S Mode Drag

[Hipster223]

Man oh man, has anyone else noticed what happens if you take your foot off of the gas when in "S" mode?

If you are driving in Sport mode and take your foot of the gas the car will go into the charge zone and basically brake to a stop. So, if I'm driving at 50mph and take my foot off the gas the car will slow to zero within 100 yards.

It is clearly a design flaw. Basically, Sport mode is useless on the A3 Etron.

I took the car to the dealer today to show it to them. They had me drive a brand new A3 Etron (meaning not mine, as ours is two weeks old), and it had the same issue. The attitude was basically "tough cookies we've already gotten your cash. Not our problem."

Anyone else experiencing this?

 

[hangtime10]

Sport Mode will make the car more aggressive in many ways. If you hit the accelerator, it holds the gears longer. Upon letting go the pedal, the regen will kick in immediately.
This isn't a flaw IMO. I (and others on different forums) believe that it's setup that way to give the driver more battery/range.
I've had my e-tron for about 3 months now (over 5,900 kms on it) and have used the S mode rarely. When I have used it, I find that the engine revs freely and holds its gear longer.

 

[Hipster223]

Do you work for Audi? Sounds like it. I'm joking, but your response almost sounds like an Audi troll wrote it.

It's a problem as far as I'm concerned. Holding gear longer would not be enough to make the car stop if I don't reapply pressure to the pedal.

Let's see what others say. Also, do you have a link to the other forums where you say you saw this issue discussed? I'd love to check them out.

 

[bruintoo]

Man oh man, has anyone else noticed what happens if you take your foot off of the gas when in "S" mode?

If you are driving in Sport mode and take your foot of the gas the car will go into the charge zone and basically brake to a stop. So, if I'm driving at 50mph and take my foot off the gas the car will slow to zero within 100 yards.

It is clearly a design flaw. Basically, Sport mode is useless on the A3 Etron.

I took the car to the dealer today to show it to them. They had me drive a brand new A3 Etron (meaning not mine, as ours is two weeks old), and it had the same issue. The attitude was basically "tough cookies we've already gotten your cash. Not our problem."

Anyone else experiencing this?

That's is not a design flaw. That is called aggressive regeneration, a.k.a. one-pedal driving. If you have ever driven a BMW i3 (even an i8) or a VW e-Golf (or any electric car for that matter), you will notice the same. In fact, in an e-Golf, you can set the degree of regeneration. In "S" mode, "Hold" mode is automatically selected and, there is aggressive regeneration because the car tries to keep as much EV range as possible on reserve so that it is available when you want all 204 HP/260 ft-lbs of torque when you mash the accelerator pedal.

BTW, if you dont want the internal combustion engine to come alive but want the same aggressive regeneration, simply push the gear lever to the right and don't touch again (gear or paddle shifters if you have them). It will shift automatically for you.

-Ben

PS.
I have over 5K miles on my e-tron now.

 

[hangtime10]

Do you work for Audi? Sounds like it. I'm joking, but your response almost sounds like an Audi troll wrote it.

It's a problem as far as I'm concerned. Holding gear longer would not be enough to make the car stop if I don't reapply pressure to the pedal.

Let's see what others say. Also, do you have a link to the other forums where you say you saw this issue discussed? I'd love to check them out.

Slightly offended, but I'll forgive you.
No I do not work for Audi, nor am I an Audi troll. My purchase of the e-tron is my 1st foray into the ownership of a new Audi vehicle.
Your comment that my response is almost corporate tells me that I'm decently versed in my communications.
I've found that there's a lot of people in various forums who are very knowledgeable and willing to help answer any questions (speakev.com - mostly Euros but they're more into EV's than we are).

 

[DonPedro]

I've noticed the drag too, but I really like it for the curves! I dearly miss my Mini Clubman JCW with a 6 speed manual. And the S mode characteristics resemble a fast drive out to the beach at high revs. I think its the closest I've come in an automatic to a manual "feel."

 

[2euro]

I use the S mode like a passing gear! If I need to pass someone or want to merge onto the hwy, I use S mode as the response is quick. But I then quickly put it back in D mode.

This is an efficient car. Not a sports car.

 

[Jive]

i could not disagree more. Whenever i drive my wifes e-tron i only use s-mode.
With the aggressive regen i am able to keep the car at 50% charge no matter how aggresive i am with the pedals.

What annoys me is that its really hard to make it charge above 50% with regen. There must be some kind of current limiter when you reach 50% charge.

If only this car had stiffer suspension it would be really funny. the 49/51% front to back weight balance and "good enough" brakes it is a blast to drive. The soft suspension makes it abit unpredictable at high speeds. My A4 TDI s-line is on rails compared to this car.


Give the re-charge breaking some time. i thought it was awkward in the beginning aswell.
After getting used to i really love it. just let off the gas pedal to stop for a red light or loose some speed before a steep curve.