Mk5 Golf GTI automatic or manual?
Discussion
Evening All. I don't post on here very often, but following the departure of my beloved TVR Chimaera, I am thinking of selling my very dull VW golf 1.6 petrol for something more involving to drive. Having had a Mk2 golf gti many years ago followed by a Mk4 golf V5 I enjoyed both of them. I was thinking of a Mk5 Golf GTI. I will not be doing many miles approx 8k-9k. I will mainly be using it for commuting to and from work, using dual carriageways, country roads and some stop start city traffic. Which gearbox will be best DSG or manual?
my budget is £7.5k max
Thanks Philip
my budget is £7.5k max
Thanks Philip
DSG all the way!
Very happy with mine. Its faster 0-60 and more economical than a Manual whilst being much more relaxing to drive. Suits the engine very nicely and when you want to push on theres flappy paddles and Sport mode to make things more interesting.
In terms of maintenance costs the main thing they need is oil changes every 40k miles. Box itself seems quite reliable, mines just hit 98k last week. On a manual with that mileage I'd be expecting a big bill for clutch replacement but not so with the DSG.
Highly recommended
Very happy with mine. Its faster 0-60 and more economical than a Manual whilst being much more relaxing to drive. Suits the engine very nicely and when you want to push on theres flappy paddles and Sport mode to make things more interesting.
In terms of maintenance costs the main thing they need is oil changes every 40k miles. Box itself seems quite reliable, mines just hit 98k last week. On a manual with that mileage I'd be expecting a big bill for clutch replacement but not so with the DSG.
Highly recommended
It's a case of personal preference over "best"
Both boxes have pros and cons, the good news for DSG is that the cost of repairing faulty boxes is falling so it's closer to twice the price you'd expect to pay for a dual mass flywheel/clutch set up for the manual.
I've tried both and I do really enjoy DSG, flappy paddles are a novelty but even in drive making progress is so easy, the drawback is it can be a bit frustrating sometimes pulling away slowly. The only other issue is that some days my left leg is just dying to get involved and although I may be marginally slower changing than the DSG there is something more rewarding about good upshifts and manually blipping the throttle on down changes.
Both boxes have pros and cons, the good news for DSG is that the cost of repairing faulty boxes is falling so it's closer to twice the price you'd expect to pay for a dual mass flywheel/clutch set up for the manual.
I've tried both and I do really enjoy DSG, flappy paddles are a novelty but even in drive making progress is so easy, the drawback is it can be a bit frustrating sometimes pulling away slowly. The only other issue is that some days my left leg is just dying to get involved and although I may be marginally slower changing than the DSG there is something more rewarding about good upshifts and manually blipping the throttle on down changes.
aka_kerrly said:
the good news for DSG is that the cost of repairing faulty boxes is falling so it's closer to twice the price you'd expect to pay for a dual mass flywheel/clutch set up for the manual.
The thing is though the clutch in a Manual is pretty much guaranteed to need replacing at some point. Its a consumable item and has a finite life time.The DSG mechatronics unit and clutch packs should last the life of the car and only need replacing if they fail prematurely. Long running thread here worth a look - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
With reference to this quote in particular:
Dr G said:
Can confirm; don't remember a single problem with one behind a 2.0T and have been surrounded by them every day for 7 years.
I drive a car with a similar engine (Octavia VRS, Petrol). Before purchasing I took both the manual and DSG out for a drive. I'm sure the DSG is fine, but in the test I had I just couldn't see why I want it over a manual.
I guess if 90% of my driving was through town with constant start/stop, but to be fully engaged with the vehicle I'd take the manual any day of the week.
Flappy Paddles I'm sure are a lot of fun - while they are new.
I guess if 90% of my driving was through town with constant start/stop, but to be fully engaged with the vehicle I'd take the manual any day of the week.
Flappy Paddles I'm sure are a lot of fun - while they are new.
Stoofa said:
I drive a car with a similar engine (Octavia VRS, Petrol). Before purchasing I took both the manual and DSG out for a drive. I'm sure the DSG is fine, but in the test I had I just couldn't see why I want it over a manual.
I guess if 90% of my driving was through town with constant start/stop, but to be fully engaged with the vehicle I'd take the manual any day of the week.
Flappy Paddles I'm sure are a lot of fun - while they are new.
I went through the same debate but decided to give dsg a try. I was doing mainly rush hour crawls , a road and motorway typical outer london stuff. I'd lived with manuals for all my life,just having had loaner autos. For my average commute I got to and from work less tired and more relaxed in the autos. Added to that behind a2.0t the dsg especially in manual mode stops the drop in turbo spool speed during changes. So the question then becomes can you have fun in a dsg?I guess if 90% of my driving was through town with constant start/stop, but to be fully engaged with the vehicle I'd take the manual any day of the week.
Flappy Paddles I'm sure are a lot of fun - while they are new.
I say you can, but you may need to change your driving style a bit. Things like braking in a straight line, changing down before the corner all become more important. There's no room for bad habits of slip engaging the clutch at or after turn in. If not the gearbox will still be engaging as you want to accelerate and you will say the car feels disconnected. You need to be in the right gear at the right time, so in manual change down before the corner. This style change takes time, weeks if not more to accept and you will never adjust from being a long term manual driver in a short test drive. A dsg petrol turbo is ruthlessly efficient at accelerating, much more so than a manual. Joining motorways and dual carriageways from slip roads is easier.
99Chimaera said:
Thank you very much guys for your imput, it seems that DSG is the way to go. I might try both tramissions before making a decision either way. Thanks again.
I think this point is key. Take both for a good drive and decide which is going to suit you better.I will personally re-invetigate DSG when I'm looking at the Mk3 vRS later this year.
I have an Audi with the 7 speed DSG box. My opinion is that 7 speeds are great when in automatic mode but I think in manual mode 5 speeds would be better as I seem to be forever changing gear with the paddle shift - maybe, as others have suggested, I need to change my driving style to suit a DSG box in manual mode?
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