why is there a distinct lag from the time I push on the gas to the actual accelaration?

Turbo lag is the term. Most turbo equipped cars suffer from this fate, Take out a mid 70's Porche 911 turbo and hit it going into the corner, If you can keep it straight. This has been one of the downfalls of the "turbo", but with out it, most if not all the performance in your car would be lost. If the lag is too long, ask the dealer to drive it with the Dignostic computer hooked up, Or "test drive" another A4 turbo and see how they compare. Best of luck.

thanks Casper! Great suggestions. I will pass them on to my mom who drives it most. The lag to me seems minimal if you learn how to drive with it, but my Mom has had some close calls with it pulling into traffic...

This is reasonable, but not too reasonable. Turbo lag shouldn't be something you have to "factor in" during every day driving, especially on a stock car from a dealership. General rule of thumb: the larger the turbo, the more time it needs to spool up, the slower your initial response. HOWEVER, a turbo should make up for on the top end, what it lacks on the bottom end.

The 2.0T engine itself does a very good job at reducing turbo lag at all. automatics tend to be slower to respond. i have a gti with the same engine, and as a manual, there isnt hardly any delay.

these engines sometimes suffer from fuel pressure problems. i work for audi and recently replaced fuel pressure sensors on an a3 2.0 t quattro, and on 2004 a4, with the 2.0 fsi a fuel pump

Another Thing that is a potential problem if the "turbo lag" is to long to really be blamed for it all, you might wanna check the back pressure of your exhaust which could be a problem as well

It totaly normal, becausse the piping of the turbo to the intyercooler in audi a4 is very to long.... I don't want to explain but the time of the air for pass the turbo to the intercooler make a lag... And also the gaz pedal is not action by a standar wire, it's action by electronic wire...so it's more long for the car to realize you want the maximum of capacities...sooooo The only solution is to install a front mount intercooler to diminu the longer of piping.... You can not change the gaz wire....just if you change the trootle and you all reprogram the cumputer and all ratio and also ALLLLLLLL

it's also the ECU settings...cuz the ECU takes it's time to figure out how much force is being depressed and translates that into how much it has to accelerate

I assume you have either a Tiptronic (AWD Auto) or a CVT (FWD Auto) that is causing this. The CVT is much worse. People who say that this is associated with "turbo lag"...it's not completely the case. On the CVT, you do not have actual "gears" inside the transmission, but rather a spinning cone-shaped piece, that allows any ratio depending on engine load. If you ever owned a mountain bike, and looked at the gears in the rear hub, you'll notice they get smaller as you go up in gears. Now just imagine a very large set of teeth on a cone...that is the basic idea behind CVT. Those "7" gears you see on your gear display does not mean you have "7" gears, but rather 7 different ratio points. The lag you experience from a stop is the transmission trying to determine the proper "gear" ratio by looking at your engine load and other factors, which is why it takes almost up to a whole second before it reacts and adjusts itself. A way to get around this is to put it into either Sport mode, or simply manual mode. On the AWD Tiptronic transmissions, the lag is much better, but still apparent. You CAN however, fix this with a EEPROM upgrade...aka "chip". Since these cars are drive-by-wire (no throttle cable), these chips can simply request a much higher load when you tap the gas pedal. So you tapping the gas pedal 25%, the computer can actually give you 50%+ of throttle instead... making the car feel much more "peppy" and come alive.

I would suggest a visit with a mechanic and make sure the car is OK. The turbo does not factor in until high RPMs. The car should take off OK from a standing start. I dare say something is not working as it should . What you mention puts the driver at risk. Please have it checked now. I drv a 2001Audi TT, 180 HP and the turbo kicks in at 3000 RPM only. Best of luck.

This post is several years old. Does anyone know if the newer models (2011, 2012) A4s with the CVT front wheel drive suffer from the same problem, the so-called turbo lag? I just bought a 2011 used A4, 33K miles, CPO from Santa Monica this weekend and noticed that there is a significant lag and then jolt forward from traffic lights. I would have thought that any such problems would have been discovered and cured before certification. Any input?

