New to an S3 - please help!

[Blueshoes981]

Hi everyone,

after owning many hot hatches and an m140i, I’ve decided to get an S3 which I’ve wanted for years. But since I’ve been working on Hondas and BMWs, I’m not too clued up on the vag hatches so please help me out!

It’s a 66 plate with 20k miles, which I think means it’s one of the very first facelift S3s?? I know power and torque was upped, and the 7 speed was introduced, but what else (mechanically) was changed in the facelift?

Other than the water pump, is there anything else to look out for on this age and mileage? I’d like to know how to look after it as I’ve owned a GTI with a dq200 dry clutch which exploded on me so I’m cautious about keeping this one running smoothly, but from what I can tell these are pretty solid?

Other than that, what’s the exhaust like? I’ve heard the facelift exhaust has a few more pops, but are the dsg “farts” louder? As tacky as people think they are, I like them as it adds a bit of entertainment to the boring drives. Thought about a res delete down the line but not sure if necessary or if this will cause too much drone.

any advice will be welcomed!
Thanks for reading

 

[Harvey]

The S3 8V mk3 facelift came out around Sep 2016. If you have paperwork that referenced MY17 (Model Year 2017) then it's a facelift but easy to tell by looking at your headlights with the FL having a step and not flat under them.

At 20K I'd strongly advise you get the Haldex oil changed plus pump removed to have the gauze cleaned ASAP if you have no proof this has been done. Common issue is for the gauze to block and this can lead to all sorts of issues. If you have a FL it'll be running the 7-speed wet clutch DSG (S-Tronic for posher Audi folk) which will be the DQ381. This box requires the oil changing at 38K and supposedly have a filter for life but I'd recommend you get this changed at the same time at the oil.

The stock S3 FL exhaust is wonderful (my biased opinion) so please don't go ruining it fitting a res delete. All you need do is have the flaps correctly coded open using VCDS and it'll sound nice all the time and not just above 3K rpm. I have done this on mine and it sounds amazing for a stock exhaust system.

 

[Potterswheel]

welcome aboard!

 

[Harvey]

How rude of me, all my rambling and I never once said welcome to ASN

 

[Sandra]

@Blueshoes981 welcome to audi-sport.net

 

[JohnM100]

Welcome.

Mechanically the increase in power and 7 speed S-Tronic gearbox were the main changes. Suspension not revised. The other upgrades included tech eg upgraded MMI, Virtual cockpit and matrix LED headlights as options, as well as wired CarPlay depending on tech pack.

Thermostat still a weak point.
A number of people remove the silica bag from the coolant reservoir or replace the bottle for one without the silica, since the bags have a tendency to leak after 4-5 years and if the beads get into the cabin heater matrix and block it then it’s very expensive to replace.

 

[Blueshoes981]

The S3 8V mk3 facelift came out around Sep 2016. If you have paperwork that referenced MY17 (Model Year 2017) then it's a facelift but easy to tell by looking at your headlights with the FL having a step and not flat under them.

At 20K I'd strongly advise you get the Haldex oil changed plus pump removed to have the gauze cleaned ASAP if you have no proof this has been done. Common issue is for the gauze to block and this can lead to all sorts of issues. If you have a FL it'll be running the 7-speed wet clutch DSG (S-Tronic for posher Audi folk) which will be the DQ381. This box requires the oil changing at 38K and supposedly have a filter for life but I'd recommend you get this changed at the same time at the oil.

The stock S3 FL exhaust is wonderful (my biased opinion) so please don't go ruining it fitting a res delete. All you need do is have the flaps correctly coded open using VCDS and it'll sound nice all the time and not just above 3K rpm. I have done this on mine and it sounds amazing for a stock exhaust system.

That’s great thank you! I know it’s a FL as it’s got new lights, bumper and steering wheel.

I think the haldex oil has been changed but will check all the paperwork when I pick the car up. Surprised the water pump needs looking at so soon! Any idea how much it would cost to have the pump cleaned?

