GTI in 3 Door & DSG Combination

[DougL]

No it's not a preference for a manual box per se. It's just that the DSG box is programmed to be in the highest gear possible all the time, unless you are doing something to prevent that happening. In the end, you just give in to its demands (like being married) and leave it in D. By doing that you lose something esoteric, hence, the recommendations by most of the reviews to go manual. I have actually enjoyed my DSG box but at the same time, am equally frustrated by its penchant for economy. You soon stop trying to override its behaviour as it becomes too much effort. In the manual that choice is not afforded to you. You will also find the bluemotion system deeply frustrating on the DSG box. Every time you come to a halt the engine will stop when you hold the brake pedal at a standstill for more than a couple of seconds, unless you forget to switch it off. On the manual version, the engine doesn't stop unless the car is in neutral and the clutch pedal is up. I wish you could alter this behaviour, for example, by only allowing the enigine stop/start system to operate when the DSG lever is moved to neutral. Anyway, you pay the money for your choice.

In my opinion the negatives outweigh the positives.

Too many potential reliablity concerns and costs.

Stop start system irrationality on the DSG

Penchant for economy behaviour in a sporting car.

Lack of overall control without deliberately overiding the system. (Which you inevitably won't given time and choice)

Positives are:

Lovely change with better performance figures reliably achievable.

Better ACC behaviour.

Nowt else.

I've noticed that the clutches on my 7 speed get more juddery when in a jam as they overheat.

For all the above reasons I've decided to leave the DSG fold for my GTI...  YMMV 

[Bill_the_Bear]

In the end, you just give in to its demands (like being married) and leave it in D.

Ok, now that I can understand!

[monkeyhanger]

Also I'm pretty sure that in most engine-gearbox combinations the DSG comes out as either about the same or more efficient than a manual.  Obviously it is more expensive, there is more complex engineering involved.

You'll find the 7 speed DSG models more efficient than the manual on paper, but for the 6 speed DSG there's generally an 8% penalty for efficiency - not that thirsty in the grand scheme of themes. Having quicker gear changes yet having the same 0-62 time, a lsightly lower top speed and higher fuel consumption/CO2 suggests to me that the 6 speed DSG is geared slightly lower than the manual. If I tried to do 30mph in 6th on my Roc it'd be struggling around idling speed. My dad's current DSG seems to be an all or nothing affair - ridicuolusly serene in D less than half throttle and a red-line screaming monster when you put your foot down. If I had one i'd be changing with the paddles most of the time, which would render it pretty pointless.

All about preferences - DSG or not, colour preference, extras...only you can decide.

I certainly wouldn't buy a DSG blindly, especially considering it's incompatibility with the start-stop system - you need to have a good try on it in all conditions to decide whether you love it or hate it (you'll likely be one extreme or the other with DSG).

[JohnP]

I was in the process of buying a manual audi A1 before audi decided they would only supply the car with s-tronic and offered it to me as a no cost option My experience of driving an A1 with s-tronic made me cancel the order.

The s-tronic made the stop start system just soo intrusive, the engine stopped whenever you put your foot on the brake, even if it was for the  shortest of times and I had some hairy moments trying to pull out quickly in between traffic only to find the engine had stopped  When you stop the car just to parallel park it cut out and I was constantly having to remember to turn the stop start off and just found it so frustrating.

I drove the s-tronic for a day and may be with longer time you become used to it.  It wasn't for me though and manual was priority when ordering the GTI. I'm guessing the dsg works in a similar way so it may take some getting use to??

Things like this that are discussed on the forum are personal preferences and what works best for some wont be right for others....

[Gryzor]

Things like this that are discussed on the forum are personal preferences and what works best for some wont be right for others....

The same can be said of anything from the car itself, to paint colour, to any of the options.  None of us need a GTI at all, so it's entirely personal preference, and forums would be a rather boring place if it were otherwise!

[master_hayabusa]

I on the other hand can't stand the DSG box. It's great when ragging the nuts out of the car on a track or on a B road blast but I just can't stand it for every day use. I had it in my R32 and it was in 6th gear by 30mph. Had to chop it in after 18 onths as it drove me barmy.

