Kris Hansen

You have S-tronic in your S5? I've never had one get caught between gears, but I haven't been in one long enough perhaps?

superswiss

Same here, I've never had mine get caught between gears for the 16k miles I've been driving the RS5. I know early S-tronics had some issues, but they are pretty much all corrected in the current versions. The transversal S-tronic in the A3, TTS, TTRS, though, is still quite inferior.

I must disagree with the experience being sterile. Chasing the RS5 through canyons is frankly much more exciting than any of my previous mt cars. The S-tronic lets me focus on driving with both hands on the wheel and banging through the gears like there is no tomorrow. Granted daily driving can be unexciting if you leave it in fully automatic mode, but frankly I didn't buy this car to get my groceries or be stuck in traffic all the time, however, when I do have to get my groceries or are stuck in traffic it is very nice to just put the transmission in auto and engage the adaptive cruise control. One of the first things I noticed, is that I'm much less fatigue after a road trip in the RS5 than with my previous cars.

Kris Hansen

I agree, in fact with the RS 5 engine being more high-rev happy, I love that the S-tronic makes it easy to keep it always singing. Add to the mix the extra gear ratio, and it is a win win to me.

superswiss

BTW, here's a nice video of an R8 V10 S-tronic ripping through some nice roads. Substitute the V10 scream for a V8 scream and a bit less power and you have what it feels like driving an RS5 through roads like this. If this feels sterile to you, I don't know what else to say.

Tifosi

Yes, I have DSG transmission in my S5. S5 Coupe is the only B8 platform based S/RS variation that had to wait until 2013 for the DSG transmission.

Well, our opinion differs here then and from the looks of it, they differ fundamentally. My previous and current Audi are all my daily drivers, because that's what they are designed to do. I am sure that you will most likely disagree with me but I do not consider the RS5 to be a track car. It is designed to be a GT at best, but definitely not a dedicated track car. Therefore, it is important to me that my driving experience be as engaging as possible regardless if I am just going to buy groceries or carving through canyon roads.

Manual gearbox is not for everyone, just like the DSG transmission is not for everyone. While I am and will always prefer manual trans over DSG, I also understand that it is the trend of the future. It all comes down to simple economics, manufactures only have to design one transmission for each model. This will save money on both R&D and safety compliances.

superswiss

Actually, I do not disagree with you. I don't consider the RS5 to be a track car. It is a GT and a great one at that. That's why I bought it. It is also my daily driver, believe it or not. I bought this over an M3, because Audi IMO does a better job at balancing performance and daily driving comfort. All this is exactly why I like the DSG so much. Maybe I'm just over it, but I take no pleasure anymore in rowing my own gears when I'm just tooling around town, driving in traffic or in any other daily grunt situation. I just like to comfortably drive around and let the car do the shifting. I get my fun and engagement when I regularly go driving in the canyons. Living in Northern California means access to plenty of nice roads not far from my house. I've been driving mt cars for over 20 years. For me it's kind of a matter of been there done that.

Tifosi

My preference of manual gearbox over DSG has nothing to do with location ( Seattle and Manhattan ) or length of my driving history (~ 30 years ). I have always had manual transmission in my car until the S5 which much to my displeasure, is only available with DSG.

I do believe DSG is great for the people that only wishes to be entertained some of the times, but it is not so great for the purists that truly takes pleasure in driving all the time. For the first few months of my S5 ownership, I had it in automatic almost all the time until I finally just couldn't take it anymore. I do agree that DSG in manual mode can be almost as entertaining when driving through the country roads/interstates/tracks, but as a daily driver in city driving, it is as exciting as watching paint dry.

Audi has been my manufacture of choice for a DD for the past 14 years, and the possibility of Audi not offering manual transmission in the future S/RS lineup has lead me to seriously consider other makes. While I appreciates and much prefer the versatility of AWD, the lack of manual trans just may tilt me toward RWD car with appropriate season specific tires instead.

Again, I understand and respect Kris and your opinion on DSG, but unfortunately, I do not share them. And fortunately, I do have a weekend driver that is equipped with manual trans to give me my fix. I will probably be in the market for a new car again in a few years, I remain hopeful that Audi will still offer manual transmission in at least one of their S/RS line up.

Archimedes

I get the longing for a 6 speed purely for nostalgic/visceral reasons, but the dual clutch tranny in the RS5 is so much better than any of us could ever hope to be with a manual in our wettest of wet car dreams. After so many years in a manual, I still constantly think/fantasize about rowing through the gears manually, but actually living with one day to day today versus the amazing dual clutch in the RS5 makes less than zero sense.

And when really pushing the car, while I miss the manual gearbox, the lightning quick shift the dual clutch offers, and the associated ability to focus instead on the road, more than make up for it. I'm still getting used to my new RS5, but I'm in love with the tranny on this car.

superswiss

That pretty much sums it up. It seems that most who argue against the DSG do so based on no experience with it at all or based on having experience with it in one of the Audi S cars and often an early model. I've driven an S5 and S6 and the S-tronic does not nearly feel the same. The fact that they auto upshift a few hundred rpms before readline even in manual mode alone makes me cringe. Those versions are a nice alternative to a tiptronic, but I don't view them as a viable alternative to a 6mt. The S-tronic in the RS5 on the other hand is much more visceral, has a true manual mode and is pretty much only topped by the redesigned S-tronic in the R8.

Tifosi

Visceral yes but no to nostalgic.

For one last time, for the folks that are happy with DSG, good for you. There are and will always be those of us that prefers manual transmission. Audi's decision to move completely away from manual transmission in their S/RS cars will deter purists such as myself away and I am sure that it is a calculated risk that they are well aware of.

Now, as for the "superior" DSG system in the RS5 you are speaking of, please link or post where you got this information from so I can bring myself up to date on the development of the VAG-DSG systems. Because other than gear ratio variations and software changes to accompany them, I am unaware of any actual mechanical differences between the S-Tronic used in the RS5 vs. all other S/RS cars in today's lineup. Thanks.