S Tronic A3........which engine?

[RVP20]

I was wondering what engine works best with the S Tronic.
I've read many reviews about the gearbox in the A3 and they seem to say that it works best with the 1.8 TFSI and the 2.0L (184) TDI.

From the reviews, they say that the 2.0 (150) and the 1.4 C.O.D are 'clumsy and jurky' and do not work with the S Tronic.

I'm set on the S Tronic and have driven the A5 2.0L TDI (177) and found it very smooth. I've got the manual A3 2.0 (150) TDI but looking to change and I wanted to know what people thought who maybe own one or have driven the A3 S Tronic.

Have you made the right choice or would you choose another engine for the gearbox if you could do it again.

 

[pburv]

Whichever engine you go for you won,t be disappointed with Stronic. I won,t go back to a manual again.I have driven both 1.8 and 1.4(not sure if cod) and both performed faultless.I now have an S3 Stronic and believe brings out the best in this engine..I'm sure others with' manual drive' on the forum will disagree.

 

[h5djr]

I have a 2.0TDI - 184 with s-tronic and quattro and it's great. Gentle when you want it be but with plenty of power and torque when you want to have some fun. My previous A3 was a 2.0TDI-177 which also had s-tronic and when I test drove the current model I found the 150 a little under powered compared with my 177. So I tried the 184 and was sold. Also as the 2.0TDI-184 is only available with quattro it meant I had to have that as well and it's turned out to be the best A3 (this is my 9th) I have ever owned. This is also my 5th A3 with s-tronic and I find it works very well with the 184 engine. I tend to 'drive' it most of the time with the s-tronic set to manual and using the paddles and stick which I find add greatly to the fun of driving. No way would I ever go back to driving a manual car.

Try and take a s-tronic car out for a long test drive. It can take a while to change from manual to s-tronic and get the best out of it but once done I'm sure you will never want to go back.

 

[Scottyg]

I have had two s-tronic/DSG cars. Scirocco 2ltr petrol 210bhp and my current 1.6tdi 110bhp. Both were/are flawless. My current car has the 7 speed box and its superb. Plenty lowdown torque to get you off the mark but tapers off around 80/90 (on private roads, obviously). The 210 just wanted to keep going. However, I get 55mpg with plenty fun in my current A3......bags of fun in the 210 Scirocco but 24mpg. Take them for a run and see what suits your commute and normal driving.

 

[RichardT]

From the reviews, they say that the 2.0 (150) and the 1.4 C.O.D are 'clumsy and jurky' and do not work with the S Tronic.

Rubbish
It's certainly excellent with the 1.4 COD (and I'm sure the non-COD)

 

[Simon L]

Rubbish
It's certainly excellent with the 1.4 COD (and I'm sure the non-COD)

Well said Richard.............................all I can say is What Car must have had a duff unit. It's pretty well known that S-tronic is one of the best auto boxes on the market......

 

[Gazwould]

Till it goes wrong costing 10k .

 

[Scottyg]

That's what a warranty's for. I don't keep my cars long enough for them to run out anyway.

 

[splash18]

i have driven the 1.6 tdi s tronic and i find it not good, so i bought a manual and i saw the difference....i believe that the s tronic will best fit with s3 and other fast engines and not with poor engines.

 

[Gazwould]

I'm thinking down the line when bought privately etc out of warranty.

An S-tronic is going to be a scary thing to have .

 

[pburv]

i have driven the 1.6 tdi s tronic and i find it not good, so i bought a manual and i saw the difference....i believe that the s tronic will best fit with s3 and other fast engines and not with poor engines.

Although clearly you have driven a 1.6tdi stronic I think you haven't given it a long enough drive.In this'day and age' with the amount of traffic on the roads especially in cities you will find the stronic is far superior to a manual,certainly more comfortable..Also it's a pleasure to drive on open roads..The best thing for the OP to do is give one a decent drive and like I commented earlier 'he won't be dissapointed'...

 

[RichardT]

........... and not with poor engines.

I wasn't aware VAG made "poor" engines. Certainly not the 1.4 COD.

 

[h5djr]

I'm thinking down the line when bought privately etc out of warranty.

An S-tronic is going to be a scary thing to have .

Even an ordinary 6-speed manual gearbox for an A3 is around £3700 to purchase from a dealer and a Quattro version is around £4500. Never a problem for me as my A3s will always be covered by warranty.

