S3 ...What are the gearbox options please?

[virdi]

Hi all,

So from 2012 ..is there only one type of Auto available right? which is called S-Tronic? This is the same as VW's DSG?

Thanks

 

[batch]

Yep

 

[wab172uk]

Get a manual instead

 

[virdi]

Get a manual instead

Hi,

Why do you say that?

 

[msdmjb]

'cause those with manuals tend to prefer them, those with DSG tend to prefer those
search for lots of 'mines better than yours'
i prefer my manual QED

 

[virdi]

Doesn't the DSG make it a quicker car?

 

[Supa Koopa]

Quicker 0-60, due to the fact it has launch control and faster shifts. If you like a manual that's faster as you get to force it in to the gears which obviously makes you go faster, the same as bonnet stripes....!

This will end up in a bun fight as it always does. The best thing to do is try both and decide for yourself, but be wary of snap decisions. For me, I had a s-tronic for about a year and at first thought I'd made a mistake as I was used to changing gears myself. I've had a manual for a year now and cannot wait until my new S3 S-Tronic arrives and it's back to auto heaven. Great when you're stuck in traffic and can't be bothered, great on the motorways when you can't be bothered and I can flick it in to manual when I can. Not a fan of Sport mode as it hangs on to the gears a bit too long so I prefer drive and manual modes.

 

[msdmjb]

Doesn't the DSG make it a quicker car?

Give over, the squishy thing doing the steering determines how fast a car is by how good they are at it (unless you are drag stripping)

 

[MikeParkin]

Hahaha here we go again !

I must say I love my manual

 

[S3Alex]

Hahaha here we go again !

I must say I love my manual

I saw this thread and had to agree with you....

I'm still waiting on my DQ500 conversion.....

 

[MikeParkin]

I saw this thread and had to agree with you....

I'm still waiting on my DQ500 conversion.....

Yeah the search must be broken again.

Have you sent your box away @S3Alex

 

[S3Alex]

Yeah the search must be broken again.

Have you sent your box away @S3Alex

Actually Mike,I sent the entire car away!

It was a manual 8P,but having one of these fitted and programmed....

 

[DrEskimo]

Doesn't the DSG make it a quicker car?

Quicker 0-60, due to the fact it has launch control and faster shifts. If you like a manual that's faster as you get to force it in to the gears which obviously makes you go faster, the same as bonnet stripes....!

This will end up in a bun fight as it always does. The best thing to do is try both and decide for yourself, but be wary of snap decisions. For me, I had a s-tronic for about a year and at first thought I'd made a mistake as I was used to changing gears myself. I've had a manual for a year now and cannot wait until my new S3 S-Tronic arrives and it's back to auto heaven. Great when you're stuck in traffic and can't be bothered, great on the motorways when you can't be bothered and I can flick it in to manual when I can. Not a fan of Sport mode as it hangs on to the gears a bit too long so I prefer drive and manual modes.

Give over, the squishy thing doing the steering determines how fast a car is by how good they are at it (unless you are drag stripping)

The DSG is likely to be quicker off the line compared to a manual IF you use the launch control function...I suspect if you didn't, the manual would be considerably quicker off the line due to the ability to build the revs before engaging the clutch.

Since its highly unlikely you will go through the faff of using LC at every st of lights, you could argue that the manual is better in real world driving....

Would love to see 0-60 times with and without LC. Also want to compare these in my S5 with a supercharger to see if it makes as much of a difference compared to a turbocharged car...

 

[S3Alex]

The DSG is likely to be quicker off the line compared to a manual IF you use the launch control function...I suspect if you didn't, the manual would be considerably quicker off the line due to the ability to build the revs before engaging the clutch.

Since its highly unlikely you will go through the faff of using LC at every st of lights, you could argue that the manual is better in real world driving....

Would love to see 0-60 times with and without LC. Also want to compare these in my S5 with a supercharger to see if it makes as much of a difference compared to a turbocharged car...

I'm looking forwards to being able to compare a manual box with a DSG on the exact same car +/- a few other mods,but I think each has it's strengths and weaknesses,sometimes quite literally,and neither is the absolute best at everything.

As said above,the squishy thing also makes a big difference....

 

[DrEskimo]

I'm looking forwards to being able to compare a manual box with a DSG on the exact same car +/- a few other mods,but I think each has it's strengths and weaknesses,sometimes quite literally,and neither is the absolute best at everything.

