New tow car purchase

[cholo]

We are just about to order a new octavia vrs (petrol) which will be used as a tow car to tow our caravan occasionally.

We can't decide between dsg or manual. Never driven a dsg before. Will the dsg make life a little easier while towing?

[ALY77]

In a word, yes.

On longer climbs I need to drop from 6th to 5th, once in a blue moon even 4th if I've been boxed in behind a truck or the likes.

Depending on the roads I can be up and down gears a lot. Throw that in to a ten hour journey and my love for a proper manual can fade a lot.

[EddyP]

Definitely DSG, I've got a Passat DSG which we use to tow our caravan and it does a fairly good job.

[MorganP104]

The DSG unit, as fitted to various VAG models (including the Octavia) is a proper automated dual-clutch manual, which is more suitable for towing than a conventional torque converter automatic 'box. It won't overheat, it won't need additional coolers, and it won't slip or judder under load.

As an added bonus, like many automatics these days, it's a computer-controlled adaptive system, meaning it will adjust its shift patterns to allow for the additional weight of whatever it is you're towing behind the car. This means it won't constantly be in the wrong gear, which makes for a relaxing and frustration-free drive.

The only thing you do need to be mindful of is having the DSG system regularly serviced. Neglected DSG systems will play up eventually, but they are very hardy if looked after properly.

All in all, I wouldn't give it a second thought - between a manual and a DSG, I would ALWAYS take the DSG.

(I speak from experience - I have driven many DSG-equipped cars, and used to own a VW Golf 2.0 GT TDi DSG. )