Humble Bear

It seems to me not just the throttle response, transmission but also the turbo boost is programmed differently especially in the "S" mode; the car feels a lot more powerful comparing at the same RPM & speed to the different driving mode such as auto, comfort or dynamic. What do you think?

AndroidRobot

It could be. Audi plays with the shift points and throttle map for the different drive modes. Whether or not the turbo is included would be nice to know .

markcincinnati

What I know is that driving an SQ5 in "D" feels like it's broken. It is sluggish and seems [to me] to provide "same day" acceleration -- I attribute this to the proclivity of the transmission in "D" to be hell bent to keep the RPM's as low as possible. The effect of this is to keep the engine in a higher gear than is optimal for responsiveness. My wife and I had a 2014 S4 and SQ5, we now have a 2018 S4 and also an SQ5. In some respects, the supercharged engines did seem slightly more responsive, but keeping the '18 S cars ALWAYS in "S" mode (and setting the ADS to INDIVIDUAL with the engine/transmission parameter in DYNAMIC) seems to feel natural, normal, as it should be. Also, you need not be concerned about upshifting to 8th gear -- unless you don't use your cruise control or adaptive cruise control. If you are anti-cruise control, you can shift to D once you reach the Interstate and are making a relatively long trip.

S mode, universally, keeps the car in what my wife calls "angry" mode -- the rubber band is pulled taught, the car is "on its haunches" ready to act, react, and, most importantly, respond to your commands.

Someone, here, may know if S mode actually does cause the turbo boost to be different -- the car certainly seems more responsive when the thing is in S. I can't understand why you'd spend north of $60,000 for an SQ5 and drive it in D. Reminds me of the song, "I can't drive 55."

Having said all of the above, I'll suggest you not take everything above literally. If you prefer D (for whatever reason) to S, you should drive it like you like it, not the way someone else likes it. My suggestion, if you are willing, is to drive the car for 9 days (two weekends and a full work week) in S mode -- if you're still not persuaded to abandon D (Abandon hope all ye who enter here), well "never mind."

If this tells you anything: My wife drove her 2014 SQ5 (supercharged w/8-spd tiptronic) in D, but finds the 2018 SQ to be more like the 2014 if she drives the '18 in S mode. Of course, if you've never gotten used to the supercharged SQ5, you have to frame of reference. Again, never mind.

That's my story.

superswiss

Not in my experience driving different Audis. Audi doesn't appear to throttle engine power in 'comfort' or 'auto' mode. I'm pretty sure what you are feeling is the combined effects of the throttle map and the fact that in S, the transmission is generally at least one gear lower than in D. For example if you cruise on the highway at 3000 rpm in S, you'll be in 7th gear vs 8th gear in D. You'll be travelling faster at 3000 rpm in D vs S, but the effect of being in a higher gear for a given rpm is that there is less wheel torque being put on the road. As far as the throttle map is concerned, what it does is for a given engine response more throttle input is required in 'comfort' and 'auto' mode vs 'dynamic/S' mode. So the car automatically feels less powerful in D, because you have to stab the throttle more in order to get a response from the engine. To really compare and see if the boost is throttled in 'comfort' or 'auto' you have to do WOT runs in each mode and compare, but in my experience WOT is pretty much the same in any mode minus the more comfortable shifts in 'comfort'/'auto', but once you put the pedal to the medal, the engine largely responds with the same power and eagerness in any mode. The difference is really most felt with less than 1/2 or 3/4 throttle input. In 'comfort' and 'auto', we generally refer to the throttle being feathered. Basically, little throttle input doesn't result in much of a response from the engine. Only once you give some significant input, does the engine respond properly. The net effect is that the car feels less powerful, but more comfortable (less jumpy) to drive.

farmerjones

The amount of turbo lag experienced is greatly affected by at what constant RPM you are at prior to pushing down the throttle. Obviously a lower RPM has more lag, and since sport mode generally is in a gear lower than other drive modes the power generated is more immediate...and can seemingly be "more power". I highly doubt turbo PSI is altered in any way currently, but highly likely in the next generation of engines.

markcincinnati

Superswiss:

Once again a great response!

One point, though: If you are cruising on the highway and note higher RPM than you might want/expect, simply set the cruise control and the car will upshift to 8th. Doing this if you are indeed "cruising" should not be an issue unless for some reason you are totally opposed to Audi's version of cruise (either "regular" or ACC).

Also to farmerjones: You say "more power" my wife says "angry" -- the thing is, most of us bought an "S" Audi -- it is just such a shame to drive the thing in D, always finding yourself one gear too high and needing to compensate by pulling the paddle or flooring the thing to get that "S"-ness you paid the big bucks for.

As my dealer sales rep told me as I returned the A8L to him: You're going from the "old man's car" to the "young man's car" (I'm 66, he knows how to flatter), night and day -- just keep it in S!"

superswiss

D, 'comfort', 'auto', S, 'dynamic' all have their purpose. The point of having these modes is that one can change the car's character based on current driving needs and mood. Just because we bought an S or RS doesn't mean that all of us always want to drive around in an angry car at all times. One of the things I like the most in my RS5 is that if I'm tired or just wanna take it easy or I'm going on a long road trip I can put the car in 'comfort' mode and it doesn't drive much different than an A5. Still a difference, but I can drive a relatively tame car when I don't want the angry. But once I come up on a fun road, I can put it in 'dynamic' and 'manual' mode and have some real fun.

gk1

It seems to be a trend lately S is for happy driving experience. D is for the EPA. (Probably shouldn't complaint too loud otherwise the government might mandate vehicles must meet EPA/mpg standards in all modes. ) It's nice to have options/choices.

Wires

In "S" mode, it tends to drop into lower gears with little effort, whereas "D" holds gears a lot longer. If you code in the gear number display in D/S, it's pretty apparent where D would be in 8th gear climbing a hill, and S dropped to 6th. Could just be more that it will instantly drop to a lower gear with little throttle pressure instead of lugging in a higher one.

audicarboy

I am hating the broken feel when starting off from stop in city driving.. Should I just use the S mode then to get a better smooth feeling ?
I will try it out tmw