[Guest]

Hello all......

I'm thinking of buying a 2.0 Tdi S-Line but cannot decide on a manual or s-tronic. The car will be for the wife who has mentioned she is not too bothered. The question i have is which transmission will hold its value better? the sales person at Audi mentioned that for a vehicle of this size, the s-tronic would be much better.

Also, if anyone can possibly list the pros & cons of both manual & automatic from personal experience, that would be really much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

Alan

 

[Kaine]

Alan

I don't agree with the Salesman at all - you will get more at trade in, but it will be less than the extra you pay in to start with. The question really is will a car with S-Tronic attract a quicker sale? If you always PX to a dealer then it will make no difference - Manual or S-Tronic they will make some BS up to why the buy price is poor.

If you don't need it then dont get it

Kaine

 

[Guest]

I agree with Kaine's comments. Make the choice purely on what you want.

 

[Guest]

Having driven both variants prior to ordering a 2.0TDI with S-Tronic I found that the slightly offset clutch pedal on the manual meant that my size 11 shoes couldn't get to the footrest and resulted in an uncomfortable driving position. I also noted that due to the gearing the auto was quieter on the motorway (7th as opposed to 6th gear in the manual), albeit with the need for the auto box to downshift for overtaking.

I have always had manual cars before, but I was so impressed that my Q5 will have the S-Tronic box.

Ultimately, I would suggest trying both and seeing what best suits your driving style.

Mac

 

[guyguyke]

I thought to switch to auto when replacing my manual A4 Avant by a new one
but A4's were multitronic (or tiptronic depending if quattro) and as I keep my cars for a long time, I was afraid the S-tronic would kill the multitronic within a few years (I'm still thinking so...because of economical reasons)
when I decided to buy a Q5, the S-tronic was a new device for that model, and I did not want to be one of the first users
as I frequently switch from the Q5 to my Saab (manual) I finally choosed for a manual version, and I don't regret it
simplier and probably stronger after the warranty period

 

[Guest]

I can honestly say having always had manual cars, the S-Tronic on my 2.0l Q5 S-Line is the single best thing about the car IMHO, it makes for such a relaxing driving experience especially when crawling along in traffic jams in London...Maybe I'm just sounding like an old man now! Each to there own and all that, but I am soooo impressed with the auto box....regarding the longevity of the s-tronic, it's not an issue for me because I change my cars quite regularly, but I would be concerned with the cost of repairing or replacing the unit once the warranty has expired should it develop a fault?

 

[Guest]

Hi alan,

I have to say it's best to get your wife to test drive to see which she prefers. We test drove both and I liked the auto purely because I'm lazy

but as my wife is the main driver of ours as I have another car for work and she didn't like the auto as she prefers complete control of the car we went for the manual.

I have to say the manual is very smooth and the car is even quieter than our previous a4 so I have no complaints having the manual box and if you do plan to change the car in a few years I'd agree with the fact it won't make much difference come p/x time as salesman all play games with prices.

In short if you are happy with going for a manual and pocket the difference in price, or just spend it on the options list on things you may need. That's my opinion anyway.

All the best
Barry

 

[guyguyke]

amazing that women finally prefer manuals, mine was also absolutely not attracted by an auto
I think that the reason is they do not know how these new auto-boxes work, especially the DSG's
you can command a modern auto-boxes (either DSG's or with converter) only with your foot-tip, once you learnt to "feel" where are the switch moments. My wife drives an auto as a stitching machine... and this is only good with a multitronic !

 

[Guest]

Thank you all for your responses.

The wife has test driven the S-Tronic and is getting a test drive organised for the manual version.

Alan

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Alan,

In support of Mac, I only have size 8 shoes, and I was unable to easily use the clutch or foot rest in normal work shoes. Whilst I like the S-Tronic it became a necessity as I couldn't get comfortable with the 3 pedal manual set-up. It's strange really, as my wife has a manual Golf Plus, and I have no foot room issues at all with that.

Having said all that, the master of the house must be kept satisfied !!!
Rgds
S.S.

 

[stevepen]

I went for the manual. Also had an auto Lexus for the past 10 years but the Audi seemed just to jerky for me. I dont have any problem with the clutch pedal at all, it does seem slightly to the left when you first drive the car but its completly forgotten about with the first couple of miles. Another point to think about is the MPG, i can get into the mid 40's easily but others with the auto seem to be in the mid 30's.

 

[Guest]

It has got to be the Stronic!

The gear changes are so slick....You can manually select a gear if you want to but with the Stronic in sport mode there I can see no benifit at all to having a manual....Just count how many times you have to touch the clutch peadal on an average journey....Also much easier to eat a something or fiddle with the radio if you dont have to change gear.
J

 

[Bill]

I agree it's got to be S-Tronic for me,

I have had several VW cars equipped with the DSG box both 6 speed and 7 speed and I cant see past them, thats one of the main reasons I went for the Q5 with it's similar 7 speed s-tronic box.

 

[louis]

Hi
Totaly agree the s tronic is great,and looking at the audi website not many used 2.0tdi s tronics for sale compared to the manual version and it seems a big difference in price between the two.
I think this will be a good thing to have when its time to sell on,not that im thinking any time soon

 

[guyguyke]

up to now, the S-tronic is not 100% foolproof, if I read all users comments about it
indeed some are fully satisfied, but many find the S-tronic not yet to be at the same level as a conventional torque converter
nobody can at this moment anticipate over the durability of these new boxes that are much more complex than the traditional auto-boxes; for that reason only I'm glad to have choosen a manual and if the S-tronic prooves to be fully reliable, I'm get one next time !

 

[rgf]

Hi,

First of all, I don't think the mechanical part of this gearbox is that complicated. It is actually a manual gearbox with a hydraulic clutch (two). I think what is complicated is the controlling software behind this, and regarding reliability , I don't think this is a problem for the electronic or for the hydraulic clutch mechanism. DSG is not something new. They have made DSG for many years now, so I find this version which is fitted to bigger engines and 4WD, only to be a development of the existing technology. I also think that a gearbox which is dimensioned for powerful V6 engines, are very solid when it is mounted on a 2.0tdi, which I have. I am pretty sure that Audi have run this gearbox trough a tough testing program, which exceeds normal use. I find this gearbox very good, and I love the combination with gear paddles, and the good response from the engine, which you will not have with a converter.

-Roger

 

[Nemo]

Sorry to bring an ld thread back to life (but seemed a good place to post my question)

I get my S-tronic next week (no option of manual) and it will be my first auto gearbox. Now for the really dumb question....when you stop in traffic or at lights...in my manual i always stick car in neutral and not sit on clutch...what happens on the auto? Should i put into N or is sitting on footbrake enough and does that disengage the clutch? (silly question....but had to ask)

 

[q5s]

Now for the really dumb question....when you stop in traffic or at lights...in my manual i always stick car in neutral and not sit on clutch...what happens on the auto? Should i put into N or is sitting on footbrake enough and does that disengage the clutch? (silly question....but had to ask)

Personally I've never used neutral. I only use the footbrake or the auto parking brake if I want to rest my right foot. I'm sure vw have anticipated this and engineered the gearbox to be used in this way for the life of the car, I mean this is the kind of stuff they live for

 

[MustStopSpeccin]

My Q5 is S tronic as was my previous A3. I leave the car in drive mode with my foot on the brake or use the hill hold assist then drive off. The S tronic is a great gearbox - I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

 

[robp]

My Q5 is S tronic as was my previous A3. I leave the car in drive mode with my foot on the brake or use the hill hold assist then drive off. The S tronic is a great gearbox - I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

I agree the S-tronic is a great box - beats my old VW T'reg !!