DSG or manual on R ?

[Millzy68]

Hi
I currently drive a standard  GTD on a personal lease which ends in six months. I am about to place an order for a Pure White 3 door R and wouldn't usually pay for any of the options but I am tempted to spec the DSG gearbox. I have always driven manuals so was wondering what any of you, who have driven, or own an R with DSG would recommend ? It's only an extra £10 per month so cost doesn't come into it. Is it a good bit of kit for everyday driving or does it only come into it's own when thrashed ? I really fancy giving it a try but I am pretty naive when it comes to this sort of thing so please give it to me in laymans terms  Cheers in advance.

[wigit]

i'd recommend trying to get an extended test drive, always been a die hard manual driver and given all the it lacks involvement debate, ended up with two dsg Rs, i'll be honest only 5% of the time to i long for a manual and that is because it won't sit on the limiter in manual mode. Its a different sort of engagement and i tend to drive it in manual mode most of the time

[charv94]

I have a manual GTI and don't plan on getting an R anytime soon. But for me it had to be manual, If i did a lot of town driving in traffic, dsg would be great, not having to ride the clutch, constant changing between 1 and 2 etc. however i don't. On the absolute limit i guess DSG would be faster shifting however if you leave it to its own devices it can change whenever it wants thus maybe throwing out the grip through a change in gear mid corner? possibly negated by 4wd.

It'll be a more relaxing drive having a DSG, less interaction though?

Depends on priority? you can have full control through manual mode though so that'll be good, but still not as good as manually shifting in my opinion

[remlapeel]

Hi, I have only ever driven manuals my entire life but the only R I could get my hands on without a factory order was DSG. I was very apprehensive being a manual fan boy that I was.

My last car was a MK7 GTI manual which I did 32k miles in before I handed it back. I do love a good manual and there is mother better than thrashing around using a manual gearbox, but when stuck in traffic after leg day at the gym, the clutch is heavy and gets tiresome.

The DSG is great for all the things manuals aren't. For example, ACC in manual means you have to change gear, which you don't in a DSG, it will down change or upchange when it needs to without your interaction.

You also get launch control on a DSG and the pops and farts from the DSG changes at hi revs.
The DSG is obviously quicker to 62mph than a manual.

It's a mixed bag for me, it's slightly less involved than a manual for those thrashes, but I do love using the paddle shift and taking off like a bolt of lightning from a junction using launch control.

The R is just outstanding and don't think you'll be disappointed either way.

[remlapeel]

i'd recommend trying to get an extended test drive, always been a die hard manual driver and given all the it lacks involvement debate, ended up with two dsg Rs, i'll be honest only 5% of the time to i long for a manual and that is because it won't sit on the limiter in manual mode. Its a different sort of engagement and i tend to drive it in manual mode most of the time

In a nut shell, I drive in manual mode 90% of the time and it's very rare do I wish I had a manual again. Just on the odd occasion to trash it about, but under normal circumstances the DSG is better.

charv the DSG is 0.2sec quicker to 60

[Millzy68]

Hi
Cheers for all the help and opinions. I guess I need to contact my local dealership to organise a decent test drive. I can see me going for the DSG option though just for a change and out of curiosity. I do quite a lot of stop/start town and city driving so it looks like it might come in handy.

[Booth11]

Hi
Cheers for all the help and opinions. I guess I need to contact my local dealership to organise a decent test drive. I can see me going for the DSG option though just for a change and out of curiosity. I do quite a lot of stop/start town and city driving so it looks like it might come in handy.

As said you should get an extended test drive, DSG is not something you can get a feel for in half hour. It is a different animal to a manual and it does alter the way you drive but engagement is still there albeit in a different way.  It takes a good few weeks to get used to it but if you do a lot of city stop/start driving then it is a delight, takes the hassle out of constantly changing and makes for a very relaxed drive.  When out on the open road, you've got manual control and the paddles for some fun, just hearing it go through the gear changes is great. It's not without its foibles and in Drive changes up a little too quickly and in Sport hangs onto the gears a little too long, somewhere in between would have been great! 

Having previously driven only manuals, I made the switch to DSG 7 years ago, now on my second DSG GTI and just about to move to a Mk7 DSG R so no going back to manual for me.

