Audi to offer DSG gearbox in 2009 Euro only S5 & Q5

VALENCIA, Spain — Audi is moving ahead quickly with its new S tronic seven-speed dual-clutch manual transmission — at least in Europe. In addition to offering the S tronic gearbox on selected gasoline and diesel versions of the all-new 2009 Audi Q5 compact SUV, which hits European dealers in the fourth quarter of this year, Audi is dropping it into the European-spec 2009 Audi S5 as a replacement for the coupe's optional six-speed automatic transmission.

Although this S tronic gearbox is being marketed under the same name as the Borg-Warner-developed, six-speed twin-clutch transmission (previously known as the Direct Shift Gearbox, or DSG) in the U.S.-spec Audi A3 and Audi TT, it's a completely different unit. Parent company Volkswagen AG engineered it in-house and it will be built at VW's factory in Kassell, Germany. Cooling is significantly improved on the new S tronic, thanks to a vacuum booster that effectively doubles the amount of oil available to lubricate the twin clutches, and this helps the transmission cope with higher engine torque loads — up to 406 pound-feet (550 Nm), says Audi. The older S tronic transmission tops at 258 lb-ft (350 Nm). Moreover, because the clutches and oil pump are oiled separately from the gearsets and differentials, this S tronic gearbox can be more easily packaged with the longitudinal engine layouts used in most Audis, including the new Q5 and the A4, A5, A6 and A8 families.

Along with this packaging flexibility, the new dual-clutch transmission is designed to satisfy a wide range of driving situations. In the 2009 Audi Q5s we drove in Valencia, Spain, the S tronic was nearly as smooth as the best of today's conventional automatic transmissions in normal traffic, while offering much sharper response during more aggressive maneuvers. Shift paddles at the nine-and-three positions on the steering wheel allow you to call up your own shifts. Depending on the urgency of your throttle and brake inputs, downshifts requested in manual mode are rev-matched. Equally important, the transmission's large number of gear ratios make it as good a match for the 3.2-liter gasoline V6 we'll see in U.S.-market Q5s as it is for the Europe-only 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 (3.0 TDI).

Our seat time in the S tronic-equipped 2009 Audi S5 was limited to a low-speed autocross course. While this provided little insight into the gear ratio spread, at a minimum it suggests that the S tronic can be matched with a 354-horsepower 4.2-liter V8 without self-destructing.

Audi executives tell us that in addition to the Q5 and S5, the S tronic will be offered in many of the upcoming S and RS models, including the next S4 and RS4 and the long-awaited RS5. The bad news is that Audi has no immediate plans to offer this dual-clutch transmission in the U.S.-spec versions of these models.

"We have specifically decided not to do the S tronic in the Q5 and that thinking dates back several years," says Filip Brabec, general manager of product planning for Audi USA. The six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission slated for use in the U.S.-spec Q5, which goes on sale here in March 2009, "comes pretty close to matching an S tronic type of shift," he notes. Also, Brabec tells us, Audi feels that American customers place a higher priority on comfort than do Europeans and may not be prepared to accept the S tronic's edgier shift quality, particularly in a small SUV. Mainly, the company is worried that you'll complain about "rough shifting" with the S tronic, a powertrain executive tells us.

What this means to you: Audi is waiting for exactly the right moment to launch the S tronic in the U.S., and we expect that moment will involve a hard-core performance car rather than a compact SUV. — Erin Riches, Senior Editor