I am waiting for the facelift Octavia to show its true colours (as opposed to spyshots that may or may not represent the final product) rather than buying the Mark II now. I’m looking at the impressive 1.8Tsi Elegance which seems to offer a near perfect power to economy ratio for generally family duties as well as providing a bit of poke when the mood takes! The one ‘option’ that does appear guaranteed is the availability of the 7 speed DSG gearbox. And here lies my concern. The maximum torque & power (184ft/lbs & 170ps) that VW say the new gearbox can handle is almost precisely the figures quoted for the output for the 1.8Tsi engine. So at face value the gearbox will be running right on its limit. That for me is concern enough, however tuning firms (Revo for example) are finding that the stock output figures for the 1.8Tsi engine are already quite a way above the manufacturers quoted figures. VW are not stupid, so the way I see it they either:

a) Have built in quite a bit of headroom to the gearbox and the actual allowable torque/power is greater than VW quote (I hope so but why lie?) or

They will artificially restrict the power and torque out of the DSG equipped 1.8Tsi to ensure it plays nicely with their new ‘box.

Either way I'm certainly waiting for a good ‘hard’ review of the 1.8Tsi with the 7 speed DSG before I consider going that route. And those who have aspirations of remapping or otherwise tuning their 1.8Tsi had best steer clear of the new DSG it would seem!

Comments?

I doubt those limitations are the gears inside. Probably that's what the dry clitch plates can handle in the original design. I wonder if they'll use a stronger compound for DSG7 going on 1.8 TSI equipped cars.

Wet clutch on a DSG.

Not So, Dry up to 180 BHP i hear.

Mike

As I understand it, wet clutch on 6 speed dsg, dry on 7 speed.

[Guess mode]If VAG actually published the power/torque figures the box could actually handle, then the tuning firms would instantly produce maps to those figures. Then when the box went bang, they could point the finger at VAG as the DSG box couldn't handle the published power. This way they avoid that...[/guess mode]

It's not a case of bang, it's just a case of clutch slip and premature wear, I guess. Having a dry clutch on the DSG7 is probably a good idea maintenance wise as well.

I understand VW are "conservative" with power ratings, which I rememer reading somewhere are taken at altitutde ! This is why on the tuning sites often the base power of e.g. TDi 140 are above this figure.

I rmemeber working in Joberg - one of the guys drove a Volvo 850, because the altitude effect was less on a turbo.

One of the benefits of me living at the seaside !

It's not a case of bang, it's just a case of clutch slip and premature wear, I guess. Having a dry clutch on the DSG7 is probably a good idea maintenance wise as well.

Strangely, the thought that a state-of-the-art DSG gearbox might just slip and prematurely wear (right after the warranty period, naturally!), rather than go bang, doesn't make me feel any better

I guess it just makes sense to wait for some reviews to be posted and see how well the 7 speeder works with the 1.8 Tsi. If I were being charitable I'd say that maybe VW were simply trying to make the buying public aware not to expect the 7 speed DSG on any of their engines 'above' the 1.8Tsi.

I just don't fancy being a guinea pig!

It'll just need a new clutch when that happens. I just wonder how expensive that is. Burning a clutch from time to time is not uncommon for many high torque cars, so there have to be plenty of shops around specialised in transmissions.

that is exactly my concern...

lets hope reliabilty will not be an issue with the 7s DSG on the 1.8TSI...

any techies out there with knowledge on the new dry clucth 7s DSG can explain us if the gearbox will be running on its limit and how bad can that be?

The maximum torque & power (184ft/lbs & 170ps) that VW say the new gearbox can handle is almost precisely the figures quoted for the output for the 1.8Tsi engine. So at face value the gearbox will be running right on its limit. That for me is concern enough, however tuning firms (Revo for example) are finding that the stock output figures for the 1.8Tsi engine are already quite a way above the manufacturers quoted figures.

Must admit I do feel more at ease with this transmission in the 1.4 TSI , its 122bhp sitting comfortably within the DSG's tolerances. Apart from the L & K, at least as far as the UK is concerned, there are no 1.8 TSI DSG's to tempt us. Guess only time will really tell regarding reliability. A similar worry could be considered at the thought of a ' little' 1.4 turbo hauling around the Octavia's not inconsiderable mass.

In any case, we do have 3 years peace of mind, whatever the outcome.

If it helps I went in an 05 plate dsg 2.0tdi octavia estate taxi that had done 186k miles. Driver said there had been no probs with gearbox. The 7 speed dry clutch in the latest ones is supposed to be an improved version. How much abuse are you intending to give it

If it helps I went in an 05 plate dsg 2.0tdi octavia estate taxi that had done 186k miles. Driver said there had been no probs with gearbox. The 7 speed dry clutch in the latest ones is supposed to be an improved version. How much abuse are you intending to give it

That's very comforting - even the 6 speed wet one should last me at least 31 years!

Slightly OT but I would have thought a wet clutch would be better, to allow slip/control without wear?

Some of the technical experts might know better, but as I understand it the dry clutch version gives better economy and power due to no drag from the oil. Also the "7th" gear is actually a lower ratio 1st gear to reduce clutch slip in slow moving traffic.