superswiss

Sport auto mode is tuned for the track. It's counting on you being hard on the brakes when it downshifts. It's rough around town. I rarely ever drive in S auto. S manual on the other hand is a different story. You still get the responsive throttle and fast upshifts, but you can also comfortably downshift by letting it downshift on it's own as you come to a stop. I usually downshift myself to 3rd and then let it downshift to 2nd and first as I come to a stop. Butter smooth.

wieRS5

GOOD QUESTIONS, AND S-TRONIC IS IN FACT NOT LIKE A REGULAR AUTO BOX, IT IS AN AUTOMATED DUAL CLUTCH MANUAL BOX (SO WITHOUT TORQUE CONVERTOR). IT IS NOT AS SMOOTH AS A REGULAR AUTO BOX, BUT, DEPENDING ON THE SOFTWARE, YOU CAN DRIVE IT LIKE A MANUAL.

THE RS5 IN THAT RESPECT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE A5/S5, SEE MY ANSWERS ON YOUR QUESTIONS BELOW (IN CAPS TO SEE WHAT IS WHAT).

How does the S-Tronic behave on the RS5 in dynamic mode?

DYNAMIC MODE IS IDEAL FOR TRACK OR SPORTY USE. RPM WILL STAY BETWEEN 3500 AND 8250 RPM IN AUTO MODE. MANUAL MODE IS REAL MANUAL, COMPARED TO OTHER S-TRONIC CARS.

Does it keep the RPM above a certain level?

IN MANUAL IT WILL GO TO MAX RP=8250 RPM, UNTIL YOU UPSHIFT YOURSELF. IN DYNAMIC AUTO MODE, IT DEPENDS ON HOW DEEP YOU PRESS THE PEDAL, BUT BETWEEN 4500 AND 8250 RPM IT WILL UPSHIFT.

Does it provide engine braking?

YES, IF YOU LOOK AHEAD, YOU DON'T NEED TO BRAKE A LOT, LIKE IN A MANUAL CAR

Will it change to a lower gear by itself in manual mode if the gas pedal is floored (hits kickdown button)?[/QUOTE]

NO, THE MANUAL MODE IN THE RS5 IS (ALMOST) A REAL MANUAL, SO KICKDOWN DOES NOT WORK, ALSO NO UPSHIFT AT MAX RPMS, SO THE REV LIMITER WILL COME IN. ONLY WHEN YOU ARE TOO LOW IN REVS, THE S-TRONIC WILL DOWNSHIFT TO PREVENT SHUTDOWN OF THE ENGINE.

THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM S-TRONIC IN OTHER A5/S5 MODELS!

superswiss

Actually, the kickdown does work in manual, but you have to trigger the kickdown switch by pressing the pedal past the point of resistance.

wieRS5

Hmmm, I will test it tomorrow, but I am almost sure that in Manual mode (this means with the gear lever moved to the right, NOT in temporarily manual with the flippers on the steering wheel!) the kickdown switch (which I know is there, and you can feel by pressing the pedal to the floor) is not working.

superswiss

Yes, I'm talking about full manual mode. It works in my car. You have to be in a very unfavorable gear. For example putter along in 7th at slow speeds and then punch it past the point of resistance and it will downshift several gears to give you max acceleration. The physical kickdown switch is only there for the manual mode. In D auto or S auto, the kickdown triggers way before you actually trigger the switch. The kickdown switch is basically the fastest way to downshift into the right gear when you are in manual mode and find yourself in the wrong gear.

Boostinfd

I concur that this works. I was in 6th gear, manual going 37mph... pressed the gas all the way down and it shifted to 2nd.

ayap

You're just making the issue more confusing. It's all semantics. Sports mode = Dynamic Mode. Dynamic Mode = Sports Mode. Whatever you call it - its objective is to change the throttle map to make the car more aggressive.
You're the one owner who is confused, because Dynamic Mode is no different from Sports Mode in terms of function.

I also heard an argument like yours that said "Oh, the S5 has no Sports mode, it has Dynamic mode". But when you put it in Dynamic Mode, the tranny sign in the front instrument panel says "S" mode. So, if you read the Audi Manual S-mode is interchangeable with Dynamic mode.

wieRS5

That's interesting...........

I did an extensive test yesterday and definitely my RS5 happily does NOT have kickdown when driving in full manual mode (so with the shift lever moved to the right).

Both with the S-tronic in Dynamic (so Manual S) or Auto/Comfort (so Manual D) mode, the revs can be as low as 1200 rpm (or lower), and even if you press the pedal then to the bottum (and feel the kickdown switch under it), the S-tronic does NOT downshift. Regardless in which gear you drive. The only moment that it downshifts (automatically) is when your revs get below 1000 rpm or so, and then it only downshifts 1 gear, to prevent shutdown of the engine, but is regardless if you press the pedal or not.

When I do the same test in temporarily manual mode (by using the flippers on the steering wheel), the kickdown works directly when you press the pedal to the floor (also both with S-tronic in S and D).

So it is indeed exactly as I described before.

Only explanation can be that EU and US specced cars are different in this respect? (I am from EU, you guys?). Could be due to strict liability laws in US or so?

If so............then it would be interesting to know how to config this "flag" using VAGCOM/VCDS, not only for US drivers, but also for all A5/S5 drivers of which many would like to have this full manual without kickdown in their cars!!!

superswiss

That is indeed interesting. To me it doesn't matter much. I don't actually take advantage of it very often. It takes a conscious effort to push the throttle pedal past the point of resistance and trigger the switch. I've never triggered the kickdown inadvertently.