To DSG, or not to DSG. That is the question.

[jb747]

Having test driven the DSG and manual R32s it was a really easy choice. DSG for me. There was nothing good about the manual in comparison. Pushing a clutch pedal in and out doesn't do anything for my driving pleasure. Especially if the end result is a slower vehicle that uses more fuel.

[Chung]

Having driven auto for the past 2 years I was pretty adament I'd get DSG in my golf but after test driving both I realised I'd forgotten how much fun I found driving manual. I found the DSG great, and fun to drive compared to a standard auto but it just didn't feel as engaging to me as manual. So just make sure you test drive both, you won't know which you prefer otherwise.

[ozgriff]

Go with the heart on this one.

I think if you enjoy driving manual and that is your preference, go for it. You may be bored like some others who need a clutch and h-pattern gear box. Plus the initial saving off the DSG option goes in your pocket.

Resale, well, that can always change, but I would tend to agree with the resale not evaporating on a DSG car. I feel that a similar condition car, DSG vs manual, it will always be higher; not agreeing with the lopsided comment of a bad quality DSG vs good condition manual, fair comparison???

In the end get the car you want... you're not getting anything out of the regular buyers interest, i.e. orange leather or 20" rims and there will be a buyer at the end of it all.

[motk]

We're enjoying the DSG experience so far, a run out to Dubbo went very well. It seems that D and S modes each have separate fuzzy learning maps, so you do need to spend some time playing with both to get them tuned to your style.

It's a shame the flappy paddles don't come as standard, seems like a bit of penny-pinching there.

[lunar1]

I was disappointed by my wife's edict that the next car we get has to be an automatic...so I grudgingly ticked the box for the DSG on the TDI 2.0 Golf.

After 6 months and 10 thousand kms...getting the DSG was a blessing in disguise!

Seamless transition, all the other stuff on paper about the DSG, etc has been true to form.

Granted, I still miss throwing the knob around and pumping the clutch from time to time... to make up for this loss, I most always keep it in Sport mode and drive it like i stole it to get the most personal enjoyment

Got a mate with a similar golf who pinches pennies and never uses the S mode, what a shameful act !!

All that praise for the DSG being said, my next car will be a manual as I still find my left foot reaching for the invisible clutch from time to time.

per the resale question, I would say DSG - as most people would like to multi-task on the 10 other things they shouldn't be doing on the road instead of manual shifting.... applying make-up, eating fast food, playing with the phone, reading the melways, choking the custard chucker, etc.
cheers

[Purgi]

As stated, would come down to your driving preference and what sort of k's you do.

Driving a manual V8 like I have over the last 10 years in Sydney peak hour traffic every day, manuals don't appeal to me anymore and I ticked DSG on my order. Should have it in a few weeks and my left knee is aching in anticipation.

If I drove the car in less built up areas and didn't have hours of stop start traffic then I would have gone with the manual. I don't, so DSG before I suffer crippling arthritis.

[GTom]

Also Chose the DSG option.

With what everyone says in Sydney travel frequently in Peak Hour traffic hence my decision....

Also test drove both and basically thought the DSG was a much better and comfortable drive then the Manual...

[vectorskink]

WOW! Thanks all the replies guys. We've already driven the TDI with the DSG - niiiice! But haven't driven the TDI in manual. We will have to organise a test drive in a manual before we make a decision.
Good to know that it's a safe bet which ever transmission we choose! To the people that have the manual with the TDI- how do you find it?

[Mischa]

WOW! Thanks all the replies guys. We've already driven the TDI with the DSG - niiiice! But haven't driven the TDI in manual. We will have to organise a test drive in a manual before we make a decision.
Good to know that it's a safe bet which ever transmission we choose! To the people that have the manual with the TDI- how do you find it?

its great. gears are a bit short: 40 in 1st 75 in second. but then it lengthens out a bit to 125 in 3rd and almost 200 in 5th etc...

but yes lots of fun especially with the turbo lag and massive torque

[adrian112]

I picked the DSG simply because driving in peak hour in sydney with a manual is so bloody annoying....its funny though because one of the quirks of the DSG is how it rolls backwards on hills sometimes like a manual! gave my self a heart attack the first time it did that.....

[Manaz]

Having test driven the DSG and manual R32s it was a really easy choice. DSG for me. There was nothing good about the manual in comparison. Pushing a clutch pedal in and out doesn't do anything for my driving pleasure. Especially if the end result is a slower vehicle that uses more fuel.

I agree - I drove a DSG GTI and then a manual R32 back to back recently - and as much as I preferred the R32 as a whole, I much preferred the slickness of the DSG as a gearbox.

You can change manually if you want, you can leave it in auto mode if you want, and you can mix and match (don't like the gear the computer's chosen? Just change it with a paddle tap, and then the computer will take over again after a while).

I've driven manual cars since I got my first car (at age 19, I'm now 31), and as much as I love the control a manual gives over a regular automatic gearbox, a DSG isn't a regular automatic gearbox.

[spawn]

...... I would say DSG - as most people would like to multi-task on the 10 other things they shouldn't be doing on the road instead of manual shifting.... applying make-up, eating fast food, playing with the phone, reading the melways, choking the custard chucker, etc.
cheers

this is so true for me, thanks to DSG, I am able to muck around with the GPS, radio and have a drink which would be impossible with the stick.

[Gearman]

Not Dsg

guess I must be a bit tight, or maybe just bitten by expensive auto rebuilds in the past. Enquiries to the dealer indicate about $5K for a rebuilt DSG - sound like more than a lifetime of clutch replacements. Also a work mate has a DSG passat v6 that had the DSG fail - took 3 weeks to get it fixed and was in and out of the car a few times. Eventually replaced under warranty. I wouldnt want that if I were to owned the car out of warranty, so long term I say Manual.

[Purgi]

I agree - I drove a DSG GTI and then a manual R32 back to back recently - and as much as I preferred the R32 as a whole, I much preferred the slickness of the DSG as a gearbox.

You can change manually if you want, you can leave it in auto mode if you want, and you can mix and match (don't like the gear the computer's chosen? Just change it with a paddle tap, and then the computer will take over again after a while).

Did you find the manual R32 box notchy? The one I tested did. I also found the R32 DSG in manual mode wouldn't hold gear unless I was giving her a kick in the guts and would change up if I was coasting without my intervention.

Not that big a deal, perhaps it's part of the fuzzy logic and the salesman who normally drove that car drove it like a pussy. Would have liked manual mode to hold the gear I wanted unless I was doing something stupid (was doing 50 in 3rd and coasting when it changed up to 4th on me).

[Purgi]

guess I must be a bit tight, or maybe just bitten by expensive auto rebuilds in the past. Enquiries to the dealer indicate about $5K for a rebuilt DSG - sound like more than a lifetime of clutch replacements. Also a work mate has a DSG passat v6 that had the DSG fail - took 3 weeks to get it fixed and was in and out of the car a few times. Eventually replaced under warranty. I wouldnt want that if I were to owned the car out of warranty, so long term I say Manual.

If I actually keep this car for more than 3 years, seeing that it'll have DSG, I'll certainly be shopping around for an extended warranty when that 3 years nears. I'm not entirely convinced of the reliability of the DSG long term but then I won't be doing that many mods to it (famous last words).