Im sure the stock exhaust sounds fine, I’ve yet to drive a FL S3, only the pre FL and one sounded great, the other sounded dreadful! I’d rather not faff with the res so if it sounds good then there’ll be no need!

appreciate the advice!

 

[Blueshoes981]

Welcome.

Mechanically the increase in power and 7 speed S-Tronic gearbox were the main changes. Suspension not revised. The other upgrades included tech eg upgraded MMI, Virtual cockpit and matrix LED headlights as options, as well as wired CarPlay depending on tech pack.

Thermostat still a weak point.
A number of people remove the silica bag from the coolant reservoir or replace the bottle for one without the silica, since the bags have a tendency to leak after 4-5 years and if the beads get into the cabin heater matrix and block it then it’s very expensive to replace.

Thanks mate, I’ll look at getting that sorted once I’ve got the keys!

 

[nothingness]

Do the flap delete. It completely changes the car. I didn't code it because warranty, so I just unplugged it completely (start car up, put in dynamic, turn car off but keep ignition on, shift gearbox to sport mode, unplug both flaps, plug in dummy connectors to keep dirt out (or just tape them). The noise you get accelerating up a hill is now the noise you get pretty much all the time, but you can still drive it without any of that noise by keeping it off boost. I'M pretty sure my car has had a res delete done too, the other day I was driving up a very slight hill so slightly on boost, exhaust drone very slightly, and a group of people about 50 meters ahead on the pavement turned to look... but it's not anti social loud in comfort, where it turns the popping / banging off. I need to get it on a ramp to check. Window down (and these cars do that wind buffeting noise with one window down above 40mph) it sounds great for a 4pot, and tunnels are a joy.

 

[Blueshoes981]

Do the flap delete. It completely changes the car. I didn't code it because warranty, so I just unplugged it completely (start car up, put in dynamic, turn car off but keep ignition on, shift gearbox to sport mode, unplug both flaps, plug in dummy connectors to keep dirt out (or just tape them). The noise you get accelerating up a hill is now the noise you get pretty much all the time, but you can still drive it without any of that noise by keeping it off boost. I'M pretty sure my car has had a res delete done too, the other day I was driving up a very slight hill so slightly on boost, exhaust drone very slightly, and a group of people about 50 meters ahead on the pavement turned to look... but it's not anti social loud in comfort, where it turns the popping / banging off. I need to get it on a ramp to check. Window down (and these cars do that wind buffeting noise with one window down above 40mph) it sounds great for a 4pot, and tunnels are a joy.

Cheers mate, I’ll look at doing that before I get the res chopped off if I think the exhaust needs to be louder. Having owned a 140i before, I’m bored of pops and bangs, I just like the dsg farts hahah. Can’t wait to pick it up now!!!

 

[Jcbmally]

Welcome to the community, FL S3 is a great car and I’d have another tomorrow.

 

[Mr Freeze]

Welcome to the community, FL S3 is a great car and I’d have another tomorrow.

How do you compare the S3 to the Formentor ? My wife went to test drive a Vz Edition last week we were pretty impressed with it .

 

[Jcbmally]

How do you compare the S3 to the Formentor ? My wife went to test drive a Vz Edition last week we were pretty impressed with it .

I’ll try not to be biased but the Formentor is really good. Plenty of kit and the quality is very good as well. Now some of the Formentor owners have experienced issues but mine is 99% spot on, the ACC played up once at Aberdeen but apart from that no issues.
Spec includes;
Heated nappa electric buckets with lumbar (very comfy), rear camera, park assist, lane assist, front assist, blind spot assist, rear assist, traffic sign recognition, nav, wireless phone charging, wireless android/apple play, tinted glass, multicoloured ambient lighting, keyless entry/start, electric tailgate, sunroof, brembos and it goes like a stabbed rat.
Good car and it really looks good too.

