TSi and DSG

[Dr Jekyll]

Thinking of a Golf 1.4 or 1.5Tsi, and a lot of the used ones have DSG. Am I right in thinking DSG works better on larger engines? I've never been an auto fan, some modern automatics I've driven recently have been OK, (320d, V90) but they've had bigger engines.

[acme]

Presumably you’re talking MK7’s?

I’ve a 1.4 150 ACT DSG, had since new in Sept ‘14 done 83k, it’s a company car. With ACC the DSG is good & makes sense, but it’s not perfect. I believe it’s the gearbox that makes low speeds jerky & take off hesitant. Being a small petrol turbo engine doesn’t help. For me it’s the biggest drawback & I think a regular torque converter would be better.

Try it & see what you think.

All that said I’ve otdered a Polo GTI with DSG.

[va1o]

I've found the DSG works best with the diesels and 2.0 TSI

The 1.4 TSI is nicer with the Manual

[edc]

Why would the engine size matter? I have an Arona 1.0 DSG. It goes perfectly fine for what it is.

[manracer]

va1o said:

I've found the DSG works best with the diesels and 2.0 TSI

The 1.4 TSI is nicer with the Manual

I've found the exact opposite with diesel and DSG combo's, hateful pairing.

[TonyTony]

Not sure if it works particularly better on bigger engines but there was alot of issues with the newer 7 speed dry DSG which went onto the smaller cars.

[Sheepshanks]

manracer said:

I've found the exact opposite with diesel and DSG combo's, hateful pairing.

Wife's Tiguan diesel DSG works just as well as my old Merc, which has the well regarded 5 speed auto. Lucky as we never drove one before we got it.

But....there are, I think, half-a-dozen versions of DSG and apparently they vary a lot.

[manracer]

Sheepshanks said:

manracer said:

I've found the exact opposite with diesel and DSG combo's, hateful pairing.

Wife's Tiguan diesel DSG works just as well as my old Merc, which has the well regarded 5 speed auto. Lucky as we never drove one before we got it.

But....there are, I think, half-a-dozen versions of DSG and apparently they vary a lot.

I've had:
Mk5 golf GTi edition 30 6 speed DSG
Scirocco R 6 speed DSG
Parents yeti 1.2tsi 7 speed DSG
TT-S 6 speed DSG
And they were/are fine on the whole.
Parents had a 2.0 TDI 6 speed DSG
Mother in law had Ibiza 1.6 TDI DSG

Both diesels didn't seem to suit the DSG, preferring to down change when riding the diesel torque would of been better, and what you would generally do if it were manual.

Just my opinion of course.

[liner33]

I found the same I have driven a few diesel dsg's and always found them a bit lacking, dull witted and slow to respond so chose the manual instead however the dsg works really well in petrols and I've owned two.

[GrumpyTwig]

TonyTony said:

Not sure if it works particularly better on bigger engines but there was alot of issues with the newer 7 speed dry DSG which went onto the smaller cars.

Bigger engines with a 7 speed will be the newer wet 7 speed DSG I'd have thought as the dry 7 speed doesn't have the torque capacity.

Having lived with a DSG auto (6 speed) for a year now my opinions on it's effectiveness haven't changed. It does the job fairly well and a lot of the time it can be quite smooth and unintrusive. Sometimes though it falls flat on its face, like when costing up to a junction and then when you want to go it gets caught out and can be very jerky as it seems to think you're stopping.
Sometimes I drive it in sports mode just so it reacts a bit quicker.

Stuck with them in fwd cars though it seems though.

[Sheepshanks]

manracer said:

Parents had a 2.0 TDI 6 speed DSG
.....
Both diesels didn't seem to suit the DSG, preferring to down change when riding the diesel torque would of been better, and what you would generally do if it were manual.

I know a lot of the people on here who got the 2.0TDi Passat Alltrack with 6 speed DSG said it was bad, particularly for hesitation.

It's a bit odd that bearing in mind it's the same engine and 4Motion, they used a different box to the one inTiguan, which is 7 speed wet clutch. I find myself sticking it in S quite a bit as I feel it hangs on to higher gears too long in D. It will drop out of 7th pretty readily, but the change to 6th is so seamless it's barely noticeable. In S it doesn't use 7th gear.

[acme]

Has anyone got the 7 speed dry clutch in a small petrol Golf, either the regular older 1.4 (125bhp) or in particular the ACT (150bhp), or experience in them?

In 83k miles I still can’t figure out if the low speed hesitancy is gearbox or the small turbo petrol, I think it’s most likely the gearbox.

When driving my 30 yr old 6 cylinder Merc the throttle response feels like it’s hard wired to my brain in comparison!

[liner33]

acme said:

Has anyone got the 7 speed dry clutch in a small petrol Golf, either the regular older 1.4 (125bhp) or in particular the ACT (150bhp), or experience in them?

In 83k miles I still can’t figure out if the low speed hesitancy is gearbox or the small turbo petrol, I think it’s most likely the gearbox.

When driving my 30 yr old 6 cylinder Merc the throttle response feels like it’s hard wired to my brain in comparison!

I owned the VRS Fabia with the 7 speed dry and my mum still has hers, I assume you mean pulling away as in nothing, nothing , nothing then F1 launch ?

I believe that its due to the throttle position mapping and can be helped by a throttle box like the DTUK, Sprintbooster etc just to make it more predictable, I assume it can be remapped as well , dont know if you can do it with VCDS even , might be worth looking into

[Drew106]

I had a Mk2 Fabia vRS with DSG.

It was a lovely car to drive and I miss it. The DSG was dead smooth and fun to drive in manual or auto mode. I'd have another DSG in a heartbeat.

It had a 1.4 twincharged TSI though, which was a hugely flawed engine - mine only lasted 35k miles, which was unfortunately not all that uncommon.

I don't really know it's relation to other 1.4 TSI's in VAG cars, but that particular one in the Ibiza Cupra, Polo GTI & my Skoda is very unreliable. Shame, because it was a brilliant engine - 180bhp, about the same torque and I regularly got 40+ MPG.

Also worth noting the DSG's are an expensive item if they need repaired or replaced.

[va1o]

I don't like the Manuals with the diesels as the power band is too narrow. The DSG masks this. The 7-speed wet clutch is the best yet, I had that in a 2017 A5 2.0 TDI 190 earlier in the year and it was a sublime match. So good I thought it was a ZF8 'box!

acme said:

Has anyone got the 7 speed dry clutch in a small petrol Golf, either the regular older 1.4 (125bhp) or in particular the ACT (150bhp), or experience in them?

In 83k miles I still can’t figure out if the low speed hesitancy is gearbox or the small turbo petrol, I think it’s most likely the gearbox.

When driving my 30 yr old 6 cylinder Merc the throttle response feels like it’s hard wired to my brain in comparison!

I've driven that engine with a Manual and the throttle response is the best I've ever experienced in a small petrol! Seems crazy how much difference the gearbox seems to make then...