Have been thinking of trading in my Fabia ltd edition for a Octavia VRS diesel cr,seen some good ones out there with parking aid, jumbo box, xenons etc. The thing is shall i go for this DSG or not? only do about 4000 miles a year no motorway or long distance driving and looking for one about 1 year old so extra cost wont be an issue. Is it any good ?:confused:

Cheers all:thumbup:

I find DSG a bit uninvolving and prefer the manual gear shifter so I've nerver bothered with it.

Drive both back to back and see which you prefer.

If you are doing short mileages like town driving I would think the DSG would be great for you.

My journey into work is only about 2.5 miles (will be cycling soon) but takes about 25 minutes - DSG takes away all the pain of constant 1st and 2nd gear changes etc.

As above though, it's horses for courses - some people like the hands on involvement of a manual box, so drive both if you can to see which you prefer.

It's such a personal thing that you can take advice until you are blue in the face, but only you can make the decision.

Personally, I love it !

Im i right in saying this DSG can be semi automatic,ie you can still change up and down through gears?

That's right - you just flick the lever across to the left and have manual control.

It will still override you in manual though on odd occasions.

In automatic going downhill and braking, I find that mine wants to change down early, so I normally put it into manual until the hill levels out - don't know if anyone else with DSG finds that, or whether it's just me.

My son has DSG on his octavia and it really is impressive. Ive never been a fan of automatics as they seem to rev too high then change gear. The DSG box has got it just right with seamless shifting, you really have to drive one to really appreceate it.

As you say I'm going to have to test drive one,not sure if i can live with the non interaction of not changing gears,don't drive much but when i do i want to enjoy it.

Drive one. I love mine.

Reagrdless of DSG a CR diesel for 4,000 miles may not be a good idea.

Certainly avoid the 170 which has a diesel particulate filter (they need long journeys to operate correctly) and even the 140 may suffer from soot build up in EGR vales, turbo etc leading to niggly problems at first and possibly expensive ones later down the line.

I agree with Mochynmawr - I don't consider the PD170 diesel suitable for the sort of journeys you describe. :thumbdwn:

I'm very happy with my 1.9 PD105 (ish) but I do about 15k miles a year, most of which are motorway/dual carriageway at NSL. :orb_cool:

Horses for courses!

Dave

My wife has the Mk5 Golf GTI with DSG and I have a manual petrol vRS. There is no doubt that the manual is a more involved drive and the manual option on the DSG (whether it is via the stick or the paddles) does not really come close. Mind you that could be because I have not practiced using it very much.

What I like about manual gearshift is that I can vary my driving style minute-by-minute. No need to shift between a Sport and Normal mode - it is all done by me. The Sport mode on the VW drives like a boy racer - it stays in gear far longer than I would want to and refuses to shift up to a higher gear when you are cruising, which results in poor mpg. The Drive mode shifts up too soon IMHO which results in a slightly disappointing drive albeit with decent mpg. Personally I like the buzz of a speedy acceleration, but when I reach my cruising speed I just want to chill along in sixth gear - manual gives me that freedom.

I tend to drive mainly on longer motorway journeys though. For my wife's day to day routine of short city journeys with frequent parking the DSG comes into its own. The gearshifts are almost imperceptible and the ability to creep forward (or backward for reverse parking) is great for city driving.

Sounds like i should go down the petrol route,what you getting MPG all? Much difference with DSG?Cheers

if you want it as an everday car with the occasional enthusiastic drive then DSG is great

if you want the car just for driving enthusiastically then go for the manual. Only time i miss having a manual is when im really pushing the limitations of the cars handling and really that should be saved for the track anyway

Sounds like i should go down the petrol route,what you getting MPG all? Much difference with DSG?Cheers

Motorway journeys at a leisurely 70mph return about 37mpg including a bit of non-motorway driving at either end. Most of my journeys give me 30mpg at least.

My overall (calculated by mileage vs litres in tank) mpg for the last two tanks has been 31mpg, but that includes a God-awful 4.5 hour journey after the M25 was closed - I averaged 15mpg on that one...

I've had too many auto gearboxes fail in the the 25 odd cars I have owned. I have never had any trouble with the manual ones. I also prefer to be in charge of what's going on.

The DSG box is not an auto box in the true sense of the word (with torque converter), it is actually a manual gearbox (with two clutches) that is controlled electronically. The Vrs TDI CR DSG gear box is great and I wouldn't swap back to a manual; but there are a few points to consider -

In manual mode the box has priority over your selection choice, if you wish to use the torque of the engine, beware that if you push the accelerator too fast or against the floor it will always change down to the lowest gear suitable for the current speed of the car.

