S tronic explained
Unlike a conventional manual gearbox, the S tronic transmission is essentially two gearboxes, each with its own multi-plate clutch, combined in one unit.
The outer clutch controls the even-numbered gears and the inner the odd-numbered gears, and this arrangement enables each clutch to pre-select a gear so that it’s at your disposal in just 0.2 seconds when you change up or down.
A highly intelligent Mechatronic control unit constantly monitors activity and decides which gear is likely to be needed next, so if you’re accelerating in second gear, for example, third is automatically pre-selected by the outer clutch in anticipation, resulting in one of the fastest, most seamless shifts you’re ever likely to experience.
