On AB with the AP off, actually the AP is still on, in mode called attitude hold or control stick steering in other aircraft. Where ever the aircraft is pointed in pitch and roll, the aircraft tries to maintain those positions.
Sorry marine, but that is rubbish. Are you type rated in the 320??
If a gust hits you and tries to roll the aircraft, the flight control computers put roll input to try to maintain your angle of bank. Unfortunately AB decided not to communicate this to you
Not correct, but somehow you are right, here, in a sense, in that Airbus says some nonsense about its behaviour in lateral gusts. they just don't explain well
SPEEDWINTER
try this the next time, which is in my opinion better explained than any airbus text:
allow a sec to the FCS to counter the gust.
Wait just a moment before you make an input in the opposite direction of the roll.
The roll will be arrested, or almost, by the ELAC, then you make your input. Easy. If you don't, you will be like mixing mayonnaise.
Airbus says that the airplane can rolll at a 15º per sec rate and blabla, but it cannot avoid bank angle from changing. Actually that would be weird. But it resists. Just let it do the job, or most of it, then do your input. Otherwise your input and the FCS' will be simultaneous and added to each other and here we go mayonnaise...
and that is the secret. Like an augmented lateral stability. Try this and give me feedback if you have gusts one of these days