Also in manual mode the gearbox will automatically change up a gear at approximately 250 RPM higher than in sport mode; if you leave changing gear too late you run the risk of the gearbox changing up at almost the same time as you carry out the manual change, thus causing a dual change.

Once you are aware of the quirks of the gearbox the manual shift works fine and you are able to keep the car balanced through corners should you wish to drive faster. The DSG box comes into its own in busy traffic; it is so relaxing and easy to drive.

I picked the TDI VRS because of the torque of the engine and mid range grunt coupled with the economy; going quicker would not break the bank compared with the petrol. Yes you could argue that the manual box is more involving, however, the high volumes of traffic on our roads usually requires many more gear changes.

What the hell perhaps I am getting lazy in my old age!

It is a dual clutch automated manual and as a 'semi automatic' it is probably the best available. Certainly much better than other single clutch semi autos most of which are very jerky especially in auto mode. Try a Honda i-Shift, Smart or Toyota MMT to find out.

The DSG is the best of all worlds,smooth seamless changes,choice of auto or sequential manual change and a fully rested left foot. The Octavia1.4 TSI DSG is even one VED band lower than the manual version.

After 20 years of driving automatics I wouldn't go back to a conventional four or five speed auto. The response is instantaneous and actually faster than a manual - a fact borne out by VBH on Fifth Gear. I wouldn't go back to a standard auto, even if the DSG does roll back on hills occasionally. Can't comment on the manual due to my licence. And as for the 4k/year mileage versus diesel, don't even bother. I do between 15-18k per year and it's reasonable in the cost v economy stakes in a CR170.

even if the DSG does roll back on hills occasionally.

The 7 speed petrol DSGs have standard fit Hill Hold Control.

I swapped my fabia se for an octy vrs dsg..best move i've ever made !!! The SE was a great car, without a doubt, but the fun i'm having with the DSG box is immense..I use it in all 3 modes regularly, depending where I'm driving..overtaking in 'sport' mode, it 'red lines' through each gear...fantastic fun, and you can concentrate on driving, instead of looking at your rev counter...long bendy country roads, put it in 'manual'..just want a nice day out, or town driving, put it in 'auto'...go for it !!

I use it in all 3 modes regularly, depending where I'm driving..overtaking in 'sport' mode, it 'red lines' through each gear...fantastic fun, and you can concentrate on driving, instead of looking at your rev counter

That reminds me, I must learn to start using the Sport mode for overtaking.

I normally leave it in normal as the pick-up is that good anyway.- I've not had a problem yet getting back on the right (that's actually the left) side of the road.

The 7 speed petrol DSGs have standard fit Hill Hold Control.

With a bit of care (and maybe the handbrake on a steep slope), it's not needed.

WHY ?? Manual Is more economical, definately quicker (in the bends), and more fun (when your in the mood for a ragging) .

DSG has been prone to problems, Jamming in park, unable to unlock especially if pressure is on it if parked on a slope.

Personally the likes of DSG, Tip-tronic, and Flappy-Paddle Shifts, are wasted on road cars. Where are you going to really need the likes of paddle-shift ......on a straight motorway?!?!?!

I was driving a CL 6.3 AMG last friday at a wedding ... Scarily quick and fair enough i was quite pleased to have the paddle shift at hand, to slow her down for some of the corners, but it;s not everyday you drive one of them and secondly its not everyday you rag a car through Irish country lanes at ridiculus sppeds.

So save yourself a few quid or put it into another extra that maybe you were sitting on the fence about getting. MFD3, auto-lights, who knows.

Anyway, best of look in whatever road you choose.

WHY ?? Manual Is more economical, definately quicker (in the bends), and more fun (when your in the mood for a ragging) .

DSG has been prone to problems, Jamming in park, unable to unlock especially if pressure is on it if parked on a slope.

Personally the likes of DSG, Tip-tronic, and Flappy-Paddle Shifts, are wasted on road cars. Where are you going to really need the likes of paddle-shift ......on a straight motorway?!?!?!

I was driving a CL 6.3 AMG last friday at a wedding ... Scarily quick and fair enough i was quite pleased to have the paddle shift at hand, to slow her down for some of the corners, but it;s not everyday you drive one of them and secondly its not everyday you rag a car through Irish country lanes at ridiculus sppeds.

So save yourself a few quid or put it into another extra that maybe you were sitting on the fence about getting. MFD3, auto-lights, who knows.

Anyway, best of look in whatever road you choose.

Absolutely gutted I went for DSG and missed out on the alarm chirp - would have been much more useful

Are there any real problems with them??? and how much would it cost to change the clutches if they went, any really high milers out there that can clarify