S tronic®
What is the benefit of two clutches? A double saving: time and energy. The dual-clutch gearbox enables rapid shifting with almost no noticeable interruption in the power flow.
As long ago as 1985, Walter Röhrl tested this technology in the Sport quattro S1 – and was suitably impressed. Audi drivers share his enthusiasm to this day. Because the modern S tronic changes gear in a flash. For this purpose it incorporates two multi-plate clutches, which control different gears. For example, when the driver accelerates in third gear, fourth gear is already engaged in the second transmission structure. The gearshift is carried out extremely quickly as a result of the changeover of the clutches – one clutch engages as the other disengages. The gear change takes only a few hundredths of a second and is completed with virtually no interruption in traction. It all happens so smoothly and conveniently that the driver hardly notices it.
Drive technologies