 

[Mr Freeze]

I’ll try not to be biased but the Formentor is really good. Plenty of kit and the quality is very good as well. Now some of the Formentor owners have experienced issues but mine is 99% spot on, the ACC played up once at Aberdeen but apart from that no issues.
Spec includes;
Heated nappa electric buckets with lumbar (very comfy), rear camera, park assist, lane assist, front assist, blind spot assist, rear assist, traffic sign recognition, nav, wireless phone charging, wireless android/apple play, tinted glass, multicoloured ambient lighting, keyless entry/start, electric tailgate, sunroof, brembos and it goes like a stabbed rat.
Good car and it really looks good too.

Yes it came across as a great all rounder drove really well with the DCC suspension and came very well equipped
This would be my wife's car for the kids and dog etc so extra space was needed which it had .After looking at the variation in models from Vz2/Vz3
there isn't much in it apart from Brembo's and copper wheels so after a bit of research I think the Vz2 is the best option at the price point plus you get a spare wheel which is a rare thing these days . We wouldn't buy one without the full pano roof as we really liked it but they seem hard to come by so maybe it would have to be a new order . Pretty fast too has the sales guy demonstrated think he enjoyed test driving it more than my wife

Its definitely under consideration

 

[Blueshoes981]

Picked the car up today and drove it home on a 250 mile trip. It’s brilliant!

averaged 35mpg sitting at 70, with 20 mins of stand still city traffic, which is lower than I hoped for based on the 40mpg’ers on this forum, assuming they’re sat at 60 instead?

Exhaust sounds great, could be louder in dynamic but still good enough to not faff with it for a while!

Only thing I didn’t like was the kick down was very slow, took a couple of seconds to realise what I was asking it to do which was surprising. And that’s in dynamic mode not efficiency. I know people have said the gearbox can be “sluggish”, is this what they mean? I wouldn’t get it mapped just to make the kickdown faster but that was my only disappointment (and the sad mpg figure…)

really happy with it!

 

[nothingness]

I never use kickdown. I never use dynamic mode either honestly. I've set it up in Individual so everything is Comfort except for Dynamic exhaust mode. If I want to drive sporty, I turn ESP into sport mode and put the gearbox into manual and use the paddles (the only disappointment on the car, same paddles as you get on a 1.0 a3, I atleast expected the nice metal ones on say a TT-S). There's litte difference between that and Dynamic for me, but I don't have magride so that might be different if you do? I plan to fit KW v3's anyway so...

When people say sluggish they mean when you set off from roundabouts etc. I don't have any of that but then its only done 11k miles.

 

[JimboBlue]

Other than that, what’s the exhaust like? I’ve heard the facelift exhaust has a few more pops, but are the dsg “farts” louder? As tacky as people think they are, I like them as it adds a bit of entertainment to the boring drives. Thought about a res delete down the line but not sure if necessary or if this will cause too much drone.

I picked up my 2018 S3 on Friday having also had a 140i for the last 3 years. I was surprised how noisy it was on the way home and after a good look underneath I found it had already had a res delete, there’s definitely too much drone and it’s too intrusive for me even in comfort mode so it‘s going back to the dealer to have the exhaust put back to standard. Great car though and nice not having to be quite so gentle with the right foot at this time of year!

 

[Blueshoes981]

I never use kickdown. I never use dynamic mode either honestly. I've set it up in Individual so everything is Comfort except for Dynamic exhaust mode. If I want to drive sporty, I turn ESP into sport mode and put the gearbox into manual and use the paddles (the only disappointment on the car, same paddles as you get on a 1.0 a3, I atleast expected the nice metal ones on say a TT-S). There's litte difference between that and Dynamic for me, but I don't have magride so that might be different if you do? I plan to fit KW v3's anyway so...

When people say sluggish they mean when you set off from roundabouts etc. I don't have any of that but then its only done 11k miles.

