Audi R8 V10 Gen1 Facelift - Manual vs S-tronic

[R8Reece]

I’ll soon be in the market for a weekend warrior upgrade which is likely to be one of the above.

Coming from a gen 1 V8 pre-facelift manual, upgrading & retaining the manual has been the aim but I hear a V10 manual might not be the nirvana it is on paper vs a v8 manual? As such the S-tronic (not interested in a R-tronic) is on the radar especially as more are for sale.

With test drives challenging and selling my v8 in the way before purchasing, anyone able to offer their thoughts on the pro’s and con’s of the V10 manual vs V10 S-tronic?

Thanks in advance.

Edited by R8Reece on Thursday 31st December 18:10

[Regy53]

The Manual is very good, great feeling and very workable. I found it did require so many gear changes, also you can get caught out as at low revs you do need to work the box to get going.

The S Tronic is sublime. Really amazing gearbox and adds another dimension to the speed. It is a very nice box.

I have been looking at R8 gen1's and if i had another it would have to be the manual. It isnt the quickest way around the roads but it is rewarding to drive.

That said if you daily it, i would probably get the auto

[Triple Six]

Regy53 said:

That said if you daily it, i would probably get the auto

I have a manual Gen1 V10 and it really is sublime, but as above, I wouldn't choose the manual 'box for daily driving. It can get a bit tedious at low speeds/around town.

[RSbandit]

Think the Gen 1 plus manual is a rare beast indeed but if you found one it should hold its value well. I had a Plus with S-tronic for a couple of yrs, great gearbox and very well suited to the car and the power that's available.

[Triple Six]

RSbandit said:

Think the Gen 1 plus manual is a rare beast indeed but if you found one it should hold its value well. I had a Plus with S-tronic for a couple of yrs, great gearbox and very well suited to the car and the power that's available.

Certainly agree with this, I bought mine ~14mths ago and residuals have seemed to strengthen already. A cherished V10 manual with good options and sensible miles is £50k+ IMO.

That said, there doesn't seem to be an excessive number of S-tronic cars; certainly far less than R-tronic.

Edited by Triple Six on Thursday 31st December 20:16

[TP321]

I am seeing nearly new R8s for under £100k which seem amazing value. Surely it makes more sense than spending £50k on an early 10 year old?

[R8Reece]

TP321 said:

I am seeing nearly new R8s for under £100k which seem amazing value. Surely it makes more sense than spending £50k on an early 10 year old?

Probably does but a) £100k is out of my current budget b) I’ll lose more money in depreciation c) I’m looking at a 5-7 year old car d) if I had £100k I would probably be looking at a Lambo or Mac.

Edited by R8Reece on Friday 1st January 13:37

[R8Reece]

Thanks all.

Car will be a weekend warrior so 3k miles PA tops with a long jaunt abroad thrown in too.

I’m no speed/track demon so how I get somewhere is more important than how quickly so unsure if a Plus is worth it.

Depreciation (sorry) is a slight consideration as this is a stepping stone rather than the end goal.

I’d also like to take advantage of the newer 2013 onwards facelift improvements where S-tropics are more common than manuals.

[barriejames]

What Lambo does 100k buy only a top end Gallardo? Good manuals are now almost level in price with early S tronics also. That said I am going from my manual v10 Spyder to a later Stronic, only because I am old and dont much care for changing gears anymore, its a younger mans game.

Edited by barriejames on Friday 1st January 16:58

[nickrex]

I bought my facelift s-tronic last summer. I was actually searching for a manual (I ruled out the r-tronic, not for me) as I didn't think my budget would get a facelift car. After missing out on a few manuals due to lock down I eventually bought my 2014 s-tronic. I can't comment on the manual, although I'm certain they are amazing and will definitely hold their value, but the s-tronic is very good, I doubt you'd be disappointed with one. The facelift cars have a few nice upgrades as well as the gearbox, more modern lights and stuff like that. Not important but nice to have. Also, if you're considering a Plus, the standard V10 can be easily and safely remapped to around 600bhp for under £1k.

Also, try and find one with a good aftermarket exhaust, the V10 is insane with one. Lots of cars have them.

[R8Reece]

nickrex said:

I bought my facelift s-tronic last summer. I was actually searching for a manual (I ruled out the r-tronic, not for me) as I didn't think my budget would get a facelift car. After missing out on a few manuals due to lock down I eventually bought my 2014 s-tronic. I can't comment on the manual, although I'm certain they are amazing and will definitely hold their value, but the s-tronic is very good, I doubt you'd be disappointed with one. The facelift cars have a few nice upgrades as well as the gearbox, more modern lights and stuff like that. Not important but nice to have. Also, if you're considering a Plus, the standard V10 can be easily and safely remapped to around 600bhp for under £1k.

