How good is the 7 speed DSG?

[oz_train]

Hi All,
as my new Tig sails past Dakar, I realize that I've taken a bit of a "leap of faith". When I test drove the Tig, the dealer only had the 6 speed (torque converter) auto diesel available. Of course it was love at first drive, but I opted for the 125TSi, with 7 speed DSG - which I've never actually driven! I'm no rev-head, but does it drive like an "old-fashioned" automatic? Is there anything I'll need to do differently compared to a conventional auto (like put it in neutral when idling for a long time)?

The thought of a computer controlling a clutch (2 clutches, actually!) scares me a bit... somebody please give me a hug and tell me it will be OK - that the DSG is an absolute miracle of engineering, and that I can actually forget that I have one!

regards,
John.

[DreamensioN]

It will be fine. You'll love the DSG. It's a manual, without the clutch pedal, and it can change gears 1000x better than you'll ever do by hand. You will have no regrets.

[blutopless2]

doesn't drive like an automatic. nothing you have to do differently. you will just notice a few things when you drive the dsg as compared to an auto.
it effectively selects neutral when you are at a standstill with your foot on the brake.
there is no immediate movement forward like you get from a normal auto when you take your foot off the brake pedal as it is not trying to move forward at all times.
hill starts "feel" funny till you get used to them as there will be rollback before the clutches kick in and some people (including myself) initially found it a bit unnerving.
in "D" it will short shift to conserve fuel.... my 6speed jetta will change gears just before 2000rpm and be in 6th gear at 60kmh. obviously this is when just cruising and not flooring it.
there are prob heaps of little things that you will notice... but (not trying to scare you here) if the gearbox is working correctly they really work well.
i have the 125TSI Tig but in the manual. we love it and the engine is really well matched to the car.. even without chipping we have found it has enough power to make the Tig move quite well for its size.
Enjoy your new car.

[Transporter]

You'll be just fine. The DSG (and also the CVT) is what the transmissions are going to be in the very near future. You will love it!

[epilot]

its a great thing.

for moseying around town you just leave it in D and off you go, it is very lazy and as said above changes up to be in 6 or 7 by the time you doing 60. if you leave it in full auto something that i find also takes getting use too is that unless you come to a complete stop it will sit in 2 and as you accelerate away there is a noticeable slipping of the clutches until gearbox and road speed are matched- i have a steep driveway and if i dont stop at the bottom and let the box catch its breath it will 'slip' all the way up in 2.

if you feel the need you just pop the lever across to the left and you have an awesome 7 speed clutchless manual and in the 147 it really gets the Tig moving- would be better with wheel paddles though... 5 - 10 years you wont be able to buy a new car with a clutch pedal.

designed by Ferdinand Porsche for his 906 race cars in the 60's cant be all bad then?

OZ train shoot me a pm and if we can work it out i'll take you for a run...

[team_v]

if you feel the need you just pop the lever across to the left and you have an awesome 7 speed clutchless manual and in the 147 it really gets the Tig moving- would be better with wheel paddles though.

I believe you can do a Mk6 GTI/R/Passat steering wheel swap that will allow you to have the paddle shift.
There is a guide on the mytiguan site from memory.
Also can be done on conventional auto's and DSG's see here: VWVortex.com - Paddle Shifter retrofit

[Tony Tiggy]

My experience has been nothing but positive with the DSG. I have a 103TDI 2011 Model that has now done 6850kms, I leave it in "D" all the time but did initially have a play with "S" mode and manual shifting. It is actually quite easy to accidently pull the transmission lever all the way down into "S" and friends / family who have driven my Tig have all done this. There is a noticable difference between "D" & "S" modes as it will hold gears longer and rev the engine to a higher level. (Fuel economy predicably suffers).

The other thing I have noticed is an initial reluctance to power off the line if you floor the throttle, though this is probably more to do with turbo lag than transmission.

Gear changes are imperceptible and as mentioned in previous posts it does like to short shift to enhance fuel economy (not a problem in the diesel with so much torque on tap)...

