Bear in mind that -- unlike a torquey, beefy V8 such as the one found
in the '04 S4 -- the smallish, 1.8T engine works best above 1950RPM,
at which point the turbo is fully spooled up. Also, if you had a
larger engine previously (mine was a 3.0L V6) you may be alarmed that
optimal cruising happens at what you might consider high RPM's. I
typically downshift at 2.5K, and upshift around 4.5K, and cruise on
the highway at well above 3K. I still get 28mpg.

When I first got my '02 A4 I was alarmed because I was used to
shifting much lower, and cruising much lower. These days it's just
another way to enjoy the pleasant exhaust note.

--Cesar


On Sat, 10 Jul 2004 18:12:01 -0400, "Len S." >
wrote:

>Thanks for the information.
> - Len
>
>"Byron" > wrote in message
>newsioHc.1627$6B.623@fed1read06...
>> Len S. wrote:
>> > I'm very judicious with my clutching. I'm not letting it slip like you
>> > suggest. I usually am off the pedal asap. The same takeoff happens in
>> > all the gears when the engine gets around 3000, but it is most prominent
>in
>> > 1st gear.
>>
>> That's the way turbo lag will seem the worst, but when it spools up near
>> 3k rpm, the 'turbo smile' feels the best because of the dramatic
>difference.
>>
>> The fact you feel the same effect in each gear confirms it is turbo lag
>> and therefore nothing to worry about unless it changes as the miles go by.
>>
>> The lag of the 1.8T actually isn't nearly as bad as early turbo cars
>> from the 1980s. Those engines had _nothing_ below a certain rpm, but
>> once it kicked in the rush was often violent and had somewhat
>> unpredictable effects on handling, especially if you were exiting a turn
>> where smoothness was key to good lap times.
>>
>> Enjoy.
>

=
= Cesar Borgia
=