I use the paddles whenever I want to have a bit of fun, but kickdown is just handy on the motorway and for overtaking. Not sure if it’s because it’s building boost before it sets off or if the dsg/s tronic is a bit slower than the m140s zf when using kickdown… not a problem, just the only “flaw” I’ve found so I’m still happy!

ive set my individual mode up exactly the same, haven’t quite worked out how the Quattro system changes when you set that to dynamic, but the car is lovely to drive in any mode I put it in.

steering is a lot heavier than my old FL A3 and the turning circle is terrible, don’t know if that’s because of the 19in alloys or the haldex or if it’s something completely unrelated?

oh one other thing, the * button the wheel is set to change driving mode, but like my A3, it only works sporadically. Sometimes it just does nothing - why is that and how do you stop it/fix it??

 

[Blueshoes981]

I picked up my 2018 S3 on Friday having also had a 140i for the last 3 years. I was surprised how noisy it was on the way home and after a good look underneath I found it had already had a res delete, there’s definitely too much drone and it’s too intrusive for me even in comfort mode so it‘s going back to the dealer to have the exhaust put back to standard. Great car though and nice not having to be quite so gentle with the right foot at this time of year!

It’s crazy how fast it is in these conditions and how little wheel spin there is! Wouldn’t even dream of going over 50% throttle in the 140 when I saw any moisture on the road, let alone snow/ice! Had a play to see where it started to lose traction and it just didn’t so I’m looking forward to when we get a bit warmer weather so I can open it up safely.

The exhaust sounds great standard, I’d like it MARGINALLY louder under acceleration but it’s perfectly fine as is. Can imagine the res delete gets drony as you can hear the base when you out the engine sound into dynamic at low rpm so without the res it would be too boomy for what is a really nice comfortable car.

If want a bit more sound just lower the back seats.

honestly think this car is perfect for uk roads. Don’t need any more power, and only understeers when pushing v hard and if you notice that on a public road you’re probably on worn tyres or being a bit daft. Looks smart aswell.

comfortably the best car I’ve ever owned even after just 2 days!

 

[nothingness]

Yeah when I first got the car I set the * button to change driving modes...half the time it doesn't work.

If I were to do res delete, I would use a BCS one. They are expensive at £300+ fitting but they come with a j pipe which cancels out the resonant frequency that causes the boom noise. My car with the exhaust valves unplugged does get a bit boomy sometimes like in traffic just creeping forward. You can get boxes that enable you to turn the flaps on/off as you are driving but again £300 or so for this pleasure.

Hardly any faults really, I never turn it tight turning circle wise as I believe it's bad for the car... I haven't and never will use launch control either for the same reason.

The other great thing about this car is if you want to change things the catalogue is huge, just have a look at cpl tuning or aks tuning.

 

[Matt Titanium]

If I were to do res delete, I would use a BCS one. They are expensive at £300+ fitting but they come with a j pipe which cancels out the resonant frequency that causes the boom noise.

Anyone tried one of these from LSG? £126

MK7 & MK7.5 Golf R/Audi S3 8v Low drone res delete

Mandrel Bent using 316 grade stainless steel, flow welded with 1/4 wave resonator to reduce drone at motorway speed. Comes with sleeve and clamps, also fully reversible Video sound available here https://youtu.be/8H7T25zKqMI https://youtu.be/ErD3ty5VjAo PLEASE ALLOW 5 WORKING DAYS FOR DISPATCH...

www.lsgperformance.co.uk

 

[Damo S]

averaged 35mpg sitting at 70, with 20 mins of stand still city traffic, which is lower than I hoped for based on the 40mpg’ers on this forum, assuming they’re sat at 60 instead?

