Comments on: 2009 Audi S3 gets S tronic Gearbox

By: phillip

phillip — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:24:16 +0000

There has been lots of talk about how good these new DSG-style gearboxes are, and I do believe the hype. However, when I drove my brother’s Golf GTi DSG I played around for a while with the paddles and the gear shift and then found myself driving it like a normal auto. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely fast car, but I got a little bored with it after a while. Give me a manual any day.

By: John of Perth

John of Perth — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:41:36 +0000

So why then the RS4 with the manual and S4 without?

I think the purity of the manual change far outweighs to me the fractional quicker acceleration times of ‘…tronic’ transmissions.

There is something intuitive about the balance with three pedals, and it has nothing to do with ‘real men’, more like ‘real driving’.

By: dlunn64

dlunn64 — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:34:50 +0000

Wow, My dream sports car now with a transmision my wife will approve of. Now to win the lotto and place my order.

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 22 May 2009 05:23:03 +0000

MkII, you’re not actually paying more for a badge, they are kind of in different leagues. This is a bit hotter than the GTI and has AWD. It has quite a different feel. Not to mention that the Pirelli GTI is rather unimpressive. Not as good as the standard GTI anyway.

By: Yanzo

Yanzo — Fri, 22 May 2009 04:14:35 +0000

i’m with gav. why does the pic show a manual?

By: gearboxdawg

gearboxdawg — Fri, 22 May 2009 02:36:32 +0000

These DSG or S Tronic gearbox may be quicker than a manual transmission. Because of the complexity and dual clutch mechanical systems, its going to be prone to faults and all sorts of nasties.

By: MkII

MkII — Fri, 22 May 2009 01:33:48 +0000

I would much rather the Pirelli GTI and spend $10000 on mods than buy this car and pay the extra just for the Audi badge.

By: B-Man

B-Man — Fri, 22 May 2009 01:11:02 +0000

These gearbox’s are all well and good until something in them dies and you have to fork out thousands in repairs. Plus you can’t push start them.

By: Gav

Gav — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:33:12 +0000

Also, the interior photo clearly shows a 6-speed manual box… Odd on a story all about the new auto!?!

By: Revhed

Revhed — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:43:16 +0000

ummm you might want to check your photos. The S Tronic transmission is not currently available in Australia with the 3 door S3, only the Sportback version. Also your pictures are of an older pre-facelift S3 (e.g. no LED lights above the headlights, different wheels etc).