Facelift S3 Manual drivers?

[RSS-S3]

Just order my First Audi

A facelift 3dr S3 Manual in Vegas yellow

But I cannot find anyone with a manual gearbox or any reviews of a manual compared to S-tronic owners!

Anyone shed some light ??

 

[Jassyo06]

Just order my First Audi

A facelift 3dr S3 Manual in Vegas yellow

But I cannot find anyone with a manual gearbox or any reviews of a manual compared to S-tronic owners!

Anyone shed some light ??

There is a handful of emmanuelle gearbox hero's on here mate,l am sure they will be a long shortly.... @Gordo77

 

[CraigI]

I had a S-tronic Sportback and a Manual Saloon.
The Saloon was a much better drive for two reasons - magnetic ride and the engagement and greater control you get with Manual.
This is my opinion, many others are available.

 

[S32B]

Here is one now... I love it

I test drove the S3 with S-tronic before ordering and ended up ordered the manual! Since then I've had an R8 for the day and an RS3 for a few hours, both were s-tronic, my next car WILL be a manual for me it just gets you more involved with the entire driving experience.

The Ford Focus RS is praised by all the review sites for it's fun etc. can you buy an auto one????

 

[S3 Turbo]

Love the colour!

Only driven dsg cars, but except for weak stock clutch, be prepared to upgrade if tuning...,
the manual boxes have good reputation too...

 

[RSS-S3]

Love the colour!

Only driven dsg cars, but except for weak stock clutch, be prepared to upgrade if tuning...,
the manual boxes have good reputation too...

My current polo GTI had a clutch replaced under warranty at 4k miles ! VAG clutches seem to be pants ..

 

[Gordo77]

There is a handful of emmanuelle gearbox hero's on here mate,l am sure they will be a long shortly.... @Gordo77

@jassyo06 you called dear?

Anyways, congrats @RSS-S3 The S-tronic is a technical piece of engineering, and that's part of the problem for me, it's too clinical, and doesn't require the driver to do very much. The manual on the other hand is sweet... short throws make for pretty crisp changes. The driving position is perfect for me and the gearstick falls easily to hand. You won't regret it.

 

[Jassyo06]

Here is one now... I love it

I test drove the S3 with S-tronic before ordering and ended up ordered the manual! Since then I've had an R8 for the day and an RS3 for a few hours, both were s-tronic, my next car WILL be a manual for me it just gets you more involved with the entire driving experience.

The Ford Focus RS is praised by all the review sites for it's fun etc. can you buy an auto one????

Moving Goal Posts......mate........Focus RS....Yellow Card...tut tut manual man....lol

 

[RSS-S3]

Here is one now... I love it

I test drove the S3 with S-tronic before ordering and ended up ordered the manual! Since then I've had an R8 for the day and an RS3 for a few hours, both were s-tronic, my next car WILL be a manual for me it just gets you more involved with the entire driving experience.

The Ford Focus RS is praised by all the review sites for it's fun etc. can you buy an auto one????

Totally agree ! Whats yours sound like?

Obviously with a s-tronic it burps and farts and barbles.

Does the manual sound as entertaining?

 

[Daveotto]

Here is one now... I love it

I test drove the S3 with S-tronic before ordering and ended up ordered the manual! Since then I've had an R8 for the day and an RS3 for a few hours, both were s-tronic, my next car WILL be a manual for me it just gets you more involved with the entire driving experience.

Similar experience here, test drove an S-tonic and ordered a manual and not regretted it for one minute.

I have slung the new R8 V10 plus round a track and an RS3 round a slalom course, launch controlled an RS7 along a runway and had a loan TTS for the weekend, all autos and still prefer the more engaging experience that a manual gives.

You just can't beat the feel of slamming your left foot to the floor a few milliseconds before slamming your left hand up to drop it down to third then hitting the fun pedal, even if my reaction times are a lot slower than they were

That said if someone offered to swap my manual for a new one of the above auto gearbox cars I would find it hard to refuse.....we all have our price!!!!

 

[Matt Titanium]

Had an S3 loaner with STronic for six weeks last year. It was a novelty for the first two weeks but I had the car long enough to get over initially being impressed by the technology, how it works, and to form an opinion of what it is like to live with - Boring and often frustrating.

You have to learn throttle techniques to get it to set off how you would like and avoid it snatching around town. It doesn't always do what you expect especially coming off roundabouts and I found it very slow to decide to change down and apply the power when you bury the throttle for overtaking, sometimes changing down a gear too far to be sensible. The noise inside the cabin when it changes up produces a satisfying pop and is great, unfortunately it doesn't sound like that from outside the car.
I haven't tried the 7 speed, it might be better to drive.

