I don't know who told you that but human shift times, especially when racing, are still faster than the automatic, because as hard driver put it, "it is a slushbox with a torque converter and delayed shifts." The chip will bring it close, but if you ask any enthusiast, they'll tell you a manual is better.

 

i'm kinda a lazy person myself but i find driving stick to be way worth it in a sporty car. I just love the control you get with the stick, even with the tiptornic u dont get the same feeling. The only thing I have thats auto is my truck cause it was better for towing.

 

I do not doubt your point that a good/great driver will beat the manual. But, I hear from a lot of dealers that most manual drivers cannot beat an automatic.

I have been driving the S4 for two weeks now. I thought I would miss the manual more but the ECU and tiptronic chips are really great. Moreover, I am just still enjoying the wonderful sounding turbo and the incredible torque.

 

i like both, i voted tiptronic because its such a good idea, it has the potential to be the next main stream tranny. nevertheless, stick just rocks, it does. theres no doublcluthing and popping out of tight turns in a tip tranny.

my 04 S4 (which i love to death (so does everyone else on the road)) tip tranny is so delayed i give myself whiplash..haha

 

I just test drove two '01s at a dealer: one with Tip, one 6-speed manual, and I have to say, there is no comparison. The Tip is OK, but with twin turbos, you can't avoid the lag when you jam the accelerator to the floor. With the 6-speed, no lag, just pull, pull, pull. Probably why Audi cites a .6 second slower 0-60 time for the Tip.

I'm currently looking for a '01 or '02. First, I was looking for Tips only (for city driving, blah, blah, blah), but now only 6-speeds.

If anyone gets the chance, I suggest driving each back-to-back and you'll know exactly what I mean.

 

Most of the time I have always found that a stick is much more satisfiying than an auto. But I only drive performance cars. I have stated before, that the shifter on the S4, is about my only complaint on the car. Throws feel like a semi truck, and the clutch has WAAAAAYYYYYY too much hydraulic assist. I like having a 40 pound test on the clutch. My previous car was an S2000, I even felt that shifter was too long, I shortend it, I could literally shift without moving my arm at all. But I also feel that if I switch out a few things on this car, that I will be able to get what I want.

 

You got to also try the tiptronic with the tip chipped. It is not nearly as "lazy" although there is still a noticeable turbo lag.

 

I have always driven manuals and probably will continue to drive only manuals. it makes sense to me to have that control over your car. my 04 S4 manual is awesome, with a torquey engine like that and a wide powerband it makes sense to choose your gears by hand, not by how far you depress the accelerator. as for dealers who tell you that 'most manual drivers cannot beat an automatic' they are probably right, but thats not everybody. we are people who love to drive and excell at it, I would imagine that most want our cars to be the best that they possibly can and to react to our skills as they improve. lets face it, there's only so much you can do with an automatic now matter how sophisticated.

 

huge fan of stick. my last 3 cars were sticks. take it over auto any day, even though i live in NYC with lots of traffics.
but, i am dying to try the new DSG audi made for new TT... sounds awesome. i think the tiptronic in cars like Ferrari and Aston Martin are great. i do not think tiptronic on Audi allows same controls as those cars- they all upshift before the red line.

 

Look at BMW's M3 SMG that auto tranny has a clutch and flywheel instead of a torque converter