 

[pburv]

I'm thinking down the line when bought privately etc out of warranty.

An S-tronic is going to be a scary thing to have .

Sure if you are unlucky enough to have your gearbox fail outside of warranty the above quote is expensive,you would be a mug to pay that .
As there are plenty of specialists who would repair your damaged gear box for a lot less(depending of course as to what has failed).the most expensive part of the box is the 'mechatronic'control the rest of the box is similar to any other gearbox any of these parts fail can be replaced without having to replace the whole box..The other thing to consider is 'Audi Goodwill Gesture' If your car has full service history and sensible miles you will find Audi would look into giving a contribution towards repair(I know as I have had an engine replaced by them with a 90 percent contribution)...

 

[Scottyg]

i have driven the 1.6 tdi s tronic and i find it not good, so i bought a manual and i saw the difference....i believe that the s tronic will best fit with s3 and other fast engines and not with poor engines.

I can 100% tell you that you are wrong. I've had my 1.6tdi s-tronic for 6 months and around 7500 miles. Never put a foot wrong and is a pleasure to drive. It is very responsive, economical, quick off the mark and in town a god send with my knackered back. It certainly isn't a box 'just' for the S3. Pretty obvious you haven't lived with it or even driven it for an extended period of time. Making a judgment on any car in a short test drive is pointless. As I've said many times in different threads, the 1.6tdi mated to the s-tronic is a perfect combo......in fact any Audi/VW engine mated to the s-tronic is a perfect combo if it's an auto you are looking for.

 

[cuke2u]

I had a 1.6 diesel with the stronic for a week and compared to my 1.4 cod with a manual box it was awful, simply awful and made me feel totally disconnected from what was going on and just created a car that was boring and unexciting to drive, it also affected the mpg to the point where it wasn't much better than my own car as well. The real downer is how jerky it makes the car in stop start traffic and makes parking a chore.
To be fair I should have driven a stronic version of my own car for a better comparison but then I have always preferred manual boxes as they make the car more involving to drive..

 

[Scottyg]

You hit the nail on the head in your last sentence. If you are going into an auto already preferring a manual, your judgement is going to be clouded. I've now had 9 auto's from various manufacturers and the s-tronic is the best auto on the mass market by miles. The difference from the manual 1.6TDI to the s-tronic is a couple of miles to the gallon.
Take BMWs new 8 speed box as an example of how autos have progressed. It is faster to 62 and does better mpg compared to the manual version of the same car.
Certain manufacturers now fit autos as standard and you need to tick the option box for the manual. Times are a changing.
Back to the discussion, the use of the flappy paddles gives you the engagement when driving, if required, especially in dynamic mode.

 

[Scottyg]

I'm thinking down the line when bought privately etc out of warranty.

An S-tronic is going to be a scary thing to have .

This can be said for the clutch, water pump and DMF replacement and also the DPF if you don't drive the car in the 'proper' conditions.
DMFs can go very early on and will hit you with a £1500 bill.
Each have their own faults and bills 'if' certain parts go!

 

[pburv]

This can be said for the clutch, water pump and DMF replacement and also the DPF if you don't drive the car in the 'proper' conditions.
DMFs can go very early on and will hit you with a £1500 bill.
Each have their own faults and bills 'if' certain parts go!

Also if outside warranty you don't have to go to the main dealers for parts..

 

[Simon L]

I had a 1.6 diesel with the stronic for a week and compared to my 1.4 cod with a manual box it was awful, simply awful and made me feel totally disconnected from what was going on and just created a car that was boring and unexciting to drive, it also affected the mpg to the point where it wasn't much better than my own car as well. The real downer is how jerky it makes the car in stop start traffic and makes parking a chore.
To be fair I should have driven a stronic version of my own car for a better comparison but then I have always preferred manual boxes as they make the car more involving to drive..

If you prefer manual that's fine but doesn't make the s-tronic a bad choice for anyone else.

Stop/start is pretty smooth on mine but if you don't like it.........switch it off !!

 

[SRT]

Have you made the right choice or would you choose another engine for the gearbox if you could do it again.

I feel most definitely that Ive made the right choice. My long motoring history of driving manuals led me to embrace the future with a Merc C220 sportmatic eight years back and now I have my 1.4 cod s tronic and its better again and exceptionaly quick not to mention frugal and the road tax?
Worrying about failed boxes is much like worrying about - will I have a bad accident?
I still drive a manual mini from time to time but never wish I had opted for a manual A3.

