But you can rev the 6MT above 7K rpms before shifting. The DSG will automatially shift at 7K rpms

 

OK you guys are way ahead of me. I'm only interested in the most basic situation, you're stopped, in D, your foot is on the brake and then you put it on the accelerator.

On my manual car, if you are rolling along on tickover and you suddenly floor it, it will just mince along for a bit (an eternity) until the revs finally get their act together. That is how I imagined attempting a quick start in an automatic* could be as there is no chance to get the revs up.

So what does happen? Is there enough grunt to pull away quickly at the the lowest revs, or does the box delay pulling off a bit until the revs are up?

Clearly I just need to get my *** in one of these cars, but until then, would someone like to enlighten me?


*That's not an automatic -oh yes it is- -oh no it's not- it's DSG etc etc yes yes I know

 

Um, don't know what you've been driving, but if you're rolling along in the s4 in first and you punch it, you'll need your retinas reattached.

THAT SAID

The 2011 S4's HAVE launch control. This holds revs at a certain point, then drops the clutch. This is not an issue, not a controversy. 2011 s-tronics have LC.

 

Even the 2010s (w/o launch control) don't just roll off idle. If you punch it from a standstill, the transmission lets revs build very quickly until about 3krpm. It isn't a "launch," but it's way faster than engaging the clutch in a manual and then flooring it off the line.

 

Right, I'm going to try and be as clear as possible. I don't care about launch control. I'm sure it's fun, I'm sure I'd have fun with it, but for spontaneous use LC is just not going to happen.

As for my "rolling along in first" scenario, I am talking about a manual 200 BHP turbocharged car. I have driven many manual transmission cars from 36 BHP to 400+ BHP, and none of them have liked being instantly floored from tickover revs.... you always get the best acceleration by coaxing the gas pedal.

As for a quick start, in a manual this is easy - you rev and then you dip the clutch when you feel like it. With an automatic you can't control the revs before the clutch engages. Hence my question......

 

I wouldn't let a couple mythical tenths of seconds at WOT make up my mind regarding transmission choice. Drive both cars, and decide which you like better.

For me, the manual is just more fun, I feel more connected to the car and the road, and I don't care if a DSG set on launch control can beat me by a couple of tenths, but if you like the DSG its pretty much the best "auto" (I know its not a traditional automatic) money can buy, so you are gonna have an awesome car either way.

 

You just need to do a test drive.

 

My first test drive was in a DSG and liked it a lot, but I felt it was't engaging (personal opinion).

As you know, there are 7 gears and the DSG is screaming fast, so what that amounts to is the transmission shifting about like crazy if you so much as nudge the throttle. While some may get a kick out of this, I prefer to have full - absolute control. The manual provided just the engagement I was looking for, and honestly, it's just downright fun.

That said, just be careful of WOT in 1st. I was not prepared for it. Believe me, it's dangerous. Also, be prepared to shift in under a second as the RPMs climb faster than you can say "HOLY SHHHI..."

 

Maybe I'm not clear how fast you're going. "Tickover" is not a term I've ever heard before.

I'll put this in terms that you can hopefully relate to. I drove a MkV GTi with the DSG (not the SAME, but similar). That is, a 200bhp turbocharged car. If you floored it in first, it would accelerate quite well. I can't tell you -how- well because it was FWD, and so spent most of the time spinning the tires. There was, however, no Hesitation or fiddling. One of the benefits of a Dual Clutch gearbox over a trad. Automatic is that it is not constantly connected to the engine like an automatic is. If you step on the gas hard, it will rev to a certain spot and drop the clutch, whereas a torque-converted automatic can never disconnect from the engine.

The only hesitation it had was if you stepped on the gas at road speeds, it would take what felt like a second or two to get down to the proper gear (DSG can only preselect one gear above/below. More than that, it needs to actually change the gears, which takes longer than the clutch 1 on/clutch 2 off method.)

I only mentioned LC because it seemed like you put a lot of priority on being able to launch the car at maximum velocity. For that, you are either dumping the clutch on a manual, or using LC. If you're talking about an amount of acceleration that would have you gradually bringing the clutch in as opposed to sidestepping it, the DSG should do just fine.

EDIT- does anyone know if the S-tronic tolerates revving in neutral and then putting the car into drive? That's another possibility.

 

To answer what seems to be the OP's question:

If you are at a stop (in any mode) or just rolling along in D (automatic), the S-Tronic will slip the clutch and give you instant acceleration. In the case where you are in D and the car has selected a tall gear like 4th or 5th at a slow speed, it will downshift before accelerating just like any normal automatic. This normally happens very quickly but sometimes can be a little frightening when in an emergency situation.

The solution is to always drive in M (manual) and do the shifting yourself. This is no different than driving a 6MT except that the car will automatically upshift at redline and downshift below 1500rpm. When driving in M, the car will not auto-downshift for you when you hit the accelerator in a tall gear - it will lug along just like a 6MT. It will not slip the clutch. However, if you mash the pedal to the floor and hit the kickdown switch, it will auto-downshift which takes around 1 second to happen.

The car will accelerate very quickly from a full stop if you just put your foot on the gas. Here is a video of the S-Tronic without launch control: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP2amkGmLeo

Here's a video with launch control: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-A5iD8yCRM

- Jeremy -