I do the majority of my driving in Sydney metro area with a mixture of peak hour and city / suburban work. I keep the Auto Hold function on at all times as it is a real asset in this type of stop start driving, it works really well on hill starts and holds the vehicle preventing previously mentioned roll back.

I am sure that the DSG has a large role to play in the overall 6.4Ltrs per 100km fuel economy I have managed so far. I have never switched off the A/C and don't do anything to particularly enhance economy i.e. standard diesel, no additives, drive it to suit the conditions...

This transmission type will surely become the choice of most manufacture's in the future, but why wait for the future when you can have it now..

[ethosguy]

designed by Ferdinand Porsche for his 906 race cars in the 60's cant be all bad then?
.

I'd love a bit of a history lesson...

[epilot]

I'd love a bit of a history lesson...

i was certain a DC box was developed for the 906 but ditched because of the weight, but cant find my reference to support that- the earliest 'use' of the DCT by Porsche is as referenced below in the 80's, i've corrected my original post

HowStuffWorks "History of Dual-clutch Transmissions"

Dual clutch transmission - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[ethosguy]

i was certain a DC box was developed for the 906 but ditched because of the weight, but cant find my reference to support that- the earliest 'use' of the DCT by Porsche is as referenced below in the 80's, i've corrected my original post

HowStuffWorks "History of Dual-clutch Transmissions"

Dual clutch transmission - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

very nice...
so which do we have here low torque DQ200 with dry clutches or high torque DQ250 with wet clutches? I'm guessing 250 by engine partnering.

The wet clutch on my dirt moto tolerates untold abuse. Hill too steep & tricky for the to gear...the clutch will do the job...different league to car clutches...

[aussietig]

I believe you can do a Mk6 GTI/R/Passat steering wheel swap that will allow you to have the paddle shift.
There is a guide on the mytiguan site from memory.
Also can be done on conventional auto's and DSG's see here: VWVortex.com - Paddle Shifter retrofit

I'd still say DSG is still unproven. The guy that did the conversion had a 2009 Tiguan.

Stupid question ... but any chance the paddles do not recognise that there's a 7th gear in a Tig?

[darnit]

Recently drove both the petrol and diesel tiggys with the dsg's and i gotta say they are a mighty ripper. So nice to drive. Can't wait to get myself one. It will be happy times.

[Tigger]

Yep, I am also quite amazed with myself ...but I think my next Tig will be fitted with DSG instead of manual....

I have always been a strict manual only driver...you know, "a real driver has the third pedal etc"...

But I am either getting lazy, or I really like the DSG.

I think it is also well suited for this type of vehicle.

If I end up getting a GTI golf though...IT WILL DEF BE A PROPER MANUAL.../ It fits the car....

[oz_train]

I think I need to edit the title of the thread - remove the question mark at the end and replace it with several exclamation marks. "How good is the 7 Speed DSG!!!!".

Thanks epilot for the enlightenment!

regards,
John.

[jimbomort]

Yep, I am also quite amazed with myself ...but I think my next Tig will be fitted with DSG instead of manual....

I have always been a strict manual only driver...you know, "a real driver has the third pedal etc"...

But I am either getting lazy, or I really like the DSG.

I think it is also well suited for this type of vehicle.

If I end up getting a GTI golf though...IT WILL DEF BE A PROPER MANUAL.../ It fits the car....

ours is manual and with the APR upgrade, it fits the car! My real point though is I have driven both a golf with DSG and our Tig and I prefer our Tig. Now there is a few reasons for that, but I have often thought that part of it for me is the DSG almost does its job too well - it takes some of the fun and feel out of driving. It is also as others have commented, a bit 'doughy' off the mark at times.

There is no doubt however that the DSG's are a very efficient and good drivetrain. They have certainly upset the old balance of better acceleration and fuel economy with a manual vs 'an auto', the DSG's are usually as good as if not better than the manuals on both acceleration and fuel use. So getting a manual now when you have the DSG option, is purely cost or personal pref. Or in the case of modding your tig, whether the DSG can handle the extra torque of an APR upgrade? That may have been answered in another thread, but sdomethign to check out if you intend going down that route.