Well for all the months I have been waiting for my Yeti I had had in mind that my car will be a manual. Now that I have changed my mind and gave him a "mind of his own", I was wondering how different would off-roading - or mild green laning - be in a DSG car? I've never owned an automatic before and have only ever driven a few automatic rental cars.

I guess one would use the + - Tiptronic side of things and force the gearbox to stay in second (or whichever appropriate) gear? I imagine one does not want the gearbox to change by itself when in tricky situations!

Also does the offroad button change any of the settings on the DSG? The manual does not state anything.

I prefer automatics for off roading.

In a Yeti DSG I think I would keep the gearbox in S rather than D as that will hold it in a lower gear anyway but should be need arise for a higher gear it will still change without you having to mess around with it.

You'll find that between the ESP and Haldex system it will be very easy to make the Yeti go over/through some unusual terrain.

I prefer automatics for off roading.

In a Yeti DSG I think I would keep the gearbox in S rather than D as that will hold it in a lower gear anyway but should be need arise for a higher gear it will still change without you having to mess around with it.

You'll find that between the ESP and Haldex system it will be very easy to make the Yeti go over/through some unusual terrain.

Well I expected that D is the wrong thing to do, but surely keeping it in the Tiptronic mode means it won't change "unless you start to damage the engine" (as the manual states) and then it will change gear anyway. But you won't rev an engine that high when doing slow moving work. So why is S better then? My understanding of S is that it will let the car rev up to the red line and only then change. So in slow driving pretty much the same as Tiptronic, no?

My understanding of S is that it will let the car rev up to the red line and only then change. So in slow driving pretty much the same as Tiptronic, no?

I tend to use S mode when off-road. It holds the Yeti in a low gear when going downhill, for example.

I tend to use S mode when off-road. It holds the Yeti in a low gear when going downhill, for example.

But again that is exactly what the Tiptronic side does... It makes your automatic car a manual in that it keeps to whatever gear it is in until you hit + or - (or hurt the engine as stated before). So I still don't fully understand why S is better than Tiptronic?

Going downhill an auto has very little engine braking so putting in S mode will allow it to hold a lower gear for longer, thereby giving some engine braking.

When we got the missus' old Freelander, we got a half day on the Land Rover off-road course. They used an auto, the guy said its a little bit easier as there is less to concentrate on.

"But you won't rev an engine that high when doing slow moving work" - not always the case. At least in the Freelander (and other models of Land Rover I believe) the way to get unstuck if you got cross-axled was to kick it above 4000rpm, after which the cars little brain could figure out that it needed to do clever stuff with the ABS.

On the course we kept it in 1st (or Reverse) the whole time apart from a muddy slope, which needed a run up in 2nd.

In a slightly different scenario, I found crossing rivers in Iceland in a Land Cruiser the best was low ratio 2nd, diff locked, with the "don't change" switch (can't recall its proper name) on. That kept it in the same gear and allowed enough speed, low ratio first being too slow.

[Another edit] Just remembered another occasion where the revs were going up - a slight incline in the desert where the wheels started to slip. That was a case of keep the pedal constant and hope to get to the top of the rise!

Edited 16 September, 201015 yr by Cap'n Buxton

Try it in Tiptronic and S and see which you prefer.

Try it in Tiptronic and S and see which you prefer.

Cool I will! I just wanted to know if there is ONE way of doing it that is the best. But sounds like you can use the box as you like then! Perfect!

Try it in Tiptronic and S and see which you prefer.

One minor problem with that. If you're in S mode, you can't switch to Tiptronic mode without first going into normal D mode - the gate prevents the use of Tiptronic. I've no idea why Skoda (VW?) imposed that restriction on the DSG, it does limit the flexibility of using S and Tiptronic alongside each other.

That's why I tend to just keep it in S when driving on woodland tracks, etc. But, as others say, try it and see. I've always used the "tiptronic" feature of automatic gearboxes on my previous cars, but they've all been 3,4, or 5 gears only, and with little engine braking. With 7 gears to play with, I just find Tiptronic has limited use on the Yeti - the Yeti always seems to be in the right gear, particularly in S mode.

One minor problem with that. If you're in S mode, you can't switch to Tiptronic mode without first going into normal D mode - the gate prevents the use of Tiptronic. I've no idea why Skoda (VW?) imposed that restriction on the DSG, it does limit the flexibility of using S and Tiptronic alongside each other.

That's why I tend to just keep it in S when driving on woodland tracks, etc. But, as others say, try it and see. I've always used the "tiptronic" feature of automatic gearboxes on my previous cars, but they've all been 3,4, or 5 gears only, and with little engine braking. With 7 gears to play with, I just find Tiptronic has limited use on the Yeti - the Yeti always seems to be in the right gear, particularly in S mode.

I think for day to day driving I'll probably be doing just that. D or S only. Unless you want the feeling of "changing" gears yourself. The 140 TDI should have plenty of engine braking in Tiptronic mode so maybe it will also be of more use if you tow a caravan (which I won't).

One thing about VAG Tiptronic gearboxes I just realised is that the + and - are the wrong way around. In the early days of Tiptronic every manufacturer did his own thing but there was soon consensus that + should be towards you when you are accelerating - since the natural forces on your body is to pull the lever back. On these VAG Tiptronic boxes though you have to push forwards against the forces to change up a gear! Peculiar. Though VAG are not the only ones doing it the wrong way around.

Cool I will! I just wanted to know if there is ONE way of doing it that is the best. But sounds like you can use the box as you like then! Perfect!

When you get your Yeti I can give you some lanes in Surrey and Sussex you can try it out on. I don't think there is much risk of damage, maybe some light pinstriping but by the Winter all the bushes will have died. There are some nice hilly ones, ones at funny angles, one with some puddles, there is even one where you can cross a river. In the Summer the crossing is only a few inches but earlier this year somehow it was 4 feet!!

The one around Bockets Farm in Leatherhead is a nice one to start on-

I might look at doing something in Salisbury Plains as that is a good day out but the risk of getting stuck is pretty high especially after rain but there is almost zero risk of damaging your vehicle there.

When you get your Yeti I can give you some lanes in Surrey and Sussex you can try it out on.

Thanks James! Count me in for sure!

Once the weather gets a little wetter so there is some water to splash through I shall do something with the forum, you'll be impressed with what your Yeti can do!

The Yeti is mostly limited by the tyres it comes with from the factory the 4WD system works very well.

I just need to work where that strange noise is coming from on the Landcruiser. I haven't driven it for a few weeks so I'm hoping it will have magically fixed itself....

James, I've got some marked maps for the Plain.

Ah marvelous. I've got maps with the restricted zones but I'm not very familiare with the area so I don't know what is a good route.

I'm spoken to some chaps I know who go often who can supply us with a route.

Ah marvelous. I've got maps with the restricted zones but I'm not very familiare with the area so I don't know what is a good route.

I'm spoken to some chaps I know who go often who can supply us with a route.

My Motor Club (CSMA) have run a couple of 4x4 Scatter Hunts on The Plain, the first of which we won in the Freelander, plus I ran a green laning day there a couple of years ago.

count me in.

Mike

PS can I bring my mountain bike for if I get stuck?