I bought a manual this year.

The manual box has a nice slick change (but not as good as 1970's RWD Fords) and is a much more involved and satisfying drive. BUT. The clutch biting point is ok when setting off however feels high when changing gear, I believe there is some mechanism fitted to control the speed the clutch engages. The power is not as 'immediate' as I would like after changing up and going back on full throttle.

If I routinely encountered queuing stop start traffic every day I would buy STronic, but for driving pleasure, manual.

 

[GSB]

Whilst the manual gearshift isn't the greatest in motoring journalist cliche generating rifle bolt slickness, it's not bad by cable shift standards. It lacks a little precision around the left-right throw, especially when selecting first and third, so it's not MX5 precise, but it's no horrific box of awkward cogs like a tremec t56 either.

I know manual vs DCT is a very common theme and decisive theme here, but for me, it's manual every time. The S&Tonic is a work of genius and delivers astoundingly fast changes, but for me its a solution looking a problem, and takes a lot of the fun and involvement out of the driving.

You won't regret going manual.

 

[S32B]

Totally agree ! Whats yours sound like?

Obviously with a s-tronic it burps and farts and barbles.

Does the manual sound as entertaining?

lol it sounds great pulling off when you hit exactly the gear you want every single time I buy a car for driving, the radio is for listening. If I want to hear burps and farts and barbles I'll nip down to the local pub

Moving Goal Posts......mate........Focus RS....Yellow Card...tut tut manual man....lol

Nahhh it's a valid point...there is a reason why they don't do it!

 

[MikeParkin]

I'm manual and I love it and also with Revo stage 2 and it's going great. Looking at stronger clutchs for the future but apart from that you have definitely made the right choice. I agree with all the comments above, awesome colour and enjoy it.

 

[Firstname_lastname]

I have a manual S3 and I did try the S-Tronic before I ordered it. test them both back to back, its the only way to be sure.

 

[NickyF]

I love a good manual vs auto thread! I owned an old A3 diesel stronic for 5 years and hated it, but I'm pretty sure it would work better on an s3 as I think it would be fun while thrashing it. As others have said the manual box in the s3 is good but not great. Mine was pretty notchy when it was new but got a lot better with miles. The 2nd to 3rd, and 4th to 5th changes are easily missed when changing fast but overall it's a nice gearbox.

I've got an order on an Alfa Giulia QV that is auto only and that made me very sad. I'm cheered slightly by the fact that it's a proper torque converter not a semi auto like the stronic. I found town driving , especially pulling away very annoying (almost dangerous) with the stronic. Traditional autos don't have that problem and the torque converter only comes into play at slow speeds and no longer saps power.

You've made the right choice with a manual .

 

[Matt Titanium]

You're not getting the point NickyF. It's all about how much the car is worth with the 'more desirable' gearbox in two or three years time rather than if you prefer driving it or not.
I'm switching to a brand new sensible Vauxhall Viva in that lovely coffin dodger beige next time. Less than £2300 depreciation after three years ownership.

 

[Gordo77]

You're not getting the point NickyF. It's all about how much the car is worth with the 'more desirable' gearbox in two or three years time rather than if you prefer driving it or not.
I'm switching to a brand new sensible Vauxhall Viva in that lovely coffin dodger beige next time. Less than £2300 depreciation after three years ownership.

I think I understand what you're saying... buy an s-tronic for the next person that owns it after you...?

 

[NotquiteWelsh]

[QUOTE/]Here is one now... I love it

I test drove the S3 with S-tronic before ordering and ended up ordered the manual! Since then I've had an R8 for the day and an RS3 for a few hours, both were s-tronic, my next car WILL be a manual for me it just gets you more involved with the entire driving experience.

The Ford Focus RS is praised by all the review sites for it's fun etc. can you buy an auto one????

[/QUOTE]

I agree; thats why when I sold the S3 last week it was replaced with an RS.

 

[Matt Titanium]

I think I understand what you're saying... buy an s-tronic for the next person that owns it after you...?

Spot on Gordo. Kicking myself now as well for not burning an extra six or seven grand on fancy lights, a rattly pano, electric everything and all the technology malarkey to make mine sell faster at the dealers when I trade it in. Really missing the jaw dropping wonder of being able to write letters on the MMI knob with my finger.

 

[Firstname_lastname]

Spot on Gordo. Kicking myself now as well for not burning an extra six or seven grand on fancy lights, a rattly pano, electric everything and all the technology malarkey to make mine sell faster at the dealers when I trade it in. Really missing the jaw dropping wonder of being able to write letters on the MMI knob with my finger.

This made me chuckle a fair bit, well played sir.