 

[h5djr]

I had a 1.6 diesel with the stronic for a week and compared to my 1.4 cod with a manual box it was awful, simply awful and made me feel totally disconnected from what was going on and just created a car that was boring and unexciting to drive, it also affected the mpg to the point where it wasn't much better than my own car as well. The real downer is how jerky it makes the car in stop start traffic and makes parking a chore.
To be fair I should have driven a stronic version of my own car for a better comparison but then I have always preferred manual boxes as they make the car more involving to drive..

A lot depends on how you drive an s-tronic. If you just put it in D or even S and let the car make all the gear change decisions then I would think it could be quite boring unless you were in stop/start traffic in a large town. In my case, having driven cars with manual gearboxes for 38 years including 5 manual A3s I 'drive' my s-tronic with it set in manual mode and use the paddles and stick. To me it's just as much if not even more fun than a manual just with the need to keep pushing a clutch pedal. I rather than the car decide when to change gear apart from when I stop and the s-tronic automatically selects 1st gear ready for the off. I did find the Start/Stop system did not work that well with the s-tronic so I permanently switched it off. If I am going to be stopped for more than a minute or so, at a level crossing for example, I just turn the engine off myself. No a great chore! Personally I don't find my current car any less involving or engaging that any of the manual cars I have driven and they included several Gold GTIs and a Golf VR6 and four other Audi models before the A3.

 

[cuke2u]

If you prefer manual that's fine but doesn't make the s-tronic a bad choice for anyone else.

Stop/start is pretty smooth on mine but if you don't like it.........switch it off !!

Of course it doesn't, but until a manual is no longer an option then wild horses wouldn't persuade me to have an s-tronic on my car. Stop/start has nothing to do with the jerkyness in traffic either it is the automatic clutch and the bite point that is the issue.
Still we've had this debate before and yes whilst manual mode can be fun playing tunes with the engine but too me it just doesn't do anything aside from a greater feeling of detachment...

 

[Scottyg]

Mines ain't jerky in stop/start traffic. Neither was my last DSG. In fact, none of my autos have jerky in traffic. Held on to gears too long, yes (not s-tronic) But not jerky.

 

[Simon L]

Of course it doesn't, but until a manual is no longer an option then wild horses wouldn't persuade me to have an s-tronic on my car. Stop/start has nothing to do with the jerkyness in traffic either it is the automatic clutch and the bite point that is the issue.
Still we've had this debate before and yes whilst manual mode can be fun playing tunes with the engine but too me it just doesn't do anything aside from a greater feeling of detachment...

To be fair mate the OP already stated he's sold on s-tronic but wants to know which engine to marry with so manual doesn't really come into it.

As far as stop/start traffic, yep fair enough I misunderstood you!! (but, as Scotty says no transmission jerkiness on mine)

 

[cuke2u]

I found that with the1.6 you put your foot on the throttle, little happens, put it down a bit more and it takes off. In all the dsg's I have driven, especially the a3 which hasn't a good enough feel and feedback from the control at the best of times compared to other cars I've driven, it just adds to that feeling of being devoid from the car..

 

[cuke2u]

To be fair mate the OP already stated he's sold on s-tronic but wants to know which engine to marry with so manual doesn't really come into it.

As far as stop/start traffic, yep fair enough I misunderstood you!! (but, as Scotty says no transmission jerkiness on mine)

Fair enough, but we are all entitled to an opinion..

 

[Simon L]

Fair enough, but we are all entitled to an opinion..

Yeah of course................................but do try and stay on topic...................

 

[h5djr]

I found that with the1.6 you put your foot on the throttle, little happens, put it down a bit more and it takes off. In all the dsg's I have driven, especially the a3 which hasn't a good enough feel and feedback from the control at the best of times compared to other cars I've driven, it just adds to that feeling of being devoid from the car..

I assume you were driving the s-tronic in automatic mode. As far a various engines is concerned my wife now has a VW Polo 1.2 TSI fitted with a DSG gearbox and it works very well. She tends to drive in a combination auto and manual modes and having not been able to drive for a couple of months recently because of heart surgery I found the ride as a passenger very smooth with not jerkiness at all.

