I must admit to being a fan of manual gearboxes but in recent years they are becoming rarer and Audi have pretty much stopped M6 boxes on any performance model. Saying that the Manual M6 box on my 2014 8V S3 was not the best. First and reverse were far too close together and prevented 'confident getaways' sometimes. Had 8 speed ZF Tiptronic in previous A7 BT which was good and hoping its similar in the RS4. The STronic in the RS3 has gained my approval and is both quick and smooth and suits the car,
While I agree the manual box in the S3 is not the best, it's better than what Audi manual used to be. The B5 S4 had such a long throw it was shocking. Yet the manual gearbox in the B7 RS4 was brilliant. The manual gearbox in that car help made it be such a good car. And yes I regularly drove one.
I can see why manufacturers of really really fast car don't offer a manual anymore, as cars are probably far too quick for a manual to be practical (for most), but Porsche is starting to go back to the manual with the GT3.
Personal opinion of course, but an auto in anything other than a supercar, is super boring. Yes it can get to 60 0.2 seconds faster than the manual car can, and yes it's great in towns and cities. And the Auto allows manufacturers to conjure up fake mpg figures that sell cars too.
Yet the Auto adds weight to the car, and makes driving, well, just boring. Don't get me wrong, in the right car (SUV or luxury barge) I think they suit the car better than a manual would. But for cars like the S3, RS3, the interaction a manual gives you makes driving rewarding. Better still when you get on the perfect twisty road with no traffic. You drive the car, rather than is half driving you. Yes flappy paddles are fun, some would say, but again, they're boring unless in a supercar. 90% of the people who buy a DSG car with paddles will probably never use them. Same as the manual mode on the gear selector. More so in a VW Group car, as the ******* thing is the wrong way round.
I honestly think it's because people don't really care about driving so much these days. They want to get from A to B with as least effort as possible. Changing gear yourself? Can't be bothered !!
The only thing I wish was auto on cars was the indicators on round-a-bouts, as very few ******* use them either !!!!
Given the choice on any car between auto and manual, I'll always chose manual. Just a shame more cars are coming even without that choice. Like Vegans, their choice is being pushed onto others.
Sadly, my S3 will probably be the last Audi I own. I'm pretty sure the next S3 will be DSG only.
To add. Just look what happened to Renault when the made the Clio RS auto only. Sales fell dramatically, as people wanting a hot hatch, what to change gear for themselves.
