Technology isn't always faultless or trouble-free, which is understandable because it takes time to refine & tweak designs and iron out problems, but it was ultimately Volkswagen's decision to release the technology onto the market in its current state of development.
Irrespective of whether that decision was premature or not (I suspect it was), they should take responsibility for their decision and be willing to provide support & backup to the customer without fuss - this IMO was arguably their biggest failing.
Pro tip - "without fuss" does not mean being dragged by the consumer and the media, kicking and screaming, all the way to the government's office for a recall.
There will be people who are prepared to deal with the gearbox's idiosyncrasies, which is fine so long as they understand what they're getting into.
The problem is, Volkswagen (or Ford) isn't the only player on the automotive landscape, so for those who want to purchase a passenger car that can deal with traffic jams or don't want to continually offer sacrifices to the gearbox gods, they'll simply look elsewhere.
Irrespective of whether that decision was premature or not (I suspect it was), they should take responsibility for their decision and be willing to provide support & backup to the customer without fuss - this IMO was arguably their biggest failing.
Pro tip - "without fuss" does not mean being dragged by the consumer and the media, kicking and screaming, all the way to the government's office for a recall.
There will be people who are prepared to deal with the gearbox's idiosyncrasies, which is fine so long as they understand what they're getting into.
The problem is, Volkswagen (or Ford) isn't the only player on the automotive landscape, so for those who want to purchase a passenger car that can deal with traffic jams or don't want to continually offer sacrifices to the gearbox gods, they'll simply look elsewhere.
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