 

[cuke2u]

I drove it in every mode Dave and it made the dull 1.6 diesel even more duller and boring. I would expect the 1.4 engine to be better as it is more dynamic but there was nothing that convinces me to have one. I did try the dsg box on the 1.2 tfsi Ibiza as well...

 

[Scottyg]

The 1.6 TDI ain't dull either. I've had 3ltr 5 series, 2.7 LR, 2.5 5 series, 2.0 DSG VW plus many others. This is my smallest diesel ever and I can honestly say it's is very responsive off the mark, if you know how to drive a S-tronic car, can get up to 70-80 as quick as my previous 2.0 CDTI VX and returns fantastic mpg. I test drove the 1.6tdi back to back with the 1.4 s-tronic. I preferred the drive and low down torque of the 1.6TDI. Each to their own. However, don't make a comment on another engine until you have lived with it for a long enough time to make that judgment. I don't comment on the S3 S-Tronic as I haven't driven one or the 2ltr 184 S-tronic. I would be wrong to judge them on a relatively small amount of time I've had in them. But I can judge the 1.4 s-tronic, 2.0 petrol 210 DSG and the 1.6tdi.

 

[h5djr]

I drove it in every mode Dave and it made the dull 1.6 diesel even more duller and boring. I would expect the 1.4 engine to be better as it is more dynamic but there was nothing that convinces me to have one. I did try the dsg box on the 1.2 tfsi Ibiza as well...

Personally the only 1.6 TDI I've had any contact with was my wife's previous car. This was an A1 1.6 TDI and it was a manual. It was certainly OK but the Polo with the DSG is a much better car. The suspension is better, the engine is fine and the DSG makes the gear changes very smooth. She tends to do mostly local driving only doing around 5,000 miles a year. For all the longer trips and holidays to Europe we always use my A3. She was a little reluctant to have the DSG on the Polo at first although she has driven my various A3s with s-tronic over the years. But when she had a test drive in the Polo 1.2 with the DSG she was sold and now says she would never want another manual. It also means that if I drive it for any reason I won't forget that a manual does not automatically select first gear when you stop at a roundabout or junction!!

At least Audi still offer the choice on most A3 models although I don't know for how much longer. Most of the 'top of the range' models in each of the Audi model line up are now only offered in s-tronic.

 

[RVP20]

Hey thanks for all your replies.....got a lot to think about and test drive. Does anyone have experience with the 2.0 ltr TDI (150) S-Tronic engine?
As I mentioned I already have this in a manual and wanted to know what anyone thinks?
The 184 TDI Quattro does sound good but it's a few grand more than the 150 TDI and wondering if it's much different.
I also noticed that the 1.6 has 7 gears on the s-Tronic but the 2.0 TDI only has 6 gears??

 

[h5djr]

Hey thanks for all your replies.....got a lot to think about and test drive. Does anyone have experience with the 2.0 ltr TDI (150) S-Tronic engine?
As I mentioned I already have this in a manual and wanted to know what anyone thinks?
The 184 TDI Quattro does sound good but it's a few grand more than the 150 TDI and wondering if it's much different.
I also noticed that the 1.6 has 7 gears on the s-Tronic but the 2.0 TDI only has 6 gears??

The reason the 2.0TDI models have the original wet-clutch 6-gear s-tronic is that the engines produce more torque than the small, lighter dry-clutch 7-gear version can handle. The 7-gear version is manly used on the smaller engined models.
There are quite a few members who have the 2.0TDI -150 so hopefully you will get some responses. In my particular case, because I had the 2.0TDI-170 as my previous A3, the 150 felt down on power to what I was used to which is why I went for the 184.

 

[Ignition1]

Like cuke2u said, using a manual brought back back the thrill of driving to me. Drove a friend's A4 manual last Saturday across some nice empty roads in Horley - originally I scoffed (to myself) at the thought of a non-automatic saloon - but it felt great to have that control back again! The feel of the throw, quick change down and booting it...I felt the boy racer breaking free in me. Genuinely made me sad getting back into my car. But on the way home I hit a TON of stop/start London traffic and at that point I realised why I spec'd S-Tronic...

On topic...don't listen to car reviews. The S-Tronic is smooth and just needs some getting used to - regardless of the engine. I would never describe it as jerky in my 1.4 COD (150HP), nor is it clunky either. It's quick to change up and down as any double-clutch box would be. Only complaint is slow throttle response (I have thread about it) - but you may or may not notice this depending how sensitive you are to those sorts of things.