Yes, doing 60 or even 65 makes quite a difference. 20 mins of standstill will not have helped, and neither does the cold weather. Mines definitely lost a few mpgs with it being much colder now. It does way better in the warmer weather partly due to it hitting proper running temperature much quicker (oil temp, not coolant) plus the warmer air is less dense so offers noticeably less wind resistance. if you've ever played seasons of badminton the effects of warm / cold air density is rather obvious. On the first few really cold days of autumn / winter it becomes a struggle to get the shuttle to the back of the court, where as on the first few hot days of spring / summer the damn things are flying out the back of the court.

 

[Blueshoes981]

Yes, doing 60 or even 65 makes quite a difference. 20 mins of standstill will not have helped, and neither does the cold weather. Mines definitely lost a few mpgs with it being much colder now. It does way better in the warmer weather partly due to it hitting proper running temperature much quicker (oil temp, not coolant) plus the warmer air is less dense so offers noticeably less wind resistance. if you've ever played seasons of badminton the effects of warm / cold air density is rather obvious. On the first few really cold days of autumn / winter it becomes a struggle to get the shuttle to the back of the court, where as on the first few hot days of spring / summer the damn things are flying out the back of the court.

I have noticed an extra 5 mpg on the days we’ve been above 10 degrees since I’ve had it. Never paid attention to how the weather impacts mpg as I’ve always got my cars in the summer/autumn and after a month or so I don’t care about the mpg, was just curious to see what it’s like on a run.

Not the best, but I didn’t get it for fuel economy so oh well!

The sound is much better with the back seats down, then quite in comparison when they’re up, so I’ve looked into res deletes/unplugged the valves, but it just causes drone at low rpm and I don’t want to lose the refinement of my nice comfy Audi so I might just grow up and forget about it…

 

[JohnM100]

My MPG drops around 10-15% in winter on the same journey. If buying an S3 then MPG shouldn’t be a factor. Mine varies from 26-42 mpg. Most posts in the 400 mile club thread aren’t hypermilers but just not ragging it - a great MPG figure can be undone sooo quickly… curiously in the ‘fuel panic buying crisis’ I could only find 95 RON E10 - car ran fine but knocked 10% off mpg.

S3 has a natural tendency to understeer on the limit when going in fast but exacerbated by either worn/cheap tyres or Haldex on its way out. Snow is the acid test for Haldex where it can get a little tail happy on roundabouts.

Old school ‘go in slower and power out’ will get you making better car balance and progress esp in cold wet weather assuming your tyres aren’t ditch-finders

My * button is set to drive select and as long as I leave it a minute or two after startup before pressing it, it’s fine. I did have the MMI update to change from Google maps to Here (or whatever it’s called) which *may* have made that more stable - no evidence to support or contest that though.

 

[JohnM100]

Reading back through the thread, I didn’t comment on kickdown. On the S3 this can be vicious depending on whether it kickdowns 1 or 3 gears depending on revs at the time. It’s the 3 gear kickdown that is sluggish: drop 1 then another two more as in that short time it drops as much as it can. A better option is to drop a gear or two on the paddles in preparation so revs are 4.5k ish or drive in manual mode (still 4.5-5k) as these allow better preparation with fewer surprises. I drop gears manually in preparation then only put the pedal in the carpet at >5k to avoid kickdown surprises, but I do manual +80% of the time.

Depends on your preference and YMMV

 

[Blueshoes981]

Reading back through the thread, I didn’t comment on kickdown. On the S3 this can be vicious depending on whether it kickdowns 1 or 3 gears depending on revs at the time. It’s the 3 gear kickdown that is sluggish: drop 1 then another two more as in that short time it drops as much as it can. A better option is to drop a gear or two on the paddles in preparation so revs are 4.5k ish or drive in manual mode (still 4.5-5k) as these allow better preparation with fewer surprises. I drop gears manually in preparation then only put the pedal in the carpet at >5k to avoid kickdown surprises, but I do manual +80% of the time.

Depends on your preference and YMMV

It’s quite odd how long it takes, my m140 and polo GTI were pretty much instant and I thought the S3 would be even faster than them but it’s slower! It doesn’t really matter, it’s quick enough to not even need kickdown to overtake and if I’m driving it quickly, I’ll be using the paddles anyway.

