Driving modes??
- Thread starter Ken76
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For me, nothing of any value that I can't achieve with either the gearbox sport mode or paddle shifters when wanting to change the default behaviour.
Tried all the modes but found the Auto mode to be the most useful and pleasant to use as I don't want heavier steering or earlier upshifts for no obvious gain.
If you have the adjustable suspension option then they might make more sense.
Tried all the modes but found the Auto mode to be the most useful and pleasant to use as I don't want heavier steering or earlier upshifts for no obvious gain.
If you have the adjustable suspension option then they might make more sense.
Agree - in terms of engine / drivetrain probably little benefit. I do find the ability to nudge the gearshift into S mode useful as goes someway to reduce the DSG lag for quick take-offs. I have the adaptive suspension and at times do shift the according to the road - for example, Comfort on M-Ways with adaptive stiffening up the suspension on twisty roads. Most of the time leave it in Auto though.....
Try them all out. It really depends on your typical route, your style and I have found how many in the car. My car is identical to yours, late 2015 B9 2.0 Tdi UltraSport S-Tronic. On my typical 60 mile round trip commute, a little urban at both ends, a lot of twisty single A road and a shorter segment of dual I have found that Dynamic works the best and gives the best fuel consumption. Put it on a motorway to go 'up country' and Eco or Comfort works nicely.
I've had 33 months of experimenting with these and to me there is little difference just a few subtleties. For my engine the ECU/gearbox lag masks any difference in throttle response. Additionally I seriously cannot tell the difference in steering weight.
Dynamic puts the s-tronic into sport but you can revert that at any time with the selector. Similarly if you want to, you can select sport gearbox in any drive-select mode the same way.
Efficiency allows the intellegent coasting while cruise control is engaged but it happens so rarely that it probably won't make a difference. Efficiency also seems to chase a higher gear just a bit earlier than the other modes. For the geeks it also changes the supplementary heater profile but I find it actually costs fuel in the cold months.
In very very spirited driving (thrashing the thing!) Dynamic and S or D gearbox causes you to hit the rev limiter far too often for optimum driving. That's the diesel with a lower limit.
I now leave it in Auto and use the paddles where necessary to force gears and in/out of coasting etc. I occasionally flick the box into S for the placebo of a faster response but still not certain it actually changes response times.
This is on the 3.0 TDI 218 FWD s-tronic. Other engines may well be very different. FWIW, my previous B7 A6 had much more noticeable differences in throttle and steering but it was 2.0TDI and manual.
Dynamic puts the s-tronic into sport but you can revert that at any time with the selector. Similarly if you want to, you can select sport gearbox in any drive-select mode the same way.
Efficiency allows the intellegent coasting while cruise control is engaged but it happens so rarely that it probably won't make a difference. Efficiency also seems to chase a higher gear just a bit earlier than the other modes. For the geeks it also changes the supplementary heater profile but I find it actually costs fuel in the cold months.
In very very spirited driving (thrashing the thing!) Dynamic and S or D gearbox causes you to hit the rev limiter far too often for optimum driving. That's the diesel with a lower limit.
I now leave it in Auto and use the paddles where necessary to force gears and in/out of coasting etc. I occasionally flick the box into S for the placebo of a faster response but still not certain it actually changes response times.
This is on the 3.0 TDI 218 FWD s-tronic. Other engines may well be very different. FWIW, my previous B7 A6 had much more noticeable differences in throttle and steering but it was 2.0TDI and manual.
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Personally I like Individual with Steering- dynamic and Gearbox - Comfort. It gives nice smooth ride , throttle is still responsive , gear change up comes not too low or high, steering stays heavy (dont like the light one). Whenever I want rush a little more I just switch gearbox to S or take control with paddle shifts, rather then change to Dynamic Mode.
Economic mode definitely makes throttle less responsive and changes gear up quite early.
Economic mode definitely makes throttle less responsive and changes gear up quite early.
This is exactly what I have found to be the best way too...
I am curious though, does anyone ever flick the lever sideways into fully manual mode?
I always imagine I'll find a road where this could be done for some length of time, but usually there's something to make it unsuitable like a junction etc. In fully manual it gets quite jerky at low speeds so I switch back to D or S and wonder why I bothered with the fully manual in the first place.
Never tried 'comfort' but on my car there is a marked difference between 'auto' and 'dynamic'. 'Eco' is more subtle but the later gear changes and the like are noticeably.
