A three-pedal layout is the most engaging and enjoyable method to get the most out of an automobile, as every red-blooded automotive enthusiast is aware of. Heinz Hollerweger, the CEO of Audi’s Quattro GmbH, has a different perspective.
You can’t really blame him in some aspects. When questioned why the 2018 Audi R8 will only be available with a dual-clutch, Hollerweger made a point to remind out that today’s most sophisticated automated gearboxes simply outperform manuals at the track.
At the 2015 Geneva auto show, he observed, “You have to look at lap times,” adding that, at least in Europe, demand for Audi R8s with manual transmissions was practically nonexistent. When questioned about it, Hollerweger didn’t budge. Hollerweger thinks there’s no use in offering a manual on the new car because a stick-shift just cannot match the performance of the R8’s dual-clutch transmission and few purchasers requested one.
Of course, we beg to differ, and we were quite surprised by his claim that driving a car with a manual transmission is not a more interesting experience. But regrettably, that seems to be the way of the world, and given the direction that manufacturers of supercars, like Ferrari and others, have been taking recently, it is hardly a surprise.
One more piece of information regarding the Audi R8 was provided by Hollerweger: a V-8 will not be offered for the vehicle. We now understand why the new R8 debuted alongside the V-10, which was a bit of a surprise. We don’t care about a V-8, Hollerweger stated. He also said that demand for the eight-cylinder was weak and that demand for the “iconic” V-10 significantly exceeded estimates for the first-generation model.
If you want an Audi R8, you may choose between a 5.2-liter V-10 engine with 520 or 610 horsepower for this generation at least, but you are limited to the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. You may also choose the R8 e-tron, which has a T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack, electric motors, and a 280-mile range, if you don’t mind waiting a year or more, at least in Europe.
Therefore, those of you who own first-generation Audi R8s with V-8 engines and manual transmissions suddenly possess a pretty rare vehicle. Enjoy.
In This Article...
Can I get an automated Audi R8?
V10 Audi R8 The base R8 V10 has a rear-wheel drive system, a seven-speed automatic transmission, and a 562-horsepower V10 engine. It costs about $143,000 for coupe variants and $155,000 for convertible models.
Did the Audi R8 have a manual transmission?
The gated manual transmission was the best feature of the original Audi R8. Audi permanently eliminated the third pedal with the introduction of the current-generation vehicle in 2015, leaving customers with only the option of a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. However, there is still some hope for the devotees of the manual. You can still have a true six-speed in your new R8 if you want one. To accomplish this, you’ll merely need to turn to the aftermarket.
Is Audi automatic or manual?
As fewer Americans learn how to operate them and automakers avoid producing them, the popularity of automobiles and trucks with manual transmissions is declining significantly.
Additionally, because automatic transmissions have greatly improved, the once-true justifications for favoring manual transmissionsthat they make cars more fuel-efficient and less expensive to buyare no longer always valid. This has eliminated the practical benefits that some drivers cited for their preference for manuals.
keeping to the manual? What do you think makes driving a stick shift so special? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook.
Manual transmissions, which were once the only type of transmission available, played a crucial role in automotive design, from bland, functional sticks and silver wands to exquisitely smooth cue balls. Between the seats or close to the steering wheel, these jewelry pieces were mounted. They are now essentially irrelevant.
According to Mike Fiske, senior analyst at IHS Markit who focuses on automotive engine difficulties, the market for sticks is now at a position “where it’s not a need or even much of an alternative.
The only choice is Audi. The premium automaker, which is a division of the Volkswagen Group, said that starting with the 2019 model year, it will stop selling any manual-transmission vehicles in the United States.
According to Audi spokeswoman Amanda Koons, the 2018 A4 sedan and A5 coupe were the last models offered with a stick-shift option.
The German marque will only use automatic gearboxes going forward in the United States.
Transmission advancements
After a number of recent technological developments, automatic transmissions are now available in a variety of high-tech configurations, such as dual-clutch models that replicate the gear-changing action of a manual transmission. Finally, they all carry out your work for you. There will be no more fiddling with the clutch to change gears.
Koons lamented that there isn’t much of a market for manuals in an email.
Sales of manual gearboxes have been declining for decades, but in recent years, the decline has quickened.
According to IHS Markit, 6.8% of vehicles sold in the United States in 2012 had stick shifters. However, in 2018, that percentage is thought to have dropped to 3.5 percent.
How about the Subaru BRZ? Fiske said that sales of the well-known sports car, which were previously limited to manual transmission models, are now 90 percent automatic.
In 2023, IHS predicts that the proportion of vehicles sold with a manual transmission will decrease to 2.6%. Fiske added that fresh data points might need a change to IHS’s projection.
