Could I grow to love a DSG Golf GTi ?
Discussion
As usual new car choosing time is driving me nuts.
My bro has offered me his lovely DSG 2006 47k miles MK5 Golf Gti 3dr, but on the few times I've tried DSG, including a brief test drive in a DSG MK5 Gti before I bought my my first manual Gti (I've had 2 manual ones in the last 5 years), I've not really got along with it.
I love changing gear, but this car will be used for 12-15k work miles plus my own 5k, so maybe the DSG will come into its own?
I'm also a bit scared by potential expensive DSG issues.
Any one else gone from manual to DSG? I'm worried it could be the worse of both manual and automatic worlds, not the best!
I will be taking it for a blast this weekend....
My bro has offered me his lovely DSG 2006 47k miles MK5 Golf Gti 3dr, but on the few times I've tried DSG, including a brief test drive in a DSG MK5 Gti before I bought my my first manual Gti (I've had 2 manual ones in the last 5 years), I've not really got along with it.
I love changing gear, but this car will be used for 12-15k work miles plus my own 5k, so maybe the DSG will come into its own?
I'm also a bit scared by potential expensive DSG issues.
Any one else gone from manual to DSG? I'm worried it could be the worse of both manual and automatic worlds, not the best!
I will be taking it for a blast this weekend....
If the mechatronics (gearbox control) module fails it's around £900 for the part alone.
DSG requires gearbox oil change every 40k miles.
I've driven a few as used to work in VW main dealer, the only thing I don't like about it is, if you're in manual mode going for a 2nd gear hairpin (for arguments sake) it changes down to 1st.
Love the full throttle up-shifts and accompanying pops!
DSG requires gearbox oil change every 40k miles.
I've driven a few as used to work in VW main dealer, the only thing I don't like about it is, if you're in manual mode going for a 2nd gear hairpin (for arguments sake) it changes down to 1st.
Love the full throttle up-shifts and accompanying pops!
I was given a MK5 DSG GTI for a week while my ED30 was being shipped - on the first day I tapped the paddlettes up and down a lot, on the second day I did it a bit and by the third I just left it in auto.
There are potential reliability issues, a lack of tactility and the silly little 'clickety click' paddles are more of a switch than an involving integral part.
Well resolved all round hot hatches those GTI's but even with a manual gearbox they do lack soul.
There are potential reliability issues, a lack of tactility and the silly little 'clickety click' paddles are more of a switch than an involving integral part.
Well resolved all round hot hatches those GTI's but even with a manual gearbox they do lack soul.
I had 2 at the same time, both mk5 Gti T Fsi 200 bhp - a DSG and a manual, loved the DSG (best auto I'd driven) but then picked up the manual and it was far better to drive.
If you need an auto and live in constant busy traffic the DSG will be better but the rest of the time the manual is a better drivers car, and the DSG is annoyingly jerky in low gearchanges.
If you need an auto and live in constant busy traffic the DSG will be better but the rest of the time the manual is a better drivers car, and the DSG is annoyingly jerky in low gearchanges.
I just didn't get on with that gearbox in a Touran I had for a while. It dithered with gear changes, and I nearly had a big accident at a crossroads because of the gearbox's delay in arranging drive. Gas pedal flat to the floor, and two seconds sat there with the engine going nuts before the car took off wheelspinning. I wouldn't call it an enjoyable gearbox to use, and I wouldn't have one. YMMV, however 
I'd only ever had manuals before I bought an A3 2.0T DSG and I love it. I do very similar miles to you and it works brilliantly. Auto for the M25/London commute, paddles & ESP disabled for country blasts. DSG service is roughly £150 every 40k from an indie anyway so don't let costs put you off!
I test drove the manual Mk5 GTI and then the DSG back to back - I feel personally felt that the manual worked better with the petrol engine than the DSG. The auto didn't feel as involving.
However - I then drove the DSG TDI 170 Mk5 golf and fell for it (I prefer petrol). The diesel worked really well with the DSG and I'm now a complete convert. The engines also remap very well. For day to day driving, I think it takes some beating. Auto is very relaxing.
However - I then drove the DSG TDI 170 Mk5 golf and fell for it (I prefer petrol). The diesel worked really well with the DSG and I'm now a complete convert. The engines also remap very well. For day to day driving, I think it takes some beating. Auto is very relaxing.
GVK said:
If the mechatronics (gearbox control) module fails it's around £900 for the part alone.
Or try these people...http://www.ecutesting.com/vw_and_audi_dsg_gearbox_...
I've had a manual R32 and now i've got a DSG (don't ask!), the DSG really really suits the lazy V6 in the R32 and I personally feel it's far superior to the manual. For me I think it'd be the complete opposite in a GTI, if it's much more of a revvy car I think it might spoil the fun a little.