I agree with you. The DSG on the GTI is more expensive and less economical. I have the seven speed on my TDI and it drives me nuts in 7th gear at 30mph! The engine is barely at tickover and it labours... That's just daft. In sport mode it hang on to the revs for too long. I'd also be worried about the five and ten year warranties VW is issuing in other markets. The smoothness of its changes is indeed amazing for an automated manual.

None of the above applies to the Golf GTI Mark 7. One was an R32, (maybe a mark 4 model?) The other is a diesel. I drove the DSG on Friday and trust me is is sublime and very fast. I carefully monitored the gear change.  It kicked in to 6th gear at 60mph no less.

[Flintymutt]

I on the other hand can't stand the DSG box. It's great when ragging the nuts out of the car on a track or on a B road blast but I just can't stand it for every day use. I had it in my R32 and it was in 6th gear by 30mph. Had to chop it in after 18 onths as it drove me barmy.

I agree with you. The DSG on the GTI is more expensive and less economical. I have the seven speed on my TDI and it drives me nuts in 7th gear at 30mph! The engine is barely at tickover and it labours... That's just daft. In sport mode it hang on to the revs for too long. I'd also be worried about the five and ten year warranties VW is issuing in other markets. The smoothness of its changes is indeed amazing for an automated manual.

None of the above applies to the Golf GTI Mark 7. One was an R32, (maybe a mark 4 model?) The other is a diesel. I drove the DSG on Friday and trust me is is sublime and very fast. I carefully monitored the gear change.  It kicked in to 6th gear at 60mph no less.

Interesting that you say this. BTW it was a mk5 r32. I've also tried the new gti with the dsg box and it us no different from the one I used to have. In D mode I again was in top gear as soon as possible. It confirmed that I didn't want it and have opted for manual.

[master_hayabusa]

I on the other hand can't stand the DSG box. It's great when ragging the nuts out of the car on a track or on a B road blast but I just can't stand it for every day use. I had it in my R32 and it was in 6th gear by 30mph. Had to chop it in after 18 onths as it drove me barmy.

I agree with you. The DSG on the GTI is more expensive and less economical. I have the seven speed on my TDI and it drives me nuts in 7th gear at 30mph! The engine is barely at tickover and it labours... That's just daft. In sport mode it hang on to the revs for too long. I'd also be worried about the five and ten year warranties VW is issuing in other markets. The smoothness of its changes is indeed amazing for an automated manual.

None of the above applies to the Golf GTI Mark 7. One was an R32, (maybe a mark 4 model?) The other is a diesel. I drove the DSG on Friday and trust me is is sublime and very fast. I carefully monitored the gear change.  It kicked in to 6th gear at 60mph no less.

Interesting that you say this. BTW it was a mk5 r32. I've also tried the new gti with the dsg box and it us no different from the one I used to have. In D mode I again was in top gear as soon as possible. It confirmed that I didn't want it and have opted for manual.

Well that is really odd. I had some reservation about the DSG gear box after the CAR Magazine review i reference to the 6th gear kick in (the first GTI review if you remember). So I drove the manual, which was good. Two days later I drove the DSG which was also good. I took it on the M40 for about 7 miles in traffic and I did not notice it go into top gear until about 60mph. And I was not doing full throttle I'm pretty sure.

Bottom line is. You have to drive it. It may or may not be for you. For me the manual is good. But manual all the time in traffic? No way.

[DougL]

You don't have to have full throttle to keep it from changing up, just pressed a bit will keep it hanging onto gears for longer. I know that when I test drove a diesel DSG and was driving quickly, it didn't do the change up thing. The DSG is designed, however, to be in top gear as soon as is possible and will do so by 30 or 40 mph and will be on a trailing throttle. The GTI is an enthusiast's car and unless you are regularly stuck in very heavy traffic, I reckon manual is the one to go for. I am also trying to persuade everyone that they will tire of DSG fairly quickly as in everyday life it just becomes a bit boring. 

[p3asa]

Isn't the DSG an adaptive system and as such it will learn your driving style a bit like the ECU?
I'm sure previous DSG equipped cars could be reset to learn your style again.