Which Audi gearbox is the best?

[Leadfoot]

Semi-automatics don't have to be that jerky between changes, it all down to the way the software is written. It all done by actuators and as such this can be control in combination with the throttle to make for very smooth changes, almost equal to that of an automatic.

[IulianUM]

Actually I like it a lot , the best from both worlds , manual and semi .:cool2:
I´ve tried the R-tronic and the E-gear of Lamborghini , and the Italian is harder , seems to broke the car in two :MTM: . Audi is softer but not smooth , the feeling is "funtastic" .
I think that R-tronic is similar to a sport suspension , less comfort better performance . For Audi , less clutch problems , and the future cars will have a lot of torque ...

The trick with R-tronic is easing the gas a bit when changing (as we do with manual gearboxes , and in endurance racing ) , when comfort is needed . And pedal to the metal when going not too slow ....

BTW for Audi the R-tronic is a "robotized or robotic" gearbox not Semi-automatic , may be it is just semantics but they insist ...

[Arslanoff]

From the article:
We started out with a couple of low speed laps just to familiarize ourselves with the circuit and the R8. We were encouraged to try all the shifting modes and generally play around with the car on these laps to get comfortable with it. We started in automatic mode just to see what it was like, but very quickly changed to manual mode after only a few corners. The automatic mode is disconcerting because you can’t always predict when a shift will occur. An unexpected downshift exiting a corner can upset the car slightly, as can an upshift while the steering wheel is turned significantly accelerating out of a corner. With R-Tronic, “manual” shifting is so easy there is really no excuse for not doing it yourself. And with this much torque on tap we wanted to be sure we were the one deciding when shifts occurred.
With the car in Manual mode, upshifts are harsh. In Manual Sport mode they are brutal. Every upshift feels like a minor rear-end collision. Keep in mind that the R-Tronic is a single-clutch transmission unlike Audi’s dual-clutch S-Tronic system. Thus, when the R8 upshifts, drive to the wheels is briefly interrupted, throwing your body forward in the car, and then full power suddenly resumes in the next gear, slamming you back in the seat. On a racetrack this is great fun and gives the feeling of a true racing sequential gearbox. It also gives the driver a good means of bouncing his passenger’s head off the headrest! Candidly, it may be a bit much for the street, although once again we can’t help but wonder if this harshness may be a pre-production issue that can be addressed in software.