DSG is unbelievable (check out the video on googole of how exactly it works), I've drivin the new R32, so fun, it's like driving an F1 car(kinda) faster shifting than manual, I would assume that they will eventually use it on the RS4,6 &8, once better perfected for ultra high horsepower numbers. It's basically the best comsumer transmission in the world. but on the other hand I can very well see how some would not like it, I mean traditional manual tramsmission have a feel that cannot be replicated without a foot clutch. There is one caveat of the DSG: how will it hold up, and what will furture repairs be like?? But with something so new obvious problems may occur, only time will tell.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...&plindex=0

 

Our Audi rep reminds thatthe RS6 was only ofered in the US with a tiptronic... and everybody screamed because they wanted a manual. So, here's your manual box in the RS4.

The DSG in the A3 and TT is not capable of handling the RS4's torque, and the R8 R-Tronic wont fit.
Have to wait for the next generation RS car to inquire about a DSG.

 

I don't understand this reliance on automatic transmission.
And don't tell me this tiptronic or DSG is not an automatic transmission,
since even in manual mode the system is shifting down if you use full throttle.
And does anybody know whether the car stays in gear when you step off the throttle or is it just rolling like any automatic transmission?
Yes, this is another advantage of manual transmission: That you cannot accidentally get to a high speed when your foot is off the throttle,
e.g. by rolling down a hill.

In Europe 90% of cars are with manual transmission.
Even my 65 year old mom is driving a car with manual transmission.
And she does not equate full throttle with high RPM.
And she appreciates that the engine is breaking the car when she is rolling down a hill.

The RS4 is a macho car.
If you need your wife to drive it, teach her how to use a manual transmission.
She is on the intelligence level like most people in europe so she should be able to learn it.

 

Here we go, another manual crazed "car purist" that denounces the existance of automatics.

Tell me something, have you ever driven a DSG or even a Tiptronic? The comments that you made indicate that you don't even know how the systems work.

I have a Tiptronic S4 right now. In Tiptronic mode I can tell you right now that it holds gears when you step off the throttle. It'll hold 4th from 80mph down to 0, ONLY shifting to 1st when you come to a complete stop. You can shift down and use engine braking to slow down the car as well. So there go your main arguments against driver shiftable "automatics." And the last "problem" that you state is also incorrect. You cannot "accidentally" get to high speed if your foot is off the throttle if you are actually keeping track of which gear you're in. The only time the transmission takes over is if you literally slam the pedal to the floor, and this is in the "outdated" Tiptronics. DSG is much more advanced.

I like manual transmissions just as much as the next enthusiast, but denouncing modern day driver oriented automatics like DSG as being completely worthless is a bit of an ignorant point of view.

 

Bottom line. As much as you THINK 'high end' sports cars should be ONLY manual... manual is a dying technology. Look at formula one, manual is inferior to sequential technology. Ferrari's new F430 Scuderia shifts (auto clutch in to auto clutch release) in 60 milliseconds. That's faster than any human. It means you never have to take your hands off the wheel around a track and it provides perfect downshifts every time with computer controlled rev-matching. There is of course a learning curve so don't hate one if you've only driven in one a few times.

I admit nothing is as rewarding as a perfect heal-toe downshift in a manual, the fact of the matter is as far as performance a decent sequential box (such as Ferrari's F1 Superfast system) is better. The only question is can Audi/BMW/etc. provide said decent box.

 

I actually appreciated DSG features, like
[ul][*]the faster switching speed than manual,[*]that mistakes (like switching into a too small gear or not switching fully into a gear) are prevented[*]that you cannot stall the car anymore[/ul]
But I was disabused of this notion when I first time drove it (in manual mode) and the machine did not want to switch into higher gearwhen I was using full throttle (which is like I usually drive) and that it did not stay in gear when I used full throttle but automatically switched into lower gear. This fully ruined this feature for me. I'll gladly change my RS4 against one with DSG when this is fixed. To create such an ambigious way of switching gears even in manual mode looks kind of crazy to me. Until this is fixed I would not appreciate a RS4 with DSG, since you cannot use full throttle and exploit the torque of the engine at low or medium RPM. It would look kind of ridiculous to me to have such a good engine and pait it with such a transmission.