rsilvers129

Every shift is faster as there is no torque drop from pushing in the cutch as the dual clutch already has the next gear in place and just switches over.

Agreed there is a cost and complexity difference. The is also true of the sports differential. And that even adds 50 lbs.

carguyrob

That doesn't explain why the fastest car magazine tested DSG S4 (using launch control) is only 1/10th or 2/10ths of a second faster to 60 than a 6-speed S4. If you don't use launch control, the DSG S4 would inevitably be slower to 60 than a properly driven 6-speed manual. Launch control is the reason all of these dual clutch cars are able to slightly outrun their manual clutch counterparts.

rsilvers129

Well, each car is individual.

A DSG can't not be faster as it has two clutches.

The better the driver is, the closer the manual can get to it.

Kris Hansen

Launch control is the reason they can hang with a manual car. The reason automatics are usually slower than manuals is because they don't allow the redline clutch drop that a manual does.

Launch control with the S-tronic holds the RPMs at a pre-determined place, then engage the clutch for you, very quickly.

I haven't driven a manual S4 for a few years, but I don't recall them allowing you to redline the engine with the clutch down either...

Kris Hansen

The manual will allow a hamfisted driver to downshift the engine to pieces though, where the S-tronic won't.. =)

Kris Hansen

The S-tronic will shift up (in all but the RS cars) for you, but only at max revs. This isn't a bad thing. In a manual car, you'll just end up hitting the revlimiter, then slowing down as you try to shift a car that's fighting itself internally.

sworksone

I was one of the "save the manual" guys with all previous cars being manual. Crazily enough the first DSG car I ever drove was a 458 in one of the exotic experiences in Vegas. Following that we switched from a '10 manual S4 to a '14 DSG S4, and can't ever imagine going back. Shifting without a clutch did take a little getting used to, however now it's second nature and the DSG provides the best of both worlds. While it is video game like, I don't find anything wrong with that.

Bobby Kinstle

When I was younger I was a die hard manual guy but after I moved to a hilly urban area with lots of traffic, I quickly tired of the constant shifting and hill starts and stop and go traffic etc. Eventually it became more burdensome than it was worth in entertainment value.

Then I bought my A4 with Tiptronic which I hoped to be the best of both worlds. It wasn't, but it did do the job just fine, and I could still use manual mode when I wanted to. Sure it was slow, but still fast enough that I'd at least need to try to beat it. Comfort went way up. I kept my eyes on new advances like CVT's and DSGs waiting for one of them to get good enough. Eventually it did with the current S4.

I originally shopped the TTRS, but the manual only version was a real turn off. That's a car that requires you to be on your A game every moment or it'll murder you. It seemed that the DSG was the only real option, not to mention a heck of a lot faster but it wasn't available. Regardless I shopped it anyway but ultimately decided that it was too impractical. I was crushed until my wife turned to the next car and said "How about this S4?"

Yea how about that S4?

I love it. The DSG is awesome 95% of the time. Yea it can't skip gears very quickly but as a daily driver I toggle between D and S frequently, and still can use M/Dynamic mode to twist my face into funny shapes through curves so sharp that I really don't want to take one hand off the wheel to shift anyway. Especially when all the blood drains to one side of my brain and the other side goes momentarily retarded.

So whats the final answer? Drive both, buy the one you like. Don't give a crap what anybody else thinks.

safetywork

Driver preference is subjective, some of us enjoy the interaction while others have commutes in heavy traffic thus it's understandable that manual transmissioned car would be inconvenient. However, I hope Audi and other manufacturers of "performance" vehicles still allow the option for a traditional manual transmission. I'll pay for the option if it comes to that but give us the option to choose!

primetime

This is not at all accurate on the current S4's... The LC that Audi provides has been proven weak and ineffective and the GIAC one hasn't improved 60ft times either... I currently have the fastest documented 60ft time(1.622) and my 2010 doesn't even have LC... Unless you can show me a faster 60ft time please don't spread false and unproven statements...

I prefer my own and others testing over magazines who are paid by car manufacturers but that's just me... Again, a non-LC DSG S4 has proven time and again to be quicker than a LC S4... Do some research please...

See above on the DSG... In regards to the 6-speed you can rev them but the clutch won't hold especially when tuned... I've found my TTRS launches the best around 5-5.5K with a swift clutch dump... I cut 1.67ish 60 with that approach...