AUDI A3 SPORT 35 TFSI 150 MHEV - Very jerky!

[gillw72]

I took delivery of a brand new AUDI A3 SPORT 35 TFSI 150 MHEV automatic saloon around a month ago. I've normally driven manuals in the past, but thought I would try an automatic this time around. I'm surprised (and disappointed) at how jerky it is to drive. Braking is even worse as it's not smooth at all and even seems to speed up or lurch when reaching around 15mph when braking. Going up or downhill, the car seems to jump to lower gear which again makes for a jerky ride and high revs! I'm not sure if it's being caused by the regen or the automatic braking. I previously had an A3 manual, the model which had the kangarooing in 1st gear issue and even that was better than this!

I've tried driving in D, S also tried ECO & Comfort modes, but it's just not a nice car to drive at all. Does anyone else have this specific model and do you have the same issues or is it me?

 

[vatdim]

I test drove this car extensively and I actually really liked the ride, the acceleration and the swift response of the transmission both in auto and manual modes. If you are used to a manual transmission, it may take a while to warm up to how the dual clutch operates, since your driving style might be very different from mine.

 

[AdamInKent]

If the car is forced to downshift whilst heading up a steep hill then it will not be a smooth shift. I have one such hill on my commute and I help the car out by downshifting - using the paddles (and whilst backing off the throttle slightly) - before I get to the steepest part.

The other time that I find that the car can be very jerky is when heading into a steep downhill whilst the car is coasting (ie the clutches are disengaged). The jerk happens when the car reengages a clutch at the same time as engine braking. I find that this can be solved by touching the accelerator on entry to the hill, to fully engage the clutch before the car wants to start engine-braking. (It’s somewhat counterintuitive, but it works.)

If you have the Driver Assist package then there is the extra complication of the car offering driver assistance. (For example it will automatically slow down into junctions / roundabouts and match your speed to a slower car ahead if it can do so just by engine braking / regen). If you fight what the car is doing it can result in a jerky ride. I found that it just took some time to learn how to best drive the car; and having done so it is the easiest car to drive that I have ever owned (because it does so much for you). But the alternative option is to switch off the various drive assist features from the MMI, which will make it behave more like a conventional DSG car.

Other than that, it’s a case of learning how dual clutch gearboxes operate. They work by pre-selecting the next gear and you can catch the car unawares if you do something that it was not expecting. If you haven’t already done so, it might be worth watching the “Engineering Explained” video on the do’s and don'ts of dual clutch gearboxes on YouTube.

 

[Statiker]

I took delivery of a brand new AUDI A3 SPORT 35 TFSI 150 MHEV automatic saloon around a month ago. I've normally driven manuals in the past, but thought I would try an automatic this time around. I'm surprised (and disappointed) at how jerky it is to drive. Braking is even worse as it's not smooth at all and even seems to speed up or lurch when reaching around 15mph when braking. Going up or downhill, the car seems to jump to lower gear which again makes for a jerky ride and high revs! I'm not sure if it's being caused by the regen or the automatic braking. I previously had an A3 manual, the model which had the kangarooing in 1st gear issue and even that was better than this!

I've tried driving in D, S also tried ECO & Comfort modes, but it's just not a nice car to drive at all. Does anyone else have this specific model and do you have the same issues or is it me?

Hi, I took delivery of a AUDI A3 SPORT 35 TFSI 150 MHEV Sportback two weeks ago and like you I've always had manual cars before. I've not found the car to be jerky but there are a couple of things I'm still getting used to. On a downhill section the car seems to prefer engine braking rather than applying the normal brakes which can lead to the revs jumping, and at times when I apply the footbrake it seems very stiff and it feels as if the car is not going to stop but at other times the footbrake feels OK and the braking force is 'normal'. I think I'm going to try switching all the assistance settings I can to off to see what effect that has and then turn them on again one at a time until I get a setup I'm happy with.

 

[gillw72]

Thanks for all the replies and advice. I do have the driver assist package and I think this is an added complication. I accept part of it is me having to get used to driving an automatic and some of the jerkiness is down to the car downshifting downhill. The weirdest thing that I find most annoying is the strange behaviour of the brakes when the car slows to 15mph. It almost feels like the some of the drivers assists stop at this point and the car actually feels like it speeds up momentarily. Takes me by surprise if I forget about it!!

I was thinking of taking the car back to the dealer to have it checked out, but part of me thinks they will find "nothing wrong". Instead I think I will have to bear with it and hope I get used to it. With hindsight I should have stuck to a manual car as I never thought an automatic would be worse.

 

[AdamInKent]

I was thinking of taking the car back to the dealer to have it checked out, but part of me thinks they will find "nothing wrong". Instead I think I will have to bear with it and hope I get used to it. With hindsight I should have stuck to a manual car as I never thought an automatic would be worse.

It’s worth bearing in mind that this is not an “automatic” in the conventional sense (ie it’s not a “slush box”). I think of it as being more like a robotic manual gearbox. As I say, give it time to learn how it drives: and you should find it far smoother than driving a manual, though it will never as smooth as a conventional automatic.

 

[STmichael]

The feeling of the brakes releasing is the regenerative braking turning off. You will get used to it in time and compensate with additional foot braking. If you put the instantaneous consumption bar on the VC you can you when this is working. As for the auto. Stick with it and in the month I guarantee you will not look back.