ryanv256

Hi everyone, so ive actually been wanting to buy an audi a4 for almost 4 years now and im looking at 2 different audi's right now. My Question is does anyone know what transmission is better on fuel? is it the 5 speed, or the 6 speed? the cars im looking at getting are 2004 A4 quattro 1.8t. from what i hear the 5 speed is in favour for fuel mileage. thanks for your time, cheers

a4audi4fun

it's wierd that the Audi docs look like they favour the manual 5 speed for economy, but from a driving perspective I'd rather have the 6 speed over the 5 speed. My 2005 and 2008 are both manual 6 speed. 6th gear really is a great high speed crusing gear. I think you will need to be 2004 or later to get the 6 speed manual, so vehicle cost is likely to have a bigger impact on your choice than the incremental difference in fuel consumption. If fuel consumption is the most important factor, I'd steer away from an Audi period. Our cars are heavy and relatively slow in comparison to other more fuel efficient brands but for the overall driving experience, Audi rules...

If you search you will see many reports of the 1.8T 5 speed being rather noisy when cruising at 60-70 mph due to the higher revs it's running.

My 2c worth.

ryanv256

great thanks for the info, and ya believe me i want a 6 speed so bad but i see alot of posts about problems with 6 speeds? not shifting, or noise? if thats true i dont know

PwrDriftr

I have an 04 with the 6-spd. I've had no issues with the tranny.

a4rob

the only benefit to the 6 speed will be better fuel economy on the highway, thats it.

seanf

I have an 02 with a 5spd and I have no complaints other than the high revving on the highway, I can still pull off 30 mpg @100-110km/h, 6spd is definately the way to go as your getting an 04+ car but if price is a factor then it doesnt matter which you choose.

ryanv256

ok that sounds about right. I want a 6 speed so bad. i drove a infinty g35 6 speed and there was just something about it, it felt right. thanks tyo every one for your opinions and info. for those who do have a 5 speed how high of a rev are we talking about on the highway? cause i use to have a prelude and at 120kms it rev about 3500rpm and i got like 600kms to a tank and i was happy with that.

cheeba

In the 1.8T 01E tranny, the 6-speed 6th gear is 0.730, and the 5-speed 5th gear is 0.889, which is a fairly significant difference in RPM at a given velocity. The other gears are very close in ratio, so drivability below 6th gear will be almost imperceptibly different.

In other cars, with larger ratio differences, a 6-speed has several advantages and disadvantages over a 5-speed. With the 6 it is easier to get to where you want in the powerband since you have more ratios to choose from when selecting a gear; which, is good for road racing and spirited driving, but bad for drag racing (since you might have to shift up one more time than a 5-speed). 6-speeds are typically more performance oriented and hence stronger built (beefier gears, shifter forks, syncros, clutch, etc.), but they also weigh more (albeit only slightly).

seanf

its around 3000ish at 100km/h just under, I havnt been on the highway for a while so I can't exactly remember and I think its around 3600ish rpm at 130km/h

quattrocinco

I prefer the 6 speed. They run at high rpm's and in 6th speed surprisingly it still has lots of throttle response.