New purchase: 5-speed or 6-speed

Hi forum,

I'm considering buying a new 'base model' car. I'm most likely going to choose an Audi A4 Avant with a 96kW TDI engine, but I'm not sure about the transmission. There's a 5-speed and a 6-speed option. According to the specifications, the 5-speed should be more fuel-efficient (even on highways and country roads!) and have a higher top speed. The 6-speed, on the other hand, is supposed to have a better torque curve (6-speed peak torque of 310 Nm between 1700 and 2300 rpm, compared to 285 Nm at 1900 rpm for the 5-speed). Do these specifications even make sense? Shouldn't the 6-speed be more fuel-efficient on the highway? And shouldn't the torque curve be the same for both transmissions, assuming the engines are identical? Actually, I was already leaning towards a 6-speed, because I thought it would only have advantages, but now I'm not so sure anymore.

'Sorry for the long text, but everything seems a bit illogical to me...'

Thank you and best regards ,
Thorsten.

Okay, I would go with the 6-speed model.

Because this one would have to be more fuel-efficient, since the 6th gear is likely longer than the 5th gear of the other transmission. Since the amount of fuel injected depends on the engine speed, the 6-speed version should consume less fuel.

On the other hand, you have to shift gears more often with the 6th gear.


It's also a good selling point when you eventually sell it!


If I had the money for a new car, it would be an Audi TDI with the Tiptronic transmission. Tiptronic is the coolest thing ever. You can either shift gears yourself or let the car do it for you, it's simply brilliant. If it were my choice, I would definitely go for it, but the question is whether the extra cost is worth it. It would probably cost quite a bit more at Audi.

So, either a 6-speed manual or a Tiptronic transmission, that's what I was trying to say with all these words.

Best regards,
Ingo

No, it's not entirely illogical.

The 5-speed gearbox is only designed for a torque of 300 Nm, which is why the engine had to be detuned.

The 6-speed version can handle 350 Nm of torque. Regarding the gear ratios: the 5th and 6th gears have the same ratio. However, the 6-speed version offers finer gear increments. Consequently, the 5-speed version also has slightly better acceleration to 100 km/h because it requires fewer gear changes. However, the 6-speed transmission is more responsive because it always has the right gear ratio available.

The 5-speed gearbox is more economical because it's simply lighter.

According to various online forums, the 5-speed gearbox is reportedly not very well-designed, as it sometimes exhibits very large jumps in engine speed (presumably between 2nd and 3rd gear). Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

'Gang?) drin sind...'

'Gang?) are inside...'

Okay, put it in sixth gear!

Take a look around your local area for dealers; maybe they both carry both versions, and you can try them out.



As I mentioned, I would buy the Tipptronic version if it's available.

It depends on where he mainly drives. In my case, it's 85-90% highway. 'I'd rather just use a switch that's always set to the highest gear anyway...'

If you want an automatic transmission, it's best to wait for the Multitronic transmission. However, it probably won't be available until the fourth quarter. I drove it together with the V6 TDI... It's fantastic!!! No ordinary Tiptronic transmission can compare. By the way, the Tiptronic transmission is only available for the V6 TDI engine with 132 kW.

Hi,

Regarding the Tiptronic: I once test drove a car with a Tiptronic transmission, and I have to say that I found it quite disappointing. It shifts too slowly for my taste, and it's too much like an automatic transmission - it feels somehow emotionless .

But that's probably a matter of taste.

Regarding the six-speed transmission: We've thought about the gearing here in the forum before. As mentioned above, does it correspond that the 6th gear of a six-speed transmission is equivalent to the 5th gear of a five-speed transmission? Does anyone have specific conversion rates?

"In my opinion, a sixth gear would be quite pointless. A longer, higher gear would be much more useful than a closer ratio. The ASV-Ibiza (identical to the AFN-Golf) has done a good job with this. The only thing I would want is a sixth gear for comfortable highway driving. It could still be an 'economy' gear, meaning it wouldn't allow you to reach the maximum speed. It's a bad practice to design gearboxes so that you have to rev the engine to its limit in the highest gear to reach the maximum speed."

That would be something, cruising at 130 on the highway with an engine speed of 2000 RPM... *daydreams*

A TDI engine would definitely have enough power - what do you think?

Best regards,

Jan.

Hmmm, the Multitronik won't be available for the 96kW engine until the end of 2002, and it's probably going to be considerably more expensive. I've test-driven the Avant with a 5-speed transmission, but there was only one A3 available with a 6-speed, so a direct comparison is difficult. I drove the A3, and the engine speed at its maximum speed (which was 225 km/h on the speedometer) was around 4000 rpm. The A4 Avant with the 5-speed (maximum speed on the speedometer was 215 km/h) had an engine speed of 4300 rpm. I think the gear ratios are not the same as those of the 6-speed. If I can find another A4 Avant with a 6-speed, I might be able to say more. At least, the 6-speed transmission felt subjectively more pleasant to me, because the reverse gear was located where it is now in my Golf...

Hi, I would definitely go with the 6th gear. The 5th gear has its torque limited by the software because the transmission can't handle that much torque, and there's a bigger gap between 3rd and 4th gear, so the 3rd gear has to be relatively high to ensure a smooth transition. The final gear ratio in 6th gear is almost identical to that in 5th gear.

The six-speed transmission has a shorter axle ratio, which is why the highest gear has the same ratio as the fifth gear. So, if you want a sporty feel and frequent gear changes, go for the 6-speed. If you prefer cruising and highway driving, the 5-speed is a better choice.

Regards,
Claus.

Thank you for the lively discussion. I think it really comes down to the 6-speed, which was actually my favorite from the beginning. Now, I just need to sell my Golf .

Best regards,
Thorsten.