Not sure if it’s something to do with turbo lag, the lag is pretty bad under 3k so I just wonder if it’s building boost before it takes off, but as you say it’s likely just because it’s going down 2 or 3 gears.

My polos dsg exploded when I used kickdown (shocking dry clutch dq200) so I don’t even like doing it since that anyway!

after having it for 2 weeks, I think I’ll end up going stage 1 next year. It’s so seemless it doesn’t feel as fast as it is. It’s the perfect daily, but I think 370-400bhp will just make it a bit more of an animal

 

[JohnM100]

At 3k revs it will likely kickdown twice, probably 5th - 2nd but that’s a sub optimal user input and requires several gear changes. If teeing up heavy acceleration, base revs should be higher in preparation. The system is clever but not clairvoyant.

The S3 can take you to scary speeds without you feeling it as it feels more planted and barely waking up at 70+ than most cars feel at 50.

5 years old 36k - has gearbox oil been changed?

 

[Damo S]

Not the best, but I didn’t get it for fuel economy so oh well!

I did. It's the most fuel efficient petrol car I've ever owned which is rather ironic considering its also the most powerful. The only exception being the 1.0 litre seat ibiza which we had for the kids to drive. The relatively good economy as well as the cheap tax are the main reasons I went for an S3 instead of a slightly older RS5. I like not being at the forecourt every other day. The japanese turbo cars of old which returned 20mpgs at best were a nightmare for that really.

 

[Blueshoes981]

At 3k revs it will likely kickdown twice, probably 5th - 2nd but that’s a sub optimal user input and requires several gear changes. If teeing up heavy acceleration, base revs should be higher in preparation. The system is clever but not clairvoyant.

The S3 can take you to scary speeds without you feeling it as it feels more planted and barely waking up at 70+ than most cars feel at 50.

5 years old 36k - has gearbox oil been changed?

Cars 4 years old and has done 21k now so no the oil hasn’t been changed yet (that I know of at least).

The zf in the 140 was instant regardless of how many gears it went through, I don’t know enough about how the boxes work and if the dual clutch in the Audi makes it harder to kickdown than the torque converter in the bmw. It’s not an issue anyway, i usually only used it as a “watch this” in my 140 because it kicked you in the back and was a bit brutal.

I’ve looked at the prices of mapping the dsg but it’s about £500 from what I can find at reputable brands, and as I don’t think the gearbox is bad to begin with, I’m not sure if it’s worth it. Everyone that has it says it’s a must, but if it’s the same price as a stage 1 map or custom tune, I’d rather do that than have the box mapped. And I don’t want to fall into the trap of dropping £1k here and there until I’m £5k into the modding process and I may aswell have just bought a slightly older rs3

food for thought…

 

[Blueshoes981]

I did. It's the most fuel efficient petrol car I've ever owned which is rather ironic considering its also the most powerful. The only exception being the 1.0 litre seat ibiza which we had for the kids to drive. The relatively good economy as well as the cheap tax are the main reasons I went for an S3 instead of a slightly older RS5. I like not being at the forecourt every other day. The japanese turbo cars of old which returned 20mpgs at best were a nightmare for that really.

Hahah my ep3 was a nightmare to fuel! The S3 is one of the most expensive cars to run that I’ve owned, as expected. With it just being a 2 litre compared to the 3L in my 140 I was expecting it to be quite a bit better though, haven’t checked the weights of the two cars, but obviously the S3 is heavy with the haldex system.

I can easy get 30mpg out of it on each journey so it’s perfectly fine, I’m just a child and can’t help but be an idiot and watch the mpg plummet to 22 every time the oil gets to 90 degrees…

 

[Damo S]

Hahah my ep3 was a nightmare to fuel! The S3 is one of the most expensive cars to run that I’ve owned, as expected. With it just being a 2 litre compared to the 3L in my 140 I was expecting it to be quite a bit better though, haven’t checked the weights of the two cars, but obviously the S3 is heavy with the haldex system.