As said above,the squishy thing also makes a big difference....

Will keep an eye out for your thoughts

Oh absolutely, even on a turbo car I would opt for a S-Tronic due to my personal preference. Can totally see why others prefer manual though. Was just commenting specifically on the aspect of 'speed' as the comparison between manual vs. auto non-LC, or auto LC vs auto non-LC is something I have been wanting to see figures on for a while now, just to satisfy my own curiosity...!

Horses for courses and all that!

 

[S3Alex]

Exactly.....I'd been a hard-core manual driver for ever almost but was persuaded to swap to a DSG to not only improve acceleration,but also reduce boost loss between gearchanges.

Hopefully I find out next month.....

 

[Flying Scotsman]

I drive in the land of auto gearboxes (Canada) America is even worse and was a diehard user of manual gearboxes. I absolutely loathed auto transmissions they were slow to respond on up and downshifts, jerky and not inspiring on the twisty roads. BUT, the DSG/Stronic completely changed my mind. If, you are toodling around town the auto selection is just fine. If the mood hits you, select the manual mode and the fun is back with sequential gear changes, which are blazing fast and smooth. The S mode auto is useless in town, unless you love been stuck in third gear most of the time at high revs.
Do, I miss a manual? Yes, but only for a fleeting moment and would never buy a car now, without a dual clutch transmission.

 

[Supa Koopa]

Will keep an eye out for your thoughts

Oh absolutely, even on a turbo car I would opt for a S-Tronic due to my personal preference. Can totally see why others prefer manual though. Was just commenting specifically on the aspect of 'speed' as the comparison between manual vs. auto non-LC, or auto LC vs auto non-LC is something I have been wanting to see figures on for a while now, just to satisfy my own curiosity...!

Horses for courses and all that!

I did see it somewhere, but it was quite a while ago. Without LC the dsg is definitely slower than the manual and I think it was around 4 tenths slower LC on and off. Obviously that's racking my brain from quite a while ago and could be completely wrong. Going with the DSG just because it's faster on a 0-60 sprint time quoted by Audi on their press release is not the right thing to do. You definitely need to drive them both and decide for yourself, as has been said already they both have pluses and minuses.

 

[Simonb1975]

Dsg = quicker gear change.
manual = More likely to be in the correct gear at any given point

 

[DrEskimo]

I did see it somewhere, but it was quite a while ago. Without LC the dsg is definitely slower than the manual and I think it was around 4 tenths slower LC on and off. Obviously that's racking my brain from quite a while ago and could be completely wrong. Going with the DSG just because it's faster on a 0-60 sprint time quoted by Audi on their press release is not the right thing to do. You definitely need to drive them both and decide for yourself, as has been said already they both have pluses and minuses.

Absolutely, but I refer back to my experience of driving my old A5 2.0TFSI with an automatic gearbox. Being a turbocharged unit paired with an automatic, there was a considerable pause when pulling out of junctions from a standstill. This was inevitable given the fact that I couldnt build the revs, like you would do in a manual, before engaging the clutch.

Now obviously I am using the 0-60 times to illustrate this point, but that 'lag' (if you want to call it that), was noticeable and drove me nuts after a couple of years...I have since moved to the supercharged 3.0TFSI and dont have the issue, but it's something to note when deciding between a auto and manual with a turbocharged engine. Personally still think the convenience of auto in traffic out weighs this problem, but still note worthy....

 

[batch]

Give over, the squishy thing doing the steering determines how fast a car is by how good they are at it (unless you are drag stripping)

 

[MikeParkin]

View attachment 119302

True dat !

 

[batch]

True dat !

My mantra. And I'm fairly sure I'm pretty good at it!

 

[MikeParkin]

I love a good old corner haha @batch

 

[simonali]

A5s have a traditional slush box, don't they? Not even relevant in a DSG vs manual bun fight.

 

[DrEskimo]

A5s have a traditional slush box, don't they? Not even relevant in a DSG vs manual bun fight.

They have all 3 versions; S-Tronic, Tiptronic and MultiTronic. Depends what engine and model year.

The point I was making relates to the fact you can't build the revs before you engage the clutch in any automatic, unless you use a launch control feature. This is common across all automatic gearboxes.