Audi has claimed a first in the premium segment by combining twin clutch automatic transmission with start stop. First models are the 1.4 TFSI and 1.6 TDI.
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In automatic applications, the start stop system cuts engine power when the car comes to a standstill at traffic lights or in queueing traffic – the engine then remains off as long as the brake pedal is depressed and then restarts in two-tenths of a second only when it is released in readiness for take-off. With the system’s help, economy is boosted and CO2 is reduced by approximately 5g/km, but if required it can be deactivated at the touch of a button.
The start stop system is also supplemented in these models by recuperation technology, which provides further fuel and CO2 savings by recycling a proportion of the wasted kinetic energy generated under normal braking and normally dissipated as heat, and storing this temporarily in the vehicle battery to reduce the engine load when the car subsequently accelerates again. With its help, fuel usage is reduced by as much as 3% in the A3, Audi claimed.
The 1.4 TFSI ‘S tronic’ accelerates to 62mph (100km/h) from rest 0.1 seconds more quickly than its manual counterpart and has a 3.7 mpg advantage over the manual version in the combined cycle economy test, recording 53.3mpg to its 49.6mpg. CO2 is also down at 124g/km, versus the manual version’s 132g/km.