In short, get an R32 - you wont regret it
In short, get an R32 - you wont regret it
I have a remapped Scirocco GT tdi 170 with DSG. I second the comments above regarding the DSG being a better fit with the diesel than the revvier petrol. The easy torque of the diesel works really well with the gearbox but the faster responding petrol can expose the gearboxes tardiness sometimes which doesn't happen in the tdi. I suspect the answer to the OP is no but I wouldn't decide based on forum comments. What do we know. Try it for yourself.
I had the DSG gearbox in a TT-S and thought it was great, in auto Sports mode it held onto each gear until the redline (then changed gear so fast you could barely notice the change), and in full manual mode did exactly what you told it to do. It was a bit jerky in traffic when hot, but nothing too bad. The only downside for me was the potential for huge bills if out of warranty, I dread to think what it would cost to fix/replace if it went wrong or wore out.
RYH64E said:
I had the DSG gearbox in a TT-S and thought it was great, in auto Sports mode it held onto each gear until the redline (then changed gear so fast you could barely notice the change), and in full manual mode did exactly what you told it to do. It was a bit jerky in traffic when hot, but nothing too bad. The only downside for me was the potential for huge bills if out of warranty, I dread to think what it would cost to fix/replace if it went wrong or wore out.
I think the costs are way down now from what i've read on R32OC, independent companies are able to replace and fit mechatronic units for under £1000 now I believe?folos said:
I think the costs are way down now from what i've read on R32OC, independent companies are able to replace and fit mechatronic units for under £1000 now I believe?
Maybe, but that's not the total gearbox cost, just the mechatronic part. It a twin clutch, 6 or 7 speed, electronically controlled, manual/auto gearbox/transaxle unit. It's fiendishly complicated, I don't think you can just pop down to Kwick Fit when your clutch starts slipping.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-Shift_Gearbox
Have they fixed the move-off-from-rest issue yet? The one I was in (a few years ago) had no idle creep, and was difficult to manoeuvre at slow speeds.
If you love "normal" autos then you get used to some idle creeping, and many find it difficult to get used to an auto without it. I like the way it's now being built in electronically to some newer transmissions (including the Prius).;)
If you love "normal" autos then you get used to some idle creeping, and many find it difficult to get used to an auto without it. I like the way it's now being built in electronically to some newer transmissions (including the Prius).;)
I like DSG in my Fabia vRS, but it's hard to know how that compares - wet vs dry clutches and a few years of refinements. I spend a lot of time in traffic, both usual London stuff and the M25 (crawl one minute, 70mph the next) and it's a godsend.
I found it took a few days to figure out how much throttle to apply to give the right pace of pull-away. Obviously in a manual, you control both revs and how fast to take up the clutch - in DSG it's trying to figure it out from just the throttle. You might get a few lazy/slow starts and a few full-on launches until you learn how much is right for what you want. I can see how a shorter test drive might leave the impression that it's not doing what you want, but it's absolutely fine once you figure it out.
Mine creeps happily at idle, even uphill. It also hill-holds when you come off the brakes until you take up the throttle (as the transmission isn't always trying to pull you along like a torque-converter auto), so pulling away uphill is no problem. In manual mode it will hold on to a gear unless you're bouncing off the rev limiter or so low it would stall. I find I leave it D most of the time, you can override with paddles (like if you're about to overtake) and it holds on to the gear you select, after 10s or so of no paddle input it just reverts back to D.
Not sure they're much (if any) less reliable than manual gearboxes really. There are millions of them out there and failures don't seem that common. It's not as if manual gearboxes are 100% reliable either.
I found it took a few days to figure out how much throttle to apply to give the right pace of pull-away. Obviously in a manual, you control both revs and how fast to take up the clutch - in DSG it's trying to figure it out from just the throttle. You might get a few lazy/slow starts and a few full-on launches until you learn how much is right for what you want. I can see how a shorter test drive might leave the impression that it's not doing what you want, but it's absolutely fine once you figure it out.
Mine creeps happily at idle, even uphill. It also hill-holds when you come off the brakes until you take up the throttle (as the transmission isn't always trying to pull you along like a torque-converter auto), so pulling away uphill is no problem. In manual mode it will hold on to a gear unless you're bouncing off the rev limiter or so low it would stall. I find I leave it D most of the time, you can override with paddles (like if you're about to overtake) and it holds on to the gear you select, after 10s or so of no paddle input it just reverts back to D.
Not sure they're much (if any) less reliable than manual gearboxes really. There are millions of them out there and failures don't seem that common. It's not as if manual gearboxes are 100% reliable either.
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