Tuesday 1st October 2013

Golf muddles its ABC

VW abbreviation SNAFU prompts collective WTF, PH steps in to MTFU and clear up the mess

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If you've read our UK drive in the Golf GTI Performance and come away bewildered by the whole adaptive dampers thing don't worry. You're not the only ones. VW has got itself in a right mess with reassigned abbreviations that don't even seem consistent across vehicle menus and official publicity material. Leading one roadtester to complain about his adaptive dampers not making any difference to the ride when in fact he was fiddling with the cruise control. So let's try and detangle the whole thing.

First up, you can have your hot Golf - GTI Performance or not - with standard passive dampers. Or pay an additional £800 for three-mode adaptive dampers offering Sport, Comfort or Normal settings.

VW supplies a hand-out with test cars to explain...

Now, in the UK pricelist this option is described as ACC, or Adaptive Chassis Control. But there's a problem here because the Germans have already assigned 'ACC' to the Automatic Cruise Control within the vehicle menus. Which would be confusing enough already if this wasn't referred to as Automatic Distance Control or ADC in UK marketing material and didn't also have three modes to choose from - Normal, Sport and Eco. Begging the question what the hell 'Sport' cruise control is about but we'll save that for another time.

So having engaged ACC Sport mode you may well be wondering why your dampers still feel squidgy but your cruise control has gone all aggressive and has you tailgating the car in front.

Wrong abbreviation! Having paid £800 for your fancy pants 'ACC' dampers the button you need to engage in the vehicle menus is in fact Dynamic Chassis Control, or DCC. Which is what it's always been in markets other than the UK.

Brain hurting yet? Basically if you're looking at a used Golf Mk6, a Scirocco or a Passat CC and it boasts of having ACC on the spec, yes, you've got adaptive dampers thanks to a historic SNAFU in UK market branding terminology. If you've paid £800 for 'ACC' (as per the pricelist) on your new Golf GTI you're actually getting DCC and already had ACC as standard, albeit the cruise control one.

HTH!

Lead pic: PrimeExposures

[Dr G]

Sport (Dynamic in Audi speak) on radar cruise means the car will brake/accelerate more aggressively to maintain distance.

[83AndyJ]

LOL

[loudlashadjuster]

Why, when they have a reasonable resolution screen to utilise, do they insist on using acronyms or abbreviations in the menus at all? The menus all have to be regionalised anyway.

That, or they change the configuration workflow to make chassis and powertrain settings in different screens etc.

[danjama]

Brb

[Dogtown]

Fubar.

[Lagerlout]

Abbreviations my arse. They'd be better off concentrating on delivering cars instead of worrying about ACC/DCC. I've waited five months for mine, still not built and at least another month away, so I've now got a BMW winging it's way to me instead. Morgan make cars quicker than VW !

[lgomgf]

So AC/DC will get your car rocking?

[lgomgf]

So AC/DC will get your car rocking?

[gambisk]

When I read sport cruise control I just assumed it went into the full Audi pre-set and sat an inch behind the car in front in the middle lane

[LewisR]

As confusing as the Audi S2/S4 (based on 80 & 100) cars becoming S4/S6 (based on A4 & A6), therefore two totally different cars having an S4 badge.

[MichelV]

What does the abbreviation GOLF stand for?

[Gecko1978]

call it what you like LMFAO we robbed you of £800 etc mode but IIRC have not test shown the boggo spec one is faster round a track and as this is a performance add on is not that sort of the point it makes it go like SOAS or are VW just TTP etc

still if someone else is paying for the car then why not

[Paul.B]

And I bet it still kills all the power if you attempt left foot braking? That alone is enough to make sure it stays off my list of 'Must Try/Own'

Where will it all end?

[callmedave]

MichelV said:

What does the abbreviation GOLF stand for?

Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden.

HTH

[tigger1]

LewisR said:

As confusing as the Audi S2/S4 (based on 80 & 100) cars becoming S4/S6 (based on A4 & A6), therefore two totally different cars having an S4 badge.

But less confusing than the Scirocco?

[Crackie]

7P rule applies here. Precise Planning & Preparation Prevents Pi55 Poor Performance

[Andy ap]

keh?

[red997]

Porsche aint much better
PASM vs PSM
Porsche Active Suspension Management vs Porsche stability Management
i.e. 3 stage active dampers vs traction control...
at least they do use sport, normal and comfort for the damper settings...

oh, and they use separate buttons rather than hide it in menus....

[oilit]

quiet news day ?

[BiggestVern]

Dr G said:

Sport (Dynamic in Audi speak) on radar cruise means the car will brake/accelerate more aggressively to maintain distance.

Of course what the world really needs is a more aggressive Audi driver.