I have a 2013 A4 diesel auto and it has a very pronounced turbo lag. Pulling out at a roundabout can be a tricky operation and reversing is like driving a kangaroo...nothing.....nothing...nothing.... then VROOOOOM....takes off like a rocket. So annoying not to mention bloody dangerous!

Yes, I just bought a new 2016 A3 2.0T and it has the stupid adaptive software. Audi Boulder in Colorado says that a 3-5 second delay from pushing on the pedal to acceleration is acceptable. That is BS!!

I have severe and very disappointing lag performance with 2014 A5 Cabriolet with CVT. I actually sued because wasn't told there was even two models and there are no markings on the car, no sticker on the window, and no indication on the paperwork indicating the option (even after you know you can't find it anywhere). I test drove the Quattro which has real gears and later purchased a different color when it arrived in the showroom, no one told me there was any option, and I drove it out of the lot and straight back thinking it was faulty, or brake locked or something... They said, "no that's the CVT, it's a dog" (their words) and especially noticeable with the extra weight of the Convertible. I was furious and made quite a fuss. Anyway lesson learned I ended up satisfied. and long story short the CVT is gone from 2106 models onwards.

I recently got a 2016 A4 2.0 w/ CVT and it has considerable turbo lag. After speaking with many well-informed folks it appears the best solution is to have it "chip'd", as described in this dialogue. But doing that early risks voiding the factory warranty (so wait until after you've driven it 50k miles). For MY2017 Audi replaced the CVT with a 7sp dual-clutch, increased HP about 10% (228 hp to 252 hp), updated the suspension and reduced vehicle weight by about 100 lbs. I haven't driven one but reviews indicate acceleration and handling are much improved.

I was going to try changing my fluid and filter to see if it responded quicker when I let off the brake

I have a 2008 audi a4 2.0t and when it's at an idle it revs up and goes back down. Also when I am driving it I can't pull out in front of anyone because my audi just don't seem to want to go anymore when I first bought it the car went right along no problem and now it's like it barley wants to move when I first pull out but as I get going it's fine unless I go uphill then I lose speed. I am a girl so I have no idea what this could be but if I could get some answers would be great

The puck that activates the high pressure fuel pump may be worn. It seems they need to be replaced periodically. The loss of power could be directly related to this small part. My 2007 A4 would accelerate to 60mph just fine and then almost stall out on the highway. My son and I replaced the puck and all is well. This puck rides on a lobe of it's own, on the camshaft and presses the plunger for the high pressure pump, that provides high pressure to the fuel rail, that feeds the injectors. Without the pressure or needed volume of fuel the car loses power. You would have to find someone to check and replace the puck for you. There are videos on YouTube on how to change the puck

I have a friend who drove a 2008 A4 2.0TDI manual, and turbo lag was huge between gears it literally felt like you wait 2 seconds before hitting the gas pedal after shifting gears, even going on highway speeds in 6th gear you wait about 2 seconds before accelerating after hitting the gas pedal. later on he sold the car because of gearbox problems.

As I read, the condition happens in traffic, so as I am experiencing, due to heavy traffic conditions, the intercooler, not only not cools, but warms up the intake air, making the engine very unefficient... after a short driving, it -again- behaves decently.

I have Audi A5 2009 Quattro, Since 2 years experiencing: * The lag between the time of pressing the pedal and the time of accelerating. *Vibration at initial movement. * The Weakness when uphilling a little mountain area as it get reverse or stopping without movement. * Burned Petrol smell when it got moving for a bit ling time, smell coming togeter with the above observations. * Steering vibration while it stopped and make a turn. All of above are not appearing when it get driven after idle for a while (two days or more) but get back after half an hour of use. Advice please.

If you have a pre-2017 A4 or similar model with the 2.0l turbo engine, the turbo lag is caused by the combo of the turbocharger with the CVT transmission. The CVT can operate in either "Normal" or "Sport" mode. Normal mode in this era was more like "Eco" mode in modern cars, i.e. it was tuned for max fuel efficiency, not performance. After 2016 horsepower for the 2.0l ngine increased by 14% and the CVT was replaced by a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. This combo apparently alleviated most of the turbo lag.