"sports" mode on a 2.5i

silly question, but are there any advantages / disadvantages driving in the "sports" mode. it is a 2.5i 4spd auto.. from what I have read in the owners book it will upshift into a higher gear at an increased rpm range. is that it?

 

also, does the "1" and "2" just refer to the first and second gears? if I drive with 2 selected, am I limited to 2nd gear only?

 

thanks

Sport mode will give you a little more "aggressive" acceleration that is helpful when getting on the highway and such. Sport mode is engaged when you move the shifter over from Drive. All it really does is firmer shifts at a higher rpm. I tend to keep it in sport mode all the time out of habit which may cause a lower mpg compared to normal mode.

 

Once you move the shifter up or down, it engages the tiptronic where you manually select the gears. Similar to a manual car but without a clutch. It will shift down automatically when necessary but it won't shift up. This is also very helpful when getting on the highway. I also find it very helpful in the snow. It will let you shift into 2nd while stopped. I'm not sure where you live but I find that useful when stopped on a hill in the snow. Helps keep traction better than being in 1st.

 

So there are three modes. Normal, Sport, and Manual.

ok thanks, makes more sense.

 

right now when I move it over from drive (even if it is in the middle next to "drive", not on "+" or "-") it will either go into 1st or 2nd (what I am reading from the speedometer), am I then restricted to speeds only capable in 2nd/1st gear?

You can shift it from there. It will always stay in the middle, moving it up or down only activates a switch to make it shift.

Sounds like your shifter is activating the up/down shift switches when you bring it over in the gate. To answer your question, yes you would be limited to max rpm/speed in 2nd gear if you don't up shift to 3rd and/or 4th.

 

I have always found my tranny to get 'confused' on which gear to select when trying a non-standard driving maneuver such as a quick stop/go out into traffic, spitting out into traffic on an on ramp or especially on the course during a track day. Manual shifting is much easier to control w/o any surprises.