Moving from a 7.5 GTI to 7 Ed40?

[Exonian]

The CS-S had adjustable dampers because it’s a track focussed car therefore they could program it accordingly for a specific track to do a specific job using appropriate springs for the situation. Same as with the aero and choice of rear hatch.
A very limited run to do a very specific job on a given budget.

Springs dictate ride. Hard springs don’t compress very quickly so need firm dampers to prevent a crash being transmitted to the cabin. Go too firm on both and you get the crash. Go too soft on the dampers and you get the crash. The happy medium is in the middle.
Reactive dampers in a ‘comfort’ setting take a slight amount of time to adjust their valving so by the time your small sidewall tyres and stiff springs have made contact with a sharp bump or depression the jolt will be transmitted to the cabin before the dampers can stiffen sufficiently. Not great when you have a bad back. Not nice for passengers. Liveable in a track special like a CS-S maybe, but it’s not for me.
20 odd years of aftermarket suspensions on a variety of cars and I’ve grown very weary of poor ride quality. My mk8 Clubby on standard non-DCC and pig iron 19’s is pretty bumpy at times but it’s not crashy. I hate crashy.

Driven hard and smoothly, anticipating every move and loading the suspension up before a corner is how a CS-S does the bends of the green hell so rapidly, bouncing off the kerbs every few seconds with the driver not having to listen to their passenger moaning every time it jolts up through their spine.

Still, what do I know eh?

[clubsport]

I understand that curiously, the CSS ran it's ring lap in comfort mode so that it could ride those kerbs. I don't know if you have driven a CSS on the road, it is not uncomfortable at all in comfort setting on a UK B road. I would be more concerned over the damage to the pretoria alloys on kerbs & potholes?

My nordschliefe laps have only been in 911', when its your own car and alloys are that expensive, you tend not to ride the kerbs too agressively!

[Exonian]

My last post got cut a bit short as I wrote it hastily while on call hold to the dentist.

I meant to add in that your point about aftermarket properly matched adjustable suspension would be the perfect solution to the issue but as far as standard factory suspension goes the DCC seems a bit too compromised to me, hence the “what do I know?” as I’m not the highly paid engineer developing these (DCC) systems or the journalists who assure us it’s an essential option.
It all depends on how a given owner uses the vehicle really and what their tolerances are. I know what I prefer but I’m likely in a small minority.
Caveat emptor is all I can say!

Unfortunately I didn’t ever get to try a CS-S, a big regret that I wasn’t brave enough to buy one new when I had the chance. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
I’d have never been brave enough to track it but it would have suited my general uses quite well right now. 

[Rudedog]

Interesting that the new Lotus Emira comes with standard suspension and then you then have to choose the setup, either Touring or Sport so they like to keep it simple.

[willni]

Is there anything to be said for a set of £200 JOM coilovers? 

There's no replacement for a proper coilover set up such a Ohlins or KW for those totally performance orientated. I know of a guy that had a Golf R with ACC and said he hated it and just put a delete kit on it and went to ordinary spring and damper suspension.

Think we're forgetting that the golf is the comfiest of it's competitors and many others are more firm some like the Megane RS just using ohlin coilovers which are a serviceable item! (At least the aftermarket ones are) so we shouldn't really complain.