Official: Audi S4 Facelift

Manual transmissions are becoming more and more rare these days since more and more buyers of new supercars or sports cars choose the automatic gearbox in favor of a manual.

Lamborghini already decided to ditch the manual transmission, so did Ferrari and it also rumored that Porsche will abandon the manual gearbox for its performance models. And now new rumors have surfaced that Audi is next in line to drop the manual transmission.

The website for Audi enthusiasts Fourtitude reports that the German carmaker won’t offer manual transmissions in next year’s facelifted S4 and S5 in Europe. Audi will keep offering a six-speed manual for the Audi S4 and S5 models in the United States.

Fourtitude contacted Barry Hoch, Audi’s product planning manager of Audi of America. He replied:

They (Europe) lose the manual. We keep the manual! 100% confirmed, although I don’t know what other markets also get to keep it. I don’t want to fear for my life when I leave the office. The manual transmission enthusiasts are… umm… passionate individuals. Save the Manuals!

Although many purists would argue a manual transmission offers more fun, Audi’s Direct-Shift Gearbox (German: Direkt-Schalt-Getriebe), commonly abbreviated to DSG, or S-tronic transmissions has a lot of advantages: the DSG can achieve faster shift times, there is no loss of torque transmission from the engine to the driving wheels during gear shifts, and would improve the fuel economy.

So this the end of the manual gearbox in a high performance car? Let us know what you think in the comment box below.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Terrible idea. The point is to have fun driving. I will never drive an automatic car, my wife either. Next cushy suspensions for sports cars? What desk jockey is making decisions over there?

  2. Audi, pls add a clutch pedal that can control the internal clutches to retain the feel for enthusiast. It’s an override for the system to engage/disengage, but have the computer still control how the engagement is done the benefits are still there – ie no misshifts, proper gear change and the ability to switch to full auto when the left foot is lazy. In many high performance cars that have high torque engines, I think it’s beneficial to have the computers do the work (less repairs under warranty claims) so I think it’s the proper move, but having the option to clutch and shift will keep the purist interested. And kudos to selecting a clutch route over a torque converter :)

  3. The DSG transmissions have been expensive to repair and replace when they go bad. I would not trust one to give reliable service to 100K miles like a manual transmission will.
    If Audi only offers aotu transmission,then my 2012 MANUAL S4 will be the LAST Audi I ever buy.
    VW/Audi automatic transmissions have been problematic in service and not the most reliable. People with low mileage are experiencing electronic issues and some mechanical as well.
    Why would you want to own something with so much complexity builty in when you can simply press the cljutch pedal and move your arm 2 inches to engage a gear? Seems like so much tech for so little advantage and much more expense with failure.

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