Mk7 GTI - manual or DSG?

[T34au]

Test driven both, can't decide

Manual - sweet, very engaging, I've been driving autos for the past 9 years and if I don't buy manual now, it's going to be "never".

DSG - versatile and fast, more cars are available with it (and sunroof and DAP that I want).

What do you guys think?




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[tigger73]

One thing to keep in mind is if you're going to tune it the clutch in the manuals don't take the higher torque so well as the DSG. There's quite a few manuals that need to upgrade the clutch just to take the torque.

Though if you're going to stay stock then it's a lot less of an issue.

Resale is potentially harder with a manual as there's a smaller market.

If it's going to be a daily and you do a lot of bumper to bumper traffic then changing gears can be a bit of a pain. If it's a weekend car then go manual

[Fish Jetski]

As an owner of a manual R, you can tell where my allegiances lie...but I think you can look at the key drivers of your decision as follows by the key Pro's of each transmission:

Manual:

- Better feel on take off, you can load, slip, control exactly what happens on take off
- Traffic light Grand Prix - in between launch control and a docile take off there is more variability with a manual.
- The joy of changing gears yourself (although the gear change itself is not as sharp as say an mx-5 or Boxster)
- The better longevity of the manual and more likelihood of frying a clutch ($2k) instead of a gear box ($$$$$s). This is more important if you tune or add even more to the car.
- A con is that you will stuff it up and look like a twat once in a while - this is offset by the feeling of when you get it right.

DSG:

- The speed of launch control, it is faster
- The noise of gear changes under load
- The risk of the gearbox (the life is stated to be 150k on average and shorter if tuned)
- The comfort of auto in traffic
- The security of consistent gear changes offset by the disconnect of not having to do it yourself.

If you can afford a GTI, any resale differences are moot, and more than offset if you choose to mod the car.

There is no right or wrong answer here - either preference is a good choice!

My 2 cents worth is that you are buying the car for the joy of driving a beautiful machine. If you wanted raw you would go the Megane RS or Focus RS - hence you want some comfort. For me the compromise ended with the manual - I wanted that extra level of control, but maybe my next car will be a DSG as I will be 5 years older and (maybe) have a bit more of a mature outlook....


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[Fish Jetski]

One thing to keep in mind is if you're going to tune it the clutch in the manuals don't take the higher torque so well as the DSG. There's quite a few manuals that need to upgrade the clutch just to take the torque.

Though if you're going to stay stock then it's a lot less of an issue.

Resale is potentially harder with a manual as there's a smaller market.

If it's going to be a daily and you do a lot of bumper to bumper traffic then changing gears can be a bit of a pain. If it's a weekend car then go manual

My understanding is this is an issue with the R with the Haldex AWD, but not so much with the GTI with it's smaller turbo...That said I once burned a clutch in my first drive out from a 'dump pipe and tune' in a manual, and have got to say that the investment into a heavy duty clutch made the tune 100% better as hook up with the upgraded clutch was visceral!


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[T34au]

Traffic doesn't annoy me, I lived with a manual before
Tuning? Nah.
It's a second car in addition to wife's SUV and I do want to be more engaged with the car (otherwise will be texting in traffic )

Megane RS - no French cars, thanks!
Focus ST - torque steer and grip in the wet are my concerns
Focus RS - not going to be available for a number of months (I kinda need to change the car now)
And there is WRX with CVT vs manual. CVT is a no, manual is fun, but it's unhealthy petrol appetite (probably double the golf if driven hard), but the grip is good

So GTI is a good compromise.


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[sparkyboy69]

Never owned a auto until MY16 GTi PP. Best decision ever made, DSG is fantastic


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[Fish Jetski]

Traffic doesn't annoy me, I lived with a manual before
Tuning? Nah.
And there is WRX with CVT vs manual. CVT is a no, manual is fun, but it's unhealthy petrol appetite (probably double the golf if driven hard), but the grip is good

So GTI is a good compromise.


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Not Tuning? You are missing out.

Upgraded from manual WRX to manual Golf R - using the same driving style around town the usage went down from 14.5L/100km to 12.1L/100km...(note the second car is a boat lugging Jeep...I understand your want of a fun machine...)


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[T34au]

Not Tuning? You are missing out.

Upgraded from manual WRX to manual Golf R - using the same driving style around town the usage went down from 14.5L/100km to 12.1L/100km...(note the second car is a boat lugging Jeep...I understand your want of a fun machine...)

May be after warranty tuning...if it's not broken, don't fix it





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[Mattlock]

Manual all day long. The main reason I bought an R over the GTI PP.

I found the GTI & R DSG cars to be dull and not exciting. The manual cars felt completely different. My sister thought the same and avoided the DSG R.

I spend 90% of my time in the daily grind but find the manual no real pain.

Plus a manual is cheaper to buy.


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[T34au]

Manual all day long. The main reason I bought an R over the GTI PP.

I found the GTI & R DSG cars to be dull and not exciting. The manual cars felt completely different. My sister thought the same and avoided the DSG R.

I spend 90% of my time in the daily grind but find the manual no real pain.

Plus a manual is cheaper to buy.


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That's what I'm leaning towards. Plus wife isn't keen on driving manual cars despite knowing how to. More reason to keep the car to myself


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[Mattlock]

Mk7 GTI - manual or DSG?

Haha. I converted my wife from auto to manual about 15 years ago. She won't drive an auto or DSG - hates the lack of control!


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[Vagabond]

Modern cars are the culmination of over 100 years of human ingenuity - everything from the ignition system down to the rubber compound in the tires represents a cohesive marvel of design and engineering. Years of refinement have improved the driving experience beyond imagination, but have also slowly dulled our appreciation. Manual transmissions provide humble acknowledgement of the inner workings of the vehicle, its engine and its underlying physics which ultimately helps reinforce the connection between man and machine. To me there is something fantastic about manual transmissions. They're also fun.

[Mike_lama]

If you look at the pros and cons, DSG will always come out on top, especially in the pros department plus we all love the DSG farts.

BUT there is one key factor that can't be measured with manual and it is the high level of engagement you get from executing smooth shifts and feeling much more in control. Level of enjoyment I experienced in the manual vs DSG when I test drive both was non comparable. Couldn't swipe the smile off my face after the manual then drove the DSG and it wasn't the same, was disappointed.

I'm now a proud owner of a Golf GTI MK7 2016 in manual.

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[Mattlock]

The only negative I have with the Mk7 manual is that I now find it almost impossible to heel-n-toe my gear changes.

In my Mk5 I could do it easily every time and it was great fun to get it right with timing and smoothness.

In the 7 because they've changed the pedal hinge, the gap between the brake and throttle means that the R has almost stood on its nose before you're in range of blipping the throttle.

It's a real shame as it's the only feature of the DSG cars I like plus there are other manual cars out there in the VAG family that have software to blip for you.


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[SevenR]

lol, if I couldnt heel/toe in a manual it would be pointless to drive one!

what you need to do is modify/extend the go pedal (not the brake pedal obviously) so you can heel/toe - I had to do this years ago to my 911 for the same reason.

i dont understand this talk of 'not feeling/being in control' of a DSG 7R, in the old days of torque converter auto yeah definitely agree, but with this car its an automated manual & I allways feel in total control of how it works when in manual/tiptronic in race mode.

in regards to choosing dsg/or manual - I couldnt make up my mind so went with the dsg - I can always pick up a manual in a few years time if I miss one bad enough.