But stick-shift enthusiasts still have some hope. They continue to be sold in numerous international areas, for starters. In actuality, the 5-speed manual is the most often used transmission worldwide, according to Fiske.
A few years ago, Darryl Hayden, a machine operator from Hampton, Virginia, was determined to get a manual-transmission car, but the dealer had just one option available, and it was rudimentary. Thus, he asked the dealer to look everywhere for the 2014 Ford Focus he ultimately chose to purchase.
He stated, “That was a very challenging thing to locate. Since they’re not building as many anymore, the car “was in South Carolina, and they drove it up to Virginia for me.
With a manual, Hayden claims he feels more rooted to the road, which, he claims, also keeps him alert.
You have more control over the vehicle since you are changing gears on your own rather than waiting for the vehicle to do it, the speaker stated.
While several major auto makers still offer stick-shift options on some models, Audi is discontinuing manual transmissions. According to IHS, the Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited were the top five best-selling manual vehicles through July.
Teaching the next generation
While Hayden adores driving a stick, finding him capable of doing so is now more difficult than ever.
Because many of them never learned how to drive a stick as children, Hagerty, a historic automobile insurance located in Traverse City, Michigan, is training auto engineers how to drive a manual.
Additionally, since 2011, the business has taught the skill to about 2,500 students in high school.
One benefit of the courses is that the pupils get to practice clutch control and gear shifting in vintage vehicles like a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible or a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Only two of those pupils, according to Hagerty communication expert Tabetha Hammer, “may never grasp it.”
Automatic future
The tremendous advances made to the automatic transmission may be the primary factor making the manual transmission obsolete.
The newest automatics from General Motors have shift speeds that even the greatest manual drivers cannot match, according to associate chief engineer Mark Kielczewski.
The transmission makes the necessary modifications to maintain the transmission in the right gear, at the right moment, all the time. It does this by detecting whether the car is traveling up or down a hill, whether the driver is driving furiously or just gradually on a curved road.
However, even though the manual transmission might be going away, the automated transmission shouldn’t become too accustomed. In reality, its days might already be numbered.
This is due to the absence of transmissions in electric vehicles, which supporters predict will eventually supplant gasoline-powered cars.
Audi’s transmission is manual.
2019 marks the end of Audi’s manual transmission manufacture in the US. But fear not, auto enthusiaststhere are still plenty of possibilities to find your next Audi stick shift if you’re willing to settle for a secondhand car.
Many drivers will agree that shifting into gear and hitting the road is the best feeling, but the future of the American manual transmission is not promising. Nearly 99 percent of new US car sales in 2019 were automatics, despite many brands still carrying the torch.
Can the R8 be used as an everyday driver?
A surprisingly good alternative for a daily driver is the Audi R8. The two seats are comfy and roomy enough to make a short or even a long commute bearable, but the interior isn’t very big and it’s not a viable alternative if you want to have more than one passenger.
Purchasing a secondhand R8 will help reduce your anxiety regarding mileage increases, but the vehicles are unusual enough that you may log miles without worrying about the vehicle’s value depreciating.
Comes with a manual in the 2020 R8?
A customized Audi R8 from Underground Racing was displayed, and it featured an intriguing engineering design. Since the first-generation Audi R8’s end of production, we haven’t had a gated manual gearbox in a client car that was ready for delivery.
Twin-turbo Lamborghini Huracn and Audi R8 builds are the specialty of the Charlotte, North Carolina-based Underground Racing. They are most known for pulling ludicrous performance numbers from stock V10 engines, but they also have another impressive trick in store. Since enthusiasts prefer manual gearboxes, Underground Racing provided a manual transmission change for the more recent R8s.
One of their Dallas, Texas customers who also ordered UR’s twin-turbo configuration requested that the work be done. A fantastic 2020 Audi R8 with 1,500 horsepower and a manual transmission in place of the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission was the end product. Thanks to Underground Racing’s skill, the center console of the R8 appears to be an original Audi component.
The all-wheel drive system from the factory was retained, but the tuning shop installed a street clutch to give the car drivability similar to that of the factory. The manual transmission was used from a first-generation Audi R8, but it required modifications to cope with the potent engine. Additionally, the vehicle received Performante center-lock wheel conversion along with specially finished Performante wheels.
Although this is now a one-time project, Underground Racing promised that it will soon become a regular addition to their inventory. We must admit that it is not inexpensive because the transmission switch is only available to customers who also purchase the twin-turbo kit.
Although the cost hasn’t been determined, the tuning kit starts at $49,000 installed and can cost up to $175,000 for the most potent variants. Therefore, you would likely need to give careful thought to whether you want a stick-shift Audi R8 or if the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will suffice.
