I was up in Glasgow, last week, visting the family, and took my Mum along to the local VW dealers to convince her to trade in her shed of a FIAT Multipla for a shiny new(ish) Touran. Once I`d sorted that out, I cheekily asked if there as any chance of a test drive in the new GTI... `Of course`, was the answer. I had to go back the next day, since the manager who`s daily it is was, wasn`t in, but once I`d got my hands on it...Wow! I`m definately loving it... It was DSG-equipped (as I hoped it would be), and it was an thing of beauty to drive. Totally seamless auto up-shifts were a bit odd at first, but it just added to the sense of relentless acceleration. The kick-down wasn`t as brutal as standard slush-boxes can be, even when it dropped from 6th to 3rd, and took off like the proverbial scalded cat! Putting it in `Sport` made the gear changes (and kick-down) a little more aggressive, and it even popped on a couple of shifts. I then opted to try out the paddles, and found them to be very easy and intuiative to use. The last (and only other) car I drove with paddle-shift was a F355 F1, and at the time that was a revelation, but the DSG made that look pre-historic by comparison (God knows what the current Ferrari system is like, given that it shifts twice as quick!) Taking it to the red-line in each gear, it was well into 3 figures far quicker than I thought it would be. Gave the salesman a bit of a fright too... He wouldn`t let my try out the launch-control though, since (apparently) using it more than three times voids the warranty... [:^(] Needless to say, I`m sold, and as soon as I work out the finances toward the end of the year, I`ll be getting my order in. Charcoal grey 3-door with DSG and adaptive dampers, please...
sounds ace! still not all that found of the dsg. although i havent driven one. is it just fast automatic tranni? i prefer to drive a car and have a manual box.
Sounds fun to drive, I've always wanted to try a DSG to make my mind up. Surely it's go to be the future for all cars?!
My local dealer has a black, 5 door GTI DSG as a demonstrator and they kindly offered me a go...so I shall be driving that once I get back from offshore. 2 fold really... 1. I'd love a Mk6 GTI - but they aren't cheap! Not sure if I can justify the cost. 2. I have the option of buying my dad's Mk5 GT TDI 170 DSG cheap when he orders his Mk6 GTD...so I'm out to suss out both the Mk6 and the DSG 'box. I can't help but think I'm going to come away with a longing for a red Mk6 GTI.
That's my thinking... For an everyday car I can really see the point of DSG. Would I have it on a weekend toy? Maybe not... My old man swears by it after 45 years of manuals...but then again, he's in his 60s. Time will tell...
My dads boxster is a auto with tip and its just hard to get on with. For normal driving it doesnt use the rev range at all, As soon as you pull away and doing 1 mph is switches to 2nd and sometimes 3rd. On the track is takes too long to shift so you have to put it in manual and use the buttons. Its not far off the DSG will be getting a manual next!
Porsche Tiptronic is just a Mercedes Benz 5 speed auto...a proper slushmatic. Their PDK is an automated manual, like DSG, and incomparable. I'd not have a Tip in ANY Porsche...in fact I'd not have PDK either. For me, any form of sportscar should be a manual. But for an everyday car, so far I like what I see with DSG - especially now the code has been cracked and you can tweak to to suit. I'd have to live with one to really say though.
Chris Harris seemed to think it could have a place in Motorsport. from abotu 5:55 he starts talking particularly about the DSG box. http://www.drivers-republic.com/dr_tv/index.cfm?videoid=8636101c0fbb45f1974b3ce7ea0a5262&area=videos Granted, he was driving the Scirocco N24 race car, but he was rather impressed by the relatively standard Engine and Box set up in it.
I can see how they are beneficial for motorsport where every last second counts... For me, for weekend fun...I'm not sure I would want one over a manual. Each to their own though. For road use, when you are feeling lazy...they are perfect.
I`ve read and heard of some automated manuals not letting you downshift as quick as you`d like, so would be a compromise on track, but with the DSG I found it would downshift exactly when I wanted. Case in point; on the test drive, I came piling into a roundabout in sixth, hard on the brakes, clicked the left paddle three times, and it instantly dropped to third, with a satisfiying blip and pop, as if I`d block shifted and heel/toed as I would in a manual. No dramas, no fuss, and I was on my way... Actually handled far better than I expected it to as well.
No, it`s an automated manual. So it`s internals/operation are exactly like a manual, but it has an automatic controller too. There`s a few shift options; full auto - Stick it in `D` and away you go. Sport auto - Select `S` , and it revs further with more aggressive shifts Sequential manual - Move the shifter to the left (the pic below is a for a LHD, so would be to the right), and you can then use it like a sequential shifter. Back for upshifts, forward for downshifts. Or use the paddles; right one for up, left for down. The beauty of that is, you can use the paddles when the wheel is straight ahead, but if you have a lot of lock you on (out of roundabout for example), you can just use the shifter, until the wheel is in a better position.
FAIL how can you not be fond of it and haven't tried it. it's got very little in common with a traditional auto. No torque converter, instead two wet clutch packs one works with 1-3-5 and the other with gears 2-4-6. that allows the super quick gearchanges
Some interesting info on the DSG box there. I'm test driving a couple of mk5s at the weekend (sadly for my sister and not for me) one DSG and one manual. This may sound like a silly question but I've only had experience of an auto with manual mode before on a 3 series; so on the DSG, when in 'D' mode, presumably there is still some auto function - i.e. coming up to a halt at a junction in say 4th, the box would automatically drop to 1st when pulling away rather than having to flip down three gears yourself? Launch control sounds interesting...guessing the salesman wouldn't be too keen on me trying that on the test though.
yes Rob in D it changes as a normal modern auto would I think even in S it does a certain degree for you to prevent damage
Actually reading back I asked the wrong question there, since D mode is fully auto. What I meant to ask was when the car is in sequential manual mode, will it still shift down automatically when you come to a halt?