 

[h5djr]

Like cuke2u said, using a manual brought back back the thrill of driving to me. Drove a friend's A4 manual last Saturday across some nice empty roads in Horley - originally I scoffed (to myself) at the thought of a non-automatic saloon - but it felt great to have that control back again! The feel of the throw, quick change down and booting it...I felt the boy racer breaking free in me. Genuinely made me sad getting back into my car. But on the way home I hit a TON of stop/start London traffic and at that point I realised why I spec'd S-Tronic...

On topic...don't listen to car reviews. The S-Tronic is smooth and just needs some getting used to - regardless of the engine. I would never describe it as jerky in my 1.4 COD (150HP), nor is it clunky either. It's quick to change up and down as any double-clutch box would be. Only complaint is slow throttle response (I have thread about it) - but you may or may not notice this depending how sensitive you are to those sorts of things.

Out of interest what 'extra control' do you get back when you drove a manual gearbox?

 

[Ignition1]

Out of interest what 'extra control' do you get back when you drove a manual gearbox?

Hard to describe. Thinking about it - clutch control and controlling low speed was the first bit of extra control. I can also make a faster or slower gear change as and when I wanted to - might not make sense but I like that control depending on the road conditions.

Second was being able to select whatever gear I wanted, I dropped from 5th to 3rd to get more power then slipped it back into 5th to keep the revs down. I guess the great thing about manual is you have total control over the power. For example I'm in 5th, I press the clutch and drop to 3rd, as I lift the clutch I know exactly when the power will arrive and I can control this power arrival using subtle movements of the clutch.

When I talk about extra control - it's mostly the subtle things that you can only do with a clutch you control and a totally free selection of the 6 gears that you can select in any order you want.

I have driven the S-Tronic in "manual" mode but it's not the same at all - changing gears sequentially by pulling a paddle doesn't replace the feeling of a clutch and gear stick.

 

[h5djr]

Personally, having driven vehicles with a manual gearbox since I was 17 (I'm now 68), including having to double de-clutch quite a number of army vehicles, I have not found anything I cannot do with the manual mode of the s-tronic that I could do with manual gearbox in normal everyday driving. I agree that it is a sequential change gearbox but it is quite easy to change more than one gear at a time just with extra clicks on the paddles and of course it always selects first gear whenever you stop. One of the best things with the s-tronic is being able to change up without having to interrupt the power. I gave some friends a 'lift' of some 20 miles the other day and one of them said to me how smooth my car was and the only time he could tell when I changed gear was from the change in engine note.

But each to their own. If someone prefers to play with a clutch pedal that is up to them, certainly at the moment.

 

[RVP20]

The reason the 2.0TDI models have the original wet-clutch 6-gear s-tronic is that the engines produce more torque than the small, lighter dry-clutch 7-gear version can handle. The 7-gear version is manly used on the smaller engined models.
There are quite a few members who have the 2.0TDI -150 so hopefully you will get some responses. In my particular case, because I had the 2.0TDI-170 as my previous A3, the 150 felt down on power to what I was used to which is why I went for the 184.

The only thing I worry about with the 184 TDI is that an S3 is only another 2k more (basic with no options) which makes me think is it worth saving for that even though fuel economy is low etc but not too worried about that. Does the 184 feel better that the 150 TDI in s-Tronic?

 

[Ignition1]

Personally, having driven vehicles with a manual gearbox since I was 17 (I'm now 68), including having to double de-clutch quite a number of army vehicles, I have not found anything I cannot do with the manual mode of the s-tronic that I could do with manual gearbox in normal everyday driving. I agree that it is a sequential change gearbox but it is quite easy to change more than one gear at a time just with extra clicks on the paddles and of course it always selects first gear whenever you stop. One of the best things with the s-tronic is being able to change up without having to interrupt the power. I gave some friends a 'lift' of some 20 miles the other day and one of them said to me how smooth my car was and the only time he could tell when I changed gear was from the change in engine note.

But each to their own. If someone prefers to play with a clutch pedal that is up to them, certainly at the moment.

Don't get me wrong - I like S-Tronic. It's very smooth and it holds the power so you pick up speed faster than the equivalent manual, wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

I'm 28, and not driven a difficult manual before, so my experience is different. In hindsight my experience with my friend's manual A4 was a bit like looking after someone's dog for a day. Great fun, thoroughly enjoyed it, but a lot of effort.