It’s a shame Audi decided to discontinue this fantastic vehicle, at least in its present V10 configuration. The Neckarsulm, Germany, scientists will decide if the R8 will eventually make a comeback as an electric vehicle.
Are there manual or automatic luxury cars?
The majority of brands only provide manuals for their high-performance models. Porsche, a renowned German sports car manufacturer, still supplies three pedals in each of its sports vehicles, the Boxster, the Cayman, and the 911, despite the dual-clutch PDK automatic’s lightning-fast performance.
Which Audis are manual?
Audi did provide a number of vehicles with manual transmissions over the years, despite the fact that it was never a popular choice in the United States. In reality, the RS4 and RS2 were among the greatest vehicles supplied by the company, and the original R8 was even available with a gated box. With the 2019 A4, Audi sadly said farewell to the manual transmission (in the US market). The Audi A4 was the final model offered in the US with a manual option, and the firm even released a limited-edition version of it named the A4 Ultra Sport to mark the occasion.
Since virtually nobody in the US still purchases manual transmissions, we had assumed Audi had abandoned them forever. However, a recent tweet from the official Audi account has caught our attention. The tweet from Audi included the description, “The forgotten art of deciding which gear you’re in. #40YearsOfQuattro,” along with a photo of a manual gear lever from a Quattro.
BMW is it automatic or manual?
The little BMW 2 Series is a sports automobile for drivers, and both engines are available with a manual transmission. The rear-wheel drive coupe is the sole model with the manual transmission and comes with the 230i’s 248-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
The 3.0-liter inline-six engine in the M240i produces 335 horsepower and accelerates from zero to sixty in 4.3 seconds. Although the xDrive all-wheel drive option is only available with the basic automatic transmission, the manual M240i is offered as a coupe or a convertible.
However, keep in mind that BMW has discontinued the manual transmission for the 2022 2 Series, so if you’re looking to purchase a brand-new vehicle, hurry to the shop.
A gated manual: what is it?
We recall the gated manual as supercars have quickly switched to paddle shifters.
It is unlikely that a gated manual transmission would ever be used in a mass-market new car; instead, these transmissions are virtually only seen in exotic vehicles. The name “gated manual” comes from the fact that each gear slots into a milling gate. The gates were initially created because high-performance automobiles’ gearboxes had very little tolerance and there was a great risk of damage to the cogs below if the owner couldn’t fine-tune each gear home. To ensure that the driver can’t mess up a gear shift, a solution was developed in a manner similar to how a parent would teach a child to ride a bike. When you were a child, your training wheels kept you from falling over, and a gated manual kept you from wrecking your gearbox. How? The lever may only be moved to a limited number of locations when a metal shield is placed over the gearbox, all of which were acceptable to the mechanism underneath. The selection can no longer be carelessly placed in an undesirable location.
The first buyers of supercars were receptive to the gated manual’s introduction. This was mostly because of the creative design and pleasing clicking sound that the gearlever made when it reached the end of its gates, which served as an audible cue to complement the physical sensation of precisely shifting into another gear and accelerating forward. A symphony of motion creates a sense of expectation. Moving forward while dipping the clutch, you precisely shift into the next gear with a click as you approach the cogs below and prepare to open the throttle once more. To prevent damage to the gates above, manufacturers actually installed a device beneath the gates for the lever to contact, so you actually feel contact, but not in the way you think you do.
But today, and to be honest, not long after their original conception, their necessity is no longer necessary because gearbox technology has advanced and become more durable and trustworthy, eliminating the need for such exact motions to choose a gear. It is also a slower way because a change from second to third gear no longer necessitates traveling up, then right, where the center of the box is, and then up again to choose the next gear. Instead, the cogs beneath are equipped with faster-moving and less acute spacing. As speed and numbers have long dominated the marketing hype over feel and expertly crafted metalwork, the immediate movement of throwing a gear nearly diagonally won. For many years, gated manual transmissions were used to distinguish exotic vehicles from their mass-produced counterparts on the road. In order to signal to the world that they intended to compete seriously with Italian and British exotica, Audi chose to add a gated manual to the R8, their first supercar.
The generation of children who grew up with arcades and video games increased their attraction for gated manuals. For players who wanted to make the experience as authentic as possible, many racing video games chose to offer a gated manual. The Ferrari equipment that was installed in their road vehicles in the 1990s had an influence. The metal shield covering a lever today is more of a work of art than a racing innovation. Straight cut gears and tolerances that were so tight that only a select group of really competent racers could use them are no longer available and will never be. This is one of those innovative automobile designs that resembles the Mclaren F1’s central driving position and the flip-up headlights used on everything from Corvettes to Mazda MX-5s. Not forgotten but gone. If you ever have the chance to operate one, do it. Focus on the experience rather than the speed.