superswiss

Correct, S = Dynamic for engine/transmission, however, the engine/transmission don't retain the Dynamic setting between engine starts. If always goes back to Auto due to regulations. So, it's a bit pointless to set engine/transmission to Dynamic in Individual if you plan to leave the car in Individual mode, because that setting reverts back and you have to manually toggle the shift lever after starting the engine to put it back in S anyway.

markcincinnati

Nope. Unfortunately, if you have the setting = dynamic and you start up in the AM and put the car in gear, the default will ALWAYS be D. Another pull of the gear selector will make it go into S.

MarkWayneClark

OK, but if the car is RUNNING and I switch to Dynamic, it automatically switches to S. Right?

markcincinnati

I'm not in the car this minute, but if the car is running and you have already driven it in S and you put the car in P to get out and get the paper or something, when you get back in and pull the lever, the car THEN will go into S.

markcincinnati

I just always give a quick look at the instrument panel and look to see if the setting is "S over the word INDIVIDUAL" -- have driven in S for over 15,000 miles now. Much more responsive.

superswiss

Yes. And it switches back to D if you switch to comfort or auto.

MarkWayneClark

I just tested this. If I set Engine/Trans to Dynamic in Individual, the transmission switches to S. Turn off the car and turn it back on, the transmission defaults to D, but if you go into Individual again, Engine/Trans will still be set to Dynamic. At least that's what my car just did.

Interestingly, when I drove the R8 at the Audi Experience, all the cars were set to Dynamic across the board, but they instructed us to drive them in D, not S. I forgot the precise rationale. Something about it being unnecessary to be in S. Maybe they just thought we were more likely to crash that way but didn't want to say that.

superswiss

That's the expected behavior. The current transmission mode essentially takes precedence over the engine/transmission setting in Drive Select.

The R8 is an overall more agile tuned car. D is still very proactive in always making sure it's in the right gear for acceleration, whereas on most other models, D is tuned for fuel efficient and comfortable driving so it generally tries to hang out in the highest possible gear. You can't compare the R8 to other models. Very different cars in terms of how they are tuned. While the R8 is touted as the daily supercar, it's not actually very comfortable driving around on a daily base. The transmission even in D gets pretty clunky around town. I often drive the R8 V10 and V10 Plus, but overall I actually prefer my RS5. The R8 is more at home on the track. Even in the canyons I frankly prefer my RS5.

markcincinnati

I drove the RS5 also in D (and S) and D seemed fine, at least compared to my S4's D=Dog performance.

millersntx

Agree - Avoid "D" at all costs.

I set mine up with everything dynamic except for the suspension, which I have set to Auto. It doesn't really matter for the trans, which set's to D every time you start the engine. Then switch to S every time I drive off. I have the sport package, but do not have dynamic steering or the DAP option.

Nine months and 6.4Kmiles.

Such a great car, but the transmission shift map is irritating.
Tony