ADS vs Shift Selector Mode
 

I have a 2018 A5 Sportback and am trying to figure out the difference between the following 3 scenarios if any:

1. ADS set to 'Auto' and Shifter set to 'S': In this case I notice that the car responds better(power feels to be on tap, and the gears tend to shift at higher RPMs)
2. ADS set to 'Dynamic' and Shifter set to 'S': Throttle response feels about the same as pt. 1 above. Additionally, the suspension/steering feel stiffer.
3. ADS set to 'Dynamic' and Shifter set to 'D': Feels similar to ADS set to 'Auto' and Shifter set to 'D' except with stiffer suspension/steering

Is my understanding above accurate or am I missing something?

Yep, that's pretty much it. Changing the transmission between D/S changes the engine/transmission between Dynamic and Auto/Comfort, whereas changing ADS also changes the chassis settings such as steering/suspension. Changing ADS to Dynamic should automatically put the transmission in S. S is the Dynamic setting for the engine/transmission. Basically the D/S transmission mode allows changing the powertrain mode independently of the chassis settings. This is convenient if you generally drive in Auto for example, but momentarily desire a dynamic powertrain w/o also having to make the steering and suspension stiffer. All the Germans give various level of direct control over some of the individual components to allow them to be adjusted w/o having to change the overall mode. For example I like how Mercedes and BMW provide dedicated buttons for the suspension setting, so you can quickly adjust the ride quality w/o having to change the overall mode. I wish Audi would do that. Each manufacturer believes different components should be adjustable separately from the overall mode. BMW is probably the most flexible, but only M models have programmable profiles to allow changing multiple settings in one swoop. Both Mercedes and Audi have their predefined profiles/modes, plus an Individual mode plus the ability to adjust one or more component(s) independently of the selected profile/mode.

Thanks a ton for the elaborate response! That makes sense, it's pretty similar to the 3 series I had before in that case.

Also is the only way to permanently turn off Auto start/stop by using an Individual profile and setting the transmission to dynamic? Because while setting the profile to 'Dynamic' even though the transmission shifts to 'S', it only does that when you first changed the profile. For future rides, even though ADS is set to 'Dynamic' transmission goes back to 'D'. I have to either turn off Auto-Start/stop manually in that case or shift the transmission back to 'S'.

Mostly due to fuel economy regulations, cars have to start in the mode that yields the rated fuel economy, so the transmission always goes back to D when turning off the car and consequently turning auto start/stop back on. So no, the only option is to pull on the shifter and go back into S or to turn off start/stop every time.

Yes, it does. M carries forward the current engine/transmission mode in particular the throttle map. In S a more dynamic/sporty throttle map is used, so if you do S -> M vs D -> M you'll have different throttle maps. The shift speeds are affected, too and how aggressive it engages the torque lockup clutch. For some reason Audi refuses to indicate in the dash that there are really two manual modes. They only do it for the R8 as you can see in the following picture where it indicates M3S, so you know that you are actually in the sport manual mode.

https://s7d9.scene7.com/is/image/Aud...470&bgc=000000

I don' t have my car yet but this is some really good information here. Thank you!

The engine setting in the MMI does nothing.