Also, try and find one with a good aftermarket exhaust, the V10 is insane with one. Lots of cars have them.

Thanks for the useful feedback. R-tronic is financially more appealing but like you, they're not for me even though any money saved could be put towards a future upgrade.

Not looking for a remap (yet!) but the new features with the facelift were a key consideration so good to know they're a nice touch.

The other half's care is a sport BMW with an auto gearbox and it's not horrific but will try both when time allows.

[R8Reece]

barriejames said:

What Lambo does 100k buy only a top end Gallardo? Good manuals are now almost level in price with early S tronics also. That said I am going from my manual v10 Spyder to a later Stronic, only because I am old and dont much care for changing gears anymore, its a younger mans game.

Edited by barriejames on Friday 1st January 16:58

Yes, top end Gallardo although seen Hurrican’s at £110k so with a bit/lot of bartering.... (my glass is always half full). However a £90k Mac plus a three year Thorney warranty is hard to beat but we digress....

I’m seeing what you are seeing with manuals demanding a (in some cases what I would call an unrealistic) premium which is why the S-tronic has come in to the reckoning.

[Triple Six]

I think you need to drive an S-tronic.

If you are coming from a manual V8 then you will know what the gearbox is like, but worst case scenario would be you choose the auto and regret it.

That said, the V10 noise is incredible and so I don't think you will be disappointed either way!

[R8Reece]

Triple Six said:

I think you need to drive an S-tronic.

If you are coming from a manual V8 then you will know what the gearbox is like, but worst case scenario would be you choose the auto and regret it.

That said, the V10 noise is incredible and so I don't think you will be disappointed either way!

Yes, was always my intention to do that but whilst in lockdown travel and test drives, thought I’d take advantage of collective PH knowledge whilst I wait Besides there are no facelift manuals in my price range available presently.

I tried an R-tronic four years ago and just didn’t gel with it on the test drive but that only lasted 15 mins tops. I understand it takes some getting used to although the S-tronic should be easier.

[NewNameNeeded]

R-tronic and S-tronic very different, as you say. The S is a true auto, with smooth gear changes. You could leave it auto all day long for a more relaxed drive, or pop it in to manual for a more spirited blast. The R-tronic has a totally unacceptable and jerky gear change in auto mode which only works on spirited blasts. For normal driving it's awful. But in manual mode it's great.

[Kent Border Kenny]

I’ve recently swapped my 1st generation “Plus” for a McLaren 650s. The automatic gearbox was night and day different from my V8, and I never missed a manual. It was smooth, fast, and unobtrusive.

I tired of the overly-firm suspension (the Plus is non-adjustable, and this really made it a much worse car for long trips) and the fact it wasn’t convertible, but other than that I absolutely loved it. The engine really was something very special.

[paddy1970]

I had both. A 2011 v10 Manual and a 2014 V10 Plus s tronic.

I prefer the s tronic.

I found the dct gearbox very good and you can flick between gears with the paddle shifts far quicker than the manual. You also get rev match on down shift and it sounds great. Even on the motorway, I keep changing gears! I used it mainly in manual mode on my favourite roads.

The gated manual is great at first but clunky after a while. I got bored of it after 6 months. On my favourite roads, I was only shifting sporatically between 2nd and 3rd and vice versa. This covers 5mph to 90+mph. I just did not gel with this manual gearbox/engine combo.

[andy97]

NewNameNeeded said:

R-tronic and S-tronic very different, as you say. The S is a true auto, with smooth gear changes. You could leave it auto all day long for a more relaxed drive, or pop it in to manual for a more spirited blast. The R-tronic has a totally unacceptable and jerky gear change in auto mode which only works on spirited blasts. For normal driving it's awful. But in manual mode it's great.

It was designed as a “robotised manual” and not really optimised as an auto. It works best if easing the throttle for paddle gear changes as you would with a manual.

[Kent Border Kenny]

andy97 said:

It was designed as a “robotised manual” and not really optimised as an auto. It works best if easing the throttle for paddle gear changes as you would with a manual.

That and full-bore changes, where the pause and then a bang as the next gear goes in is pretty nice.

The S-tronic is night and day difference.

[andy97]

Kent Border Kenny said:

andy97 said:

It was designed as a “robotised manual” and not really optimised as an auto. It works best if easing the throttle for paddle gear changes as you would with a manual.

That and full-bore changes, where the pause and then a bang as the next gear goes in is pretty nice.

The S-tronic is night and day difference.

The R-Tronic actually works well on track!