I can easy get 30mpg out of it on each journey so it’s perfectly fine, I’m just a child and can’t help but be an idiot and watch the mpg plummet to 22 every time the oil gets to 90 degrees…

yep, well, just wait until you go stage 1 or whatever. It becomes a completely different car and planting your right foot is even more addictive.

 

[JimboBlue]

Cars 4 years old and has done 21k now so no the oil hasn’t been changed yet (that I know of at least).

The zf in the 140 was instant regardless of how many gears it went through, I don’t know enough about how the boxes work and if the dual clutch in the Audi makes it harder to kickdown than the torque converter in the bmw. It’s not an issue anyway, i usually only used it as a “watch this” in my 140 because it kicked you in the back and was a bit brutal.

I’ve looked at the prices of mapping the dsg but it’s about £500 from what I can find at reputable brands, and as I don’t think the gearbox is bad to begin with, I’m not sure if it’s worth it. Everyone that has it says it’s a must, but if it’s the same price as a stage 1 map or custom tune, I’d rather do that than have the box mapped. And I don’t want to fall into the trap of dropping £1k here and there until I’m £5k into the modding process and I may aswell have just bought a slightly older rs3

food for thought…

I've had mine for a couple of weeks now and i'm really enjoying it so far, it's a lovely place to be, is quick and feels very planted. My only slight disappointment is the DSG box, it often feels like it's in the wrong gear, in comfort mode it seems to want to be in 6th ASAP so you find yourself doing 35 in 6th which feels laboured and sluggish then on the other hand, in dynamic mode it seems to hold onto gears for too long, often cruising along at 40-45 holding onto 3rd at 3k rpm when 4th would be better. I have been reading lots about the TVS DSG maps and the driveability one sounds perfect for standard cars, as you say food for thought!

 

[JohnM100]

Sadly it’s a common criticism with the stock TCU (gearbox) map across all drive modes. That’s the main reason I drive in manual on the paddles.

Feedback from those who had TCU maps from 3rd parties suggests they are much more driveable.

 

[Damo S]

I've had mine for a couple of weeks now and i'm really enjoying it so far, it's a lovely place to be, is quick and feels very planted. My only slight disappointment is the DSG box, it often feels like it's in the wrong gear, in comfort mode it seems to want to be in 6th ASAP so you find yourself doing 35 in 6th which feels laboured and sluggish then on the other hand, in dynamic mode it seems to hold onto gears for too long, often cruising along at 40-45 holding onto 3rd at 3k rpm when 4th would be better. I have been reading lots about the TVS DSG maps and the driveability one sounds perfect for standard cars, as you say food for thought!

35mph, or even 30mph in 6th is ok and typically what I do in mine (a manual) for fuel efficiency unless the gear selector on the dash suggests otherwise

 

[JimboBlue]

35mph, or even 30mph in 6th is ok and typically what I do in mine (a manual) for fuel efficiency unless the gear selector on the dash suggests otherwise

That's fair enough and it might be great for fuel efficiency but it doesn't make for a great driving experience, it just feels a bit too sluggish to react when you want to put your foot down, comfort mode feels more like an eco or efficiency mode to me! Something between this and dynamic mode would be perfect for my daily driving.

 

[Blueshoes981]

That's fair enough and it might be great for fuel efficiency but it doesn't make for a great driving experience, it just feels a bit too sluggish to react when you want to put your foot down, comfort mode feels more like an eco or efficiency mode to me! Something between this and dynamic mode would be perfect for my daily driving.

Have you tried setting individual mode so the engine response is in dynamic and everything else in comfort? Then just move the gearbox from “s” to “d” so it doesn’t cling into gears too long?

I haven’t tried personally but I’d imagine this would give you the improved throttle response that you lose in comfort