluid several times.

My question is: What happens to the power, or torque, inside the torque converter, or how is it transmitted through the differentials? It seems like a lot is happening there...

Regards,
Felix.

The quattro system consumes a significant amount of power, which shouldn't be underestimated.
Now, I couldn't tell from what I read whether the "better acceleration" was just a feeling, or whether the Citroen was actually faster. If that's the case, then something is wrong.

The quattro system consumes a lot of power, which is something not to be underestimated.
Now, I couldn't tell for sure whether the 'better acceleration' was just a feeling, or whether the Citroen was actually pulling ahead. If that's the case, then something is wrong. }

I suspect it's a feeling... the Audi feels a bit sluggish when you press the accelerator (partly due to the automatic transmission), while my girlfriend's Citroen responds more directly to the accelerator and feels more abrupt when you press it.

But the differences between summer and winter remain.

Regards,
Felix.

I can confirm, based on my experience with a Golf TDI PD and an A6 2.5 TDI, that the performance of these TDI engines, including their top speed, seems to decrease depending on the season, at least subjectively. However, I have the impression that both heat and cold can cause problems.

Currently, the weather is optimal for TDI.

I'm getting the same comment from the dealer: 'We know, it's normal, there's nothing we can do about it...'

Okay, a very cold automatic transmission is sluggish. My old car and my Octavia have had this issue. For the first 200 meters after a winter start, it barely moves. This is perfectly normal. However, once the transmission is reasonably warm, it should then have its usual acceleration. This is especially noticeable in winter (keyword: summer weakness).

Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

'Cu Gremlin'