Whining/Howling Noise + Shifting Issue?
 

I bought a 2011 Q5 3.2 new in the U.S. I have almost exactly 5,000 miles on it. Absolutely not problems until recently when I started noticing 3 issues. I'm hoping someone can clue me in:

1. At low speeds (I'm guessing b/w 1-2 gear) the Q5 has started making a very noticeable whining noise. I think it's more noticeable when I take my foot of the break as the vehicle is slowing to stop, although I definitely notice it when putting my foot on the gas at low speeds (say, in a parking garage). I also can tell no difference when I use the tiptronic. I mentioned it almost off-hand to the tech at my 5k service and he dismissed it as being normal. He told me "some people hear it, some don't". I just can't believe this is normal. I know very little about cars, but I've read that it may be the rear differential. Anyone else have this issue and have a suggestion?

2. The vehicle is making a kind of howling noise when I give it gas at low speeds. At first, I thought that maybe this was kind of that "hollow" sound that infinity's make, but it's not the same and between this and the whining, it's getting annoying. Unlike the whining, I can push my way past the howling noise (40+ mph) by giving it gas, but that's not easy in city driving. I do not notice the howling noise (yet) at higher speeds on the highway. Anyone else have this issue and have suggestions?

3. Sometimes it takes a LOT of gas to get the Q5 to shift from 1st to 2nd gear (and even from 2nd to 3rd sometimes) -- 3.5k - 4k RPM's! It's so bad that at times it makes me look down to make sure that I'm not in tiptronic mode and have forgotten to manually shift into 2nd. It's almost a dragging sensation. I previously leased a 2006 A4 2.0 manual so I never had this type of issue. Anyone else have this issue and have suggestions?

What's the best way to handle this with Audi if they give me a song and dance about it being in my head? Do I shop various Audi dealerships to see if one service department will give the issue more attention than another or will that not fly?

Since I purchased this car, my intention was to keep it for a long time. After 5k, I'm already starting to get very nervous.