The DSG in my mk6 did have the odd blip early in it's life, momentarily refusing to change down or up, on maybe 2 or 3 occasions but a quick shift into manual mode sorted it and no problems since.

[JB GTI]

Before I bought my previous Mk7 Golf GTI PP I tried the DSG and have to admit I didn't like it at all. It just seemed to be constantly changing gear not knowing what gear it should be in and more annoying was the way it lagged starting off again when the start stop kicked in 
I the jumped in a manual and within  5 minutes, decision made !!
Now. Fast forward 12 months and I now have a 3 Dr Golf R and it is DSG !!
All the annoying features of the test drive I had in the GTI didn't happen in the R. They must have made some software changes to the gearbox map and it is in my mind a no brainer now. Also, the issue with the start stop has been sorted too. As you come to a stop as long as don't try to push the brake pedal through the floor it just engages the Hill Hold and doesn't stop the engine ready for you to pull off into the distance. As Remlapeel alluded to if you are in stop start traffic the DSG is brilliant as it not only changes gear but also brakes for you and crawls behind the car in front thanks to the AAC.
I did try a manual R too and liked it but think the DSG suits the R much better.
It is up to you at the end of the day as we are all different and have different needs for this car but I know what I would do !! 

[matchboy]

I have very similar views to some of the points made on here.  I also have never had an auto till now, I love the feel of a manual and the feeling of how you're in control of the car.  However, given my daily drive is 80% in traffic, the DSG is just brilliant - no worrying about 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 1st etc etc - car does all the work for you.

Do I therefore miss a manual when I get to nail it and have some fun?  Yes and no.  If the car is in full auto mode in S, it sometimes pics the wrong gear if you want to do something unusual like hammer it suddenly.  But I've started driving in manual mode now ie. pushing the stick to the left and using the paddles.  This nulifies my want for a manual, as it is effectively the same (not quite but nearly!!)

I also find that reading up on how to drive a DSG is really useful.  There's an article/thread knocking about somewhere.  It explains the double clutch and how the DSG thinks, so for eg. when I first got the R I would drive it like I was driving a manual - if I wanted to go from 6th to 4th I'd flick twice on the paddle quickly - this confuses the DSG and I wasn't getting the desired effect.  The article explained that if you flicked down to 5th, let the car realise you want to have a bit of poke, then flick down to 4th after a small wait, it then has the right preselected gear ready for you when you do change.  I'm not explaining it very well lol, but it works, and makes a world of difference!

My final thought is in general to autos v manuals - I've always found in all the cars I've driven that anything sub 5 seconds 0-60 should be an auto.  If you're having a race, or if you want to nail it properly, a human brain just isn't as good as a computer - certainly I'm not that quick at gear changing compared to an auto box!  There's always that delay as you move the stick.  And I just feel an auto is better for a quick car, you get the most out of car for those kind of cars.

I do still miss a manual when on the open road sometimes, but the DSG is just that good that its only briefly.  I'd highly recommend it if you're getting an R.  But as others have said, its all about test driving it and how you feel - but I'd try and get a car for more than an hour as it does take a while to learn how to get the best out of a DSG.  Also, after driving a manual for over 20 years, I've enjoyed the challenge of learning to drive a different way 

[dubber36]

I would go along with the advise of getting an extended test drive, even if it's in a 'lesser' model.

I'd driven automatics before, but never owned one. When I bought my Passat diesel, it had to be a DSG, but it did take at least 2 weeks to learn how to drive it properly. Most of the time I just leave it in D and let it do it's thing. If I'm on a spirited drive (as much as one can in such a car) or if I'm towing on a hilly, twisty road, I'll use S. I've used manual mode and the paddles once in over two years and that was around the Isle on Man, just for the hell of it. If I'm honest, I did find manual mode quite pointless. Auto mode is so good, there really is not need to change gear with the shifter or paddles. Once you have learned how to drive it properly, measured throttle inputs will ensure the car chooses the right gear for you.

I wouldn't go back to a manual for an everyday car, but it really is horses for courses. I know many people that have bought DSG/Autos based on other peoples opinions, but found that they hated them for one reason or another. So take no notice of what me or others like and have a good drive in one to make your own mind up.