Original R8 v10 - manual vs S Tronic

[vanman1936]

Thoughts appreciated guys.

Also any views on standard vs plus.

Budget £60-£75k.

Coming from a Masser GT / 996 Turbo background so any comparisons to these from owners also appreciated.

Cheers

P

[Trev450]

You really need to drive both a manual and S-tronic. They are both superb but quite different. The manual feels rather old-school but suits a big multi cylinder engine to a tee. The S tronic on the other hand makes the car feel somehow more modern and bangs in the changes quick time.

[mikiec]

Manual is more involving, and the open gate a pleasure. Plus you are getting one of the last big capacity NA manuals produced. Unless you are going to track a lot I wouldn’t consider an S tronic

[200Plus Club]

Trev450 said:

You really need to drive both a manual and S-tronic. They are both superb but quite different. The manual feels rather old-school but suits a big multi cylinder engine to a tee. The S tronic on the other hand makes the car feel somehow more modern and bangs in the changes quick time.

If poss Trev I'd appreciate a run in yours this season at one of the R8 club meets? Like to see how the v10 compares .

[Trev450]

200Plus Club said:

Trev450 said:

You really need to drive both a manual and S-tronic. They are both superb but quite different. The manual feels rather old-school but suits a big multi cylinder engine to a tee. The S tronic on the other hand makes the car feel somehow more modern and bangs in the changes quick time.

If poss Trev I'd appreciate a run in yours this season at one of the R8 club meets? Like to see how the v10 compares .

I'm sure that can be arranged Chris.

[PompeyReece]

vanman1936 said:

Thoughts appreciated guys.

Also any views on standard vs plus.

Budget £60-£75k.

Coming from a Masser GT / 996 Turbo background so any comparisons to these from owners also appreciated.

Cheers

P

My opinion:

Manual - most engaging driving experience, gearbox is fantastic and most suitable if your R8 is a weekend car, you don't track and want the maximum return
R-tronic - good for daily driving and also if tracking the car, down shifts can be more exciting as not as smooth as a dual clutch gearbox, a good mix of the other two options
S-tronic - very smooth changes, perfect for a daily driving and tracking but some say too smooth

However drive both - it really is personal choice

[Its Just Adz]

The manual really is a fantastic gearbox in that car

[Fckitdriveon]

I owned a v10 s tronic for 18 months and 14k.
Used it as a daily , lots of stop start (city traffic) and it never missed a beat.

Great car all in all and the gearbox never gave me any issues, was smooth enough despite not being a double clutch affair, and fast enough shifts, no noticeable lag etc.

I m sure the open gait on the manual is great but a manual in the city is a pain as far as i m concerned.

By the sounds of it you can’t really go wrong with either.

[PompeyReece]

Fckitdriveon said:

I owned a v10 s tronic for 18 months and 14k.
Used it as a daily , lots of stop start (city traffic) and it never missed a beat.

Great car all in all and the gearbox never gave me any issues, was smooth enough despite not being a double clutch affair, and fast enough shifts, no noticeable lag etc.

I m sure the open gait on the manual is great but a manual in the city is a pain as far as i m concerned.

By the sounds of it you can’t really go wrong with either.

Forgive me, I thought the S-tronic was dual clutch but the R tronic wasn't? Have I got that wrong?

[Nano2nd]

PompeyReece said:

Forgive me, I thought the S-tronic was dual clutch but the R tronic wasn't? Have I got that wrong?

s tronic is a dual clutch

[RamboLambo]

Nano2nd said:

s tronic is a dual clutch

yeah but good as single clutch gearboxes go

[Fckitdriveon]

PompeyReece said:

Fckitdriveon said:

I owned a v10 s tronic for 18 months and 14k.
Used it as a daily , lots of stop start (city traffic) and it never missed a beat.

Great car all in all and the gearbox never gave me any issues, was smooth enough despite not being a double clutch affair, and fast enough shifts, no noticeable lag etc.

I m sure the open gait on the manual is great but a manual in the city is a pain as far as i m concerned.

By the sounds of it you can’t really go wrong with either.

Forgive me, I thought the S-tronic was dual clutch but the R tronic wasn't? Have I got that wrong?

I have got it wrong .....mine was a 2011 example so would’ve been the R Tronic. Forgive my error, it’s been a few years in my defence .




Here’s a photo of mine when I arrived to collect it from Audi Newcastle.

I owned it from circa August 2012 to January 2014, it came to me with 3k on the clock and left with 16-17 ish iirc. Other than going back to Audi for dash trim refit (rattley) it never gave me any issues.

I ve read lots of good things about the double clutch box , can’t imagine it’s anything less than a leap forward from the one I had.

Edited by Fckitdriveon on Friday 2nd February 18:49

[craig-ha19w]

Hi there all. Very new to PH. Just my tiny view on the R8. I have just bought a V10 plus about 6 weeks ago with the s-tronic box and as others have said very quick to change,smooth box and great when you are getting the car moving along quick. I have never driven a V10 with a manual box so can’t comment on that version,but I did drive a friends v8 manual at the weekend which was a great drive and had a Lovley box to use.

[isaldiri]

The throw of the manual is a bit long but overall it's a great experience to use. The Stronic is bloody good though so it really depends on what you personally prefer. I'd try to find a manual Plus personally if I were looking but those are awfully hard to find....

[andy97]

PompeyReece said:

My opinion:

R-tronic - good for daily driving and also if tracking the car, down shifts can be more exciting as not as smooth as a dual clutch gearbox, a good mix of the other two options

My opinion:

R-Tronic - awful for daily driving, just massively clunky. OK on track.

[Shazbat]

Manual every time.

[Dblue]

The manual is great on R8s, unless you use it in the city a lot its worth seeking out. But the Plus is the best Gen 1 R8 no question, lighter, more powerful and superbly sorted.But there's only 8 manual V10 Pluses out there so unicorn stuff.