My many hours of research before becoming a Yeti owner is slowly suggesting my milage should aim me at the 1.2 or 1.4 petrol, which is fair enough and probably about right... BUT

There seems to be a lot of raving about the DSG system which I don't fully understand so a few bits of advice would be great.

I am from the 'old school' where auto gearboxes used to break and cost a fortune to repair, they were jumpy and you changed the brake linings every 48 hours because there was no engine breaking and you burnt brakes out constantly.

My last auto was a Ford Corsair when I was a teen, the box broke and I drove 15 miles home at 2am in reverse, stopping and pretending I was parked every time I saw some lights approaching, I was left with a neck that was sore for a month and mental panic issues that would qualify me for a looney institution whenever anyone mentioned an auto car.

My short read up suggests the DSG is a 'constant drive' type system ???

Am I right?

Is it as good as what it appears to be?

Why should I get it instead of a stick to wiggle about?

and while we are at it..my test drive of the 1.2 with 3 non lightweight back seat passengers, the salesman was not happy but money talks...I tried putting my foot down and it was ok but hmmmmm..is this the turbo/supercharger did I not have it in the correct rev range?

Well thats enough for now, not buying until the post Xmas slump, so there will be more but I don't want to sicken anyone kind enough to reply.

Rather than hear from lots of people who have the box, here is my view... A friend of mine who changes cars as often as he does his shirts and tends to buy big merc's bought a Seat of some sort (a small one).

It had the 1.2 petrol engine and the DSG box.

He gave me a lift home one night along with the 2 better halves.

I have to say it was pretty awesome, without him telling me that it had changed up I would not have noticed.

It was bloomin quick too.

He said he was most impressed with the gearbox...

I suppose it felt the same as a DAF Variomatic would feel, or one of those twist and go scooters.

I half considered the DSG for my yeti order, but in the end plumped for the manual, partly because at the time of ordering DSG boxes were a considerable block in terms of delivery. Everybody wants them and VAG were short stocked.

Looking the recent lead times, I think this is much less of an issue.

If there was a DSG box for the Citigo that we also have on order I would have plumped for that, but the auto box is not the same design in that car.

The reason the changes are so smooth is down to a pre-select mechanism and two clutches. Its more of a semi automatic than the old fashioned press the loud pedal and wait for everything to spin up.

If you like to change gear yourself (like me.)buy the the manual gearbox.

If you want to pay about £1000 for a computer to do it for you buy the DSG.

I prefer the £1000ish in my pocket. :yes:

DSG is great. Years of wearing out my left knee/elbow and now on second DSG, it is excellent.

Cannot understand why more people don`t use it as manual is just an old tradition and surely keeping both hands on the wheel for most of the time is much safer and technology has moved on. No need for constant rev counter watching and driving one handed.

Are there any drivers out there who having owned and driven a DSG for a decent length of time and have disiked it so much they have gone back to a stick shift.

Get into the 21st Centuary and enjoy a much better driving experience!! With of course the option of changing up and down manually without the leg movement or if you are Rockhopper with the click of a thumb! And DSG is faster than manual at changing gear!

Yes it is a bit more money but worth every penny

Cheers :beer:

Petet

Ah the DSG.....This has been covered upteen times on upteen threads.......

The DSG is a manual box. it has 2 clutches, one for the gear you are in and one of the next (up or down).

The DSG is an automatic and there are only 2 pedals.....

work that out

The DSG in 7 speed form (1.2 tsi petrol) is a dry clutch gearbox and is more economical than the manual equipped car.

The DSG in 6 speed form (diesel CR140) (which I am on my 2nd car with same gearbox) is a wet clutch gearbox which can take more torque. It is not as economical as a manual equipped car.

The DSG will change gears faster than you can blink, or at least change gear yourself.

They are very good, but they do take a little while to get used to driving because it does not drive like a traditional auto, mainly at very low speeds and up steep hills at very slow speeds.

You can still play with the gear lever, or retro fit a flappy paddle MFSW. (not a Skoda option).

All DSG's and I think possibly manuals cut power when the brake is applied, so that it is not easy to very fast standing starts like in my old 530d. No point in left foot braking with a DSG.

It really depends. Does the OP want an automatic?

I woulkd say go drive one and see what YOU think, not what we think. I will never drive a manual car by choice now. I have only covered about 40,000 miles in my previous one and today racked up 28,000 in my Yeti. There is a thread in the Octavia section with several cars having done 100,000's of miles without any issues (taxi's mainly). And then there are people who have had issues with theirs with only a few miles.

What do YOU want.

Hmmmm some very interesting replies and thanks to all for your input, I am now without a doubt decided, eerrrrrrrr no I'm not :think:

I think I will have to go and stalk my local dealer some more.

I never knew choosing a model would be so difficult, this is probably my last car before I buy one with space for a zimmer frame so want to get it right.

I have driven a few autos-all trouble free and magically easy (apart from one the Alfa 164 3.0 v6 with a ZF box which was a catastrophe, I put it down to the Italian engine rejecting a German gearbox)

I ran a Seat 2.0Tfsi with the DSG box which was just fine but reverted to a manual with my Yeti-I do very much less town work now and enjoy the manual.

I remember a mark 1 Cortina auto as my first auto experience-not a great car.

The DSG is a fine and clever thing and those that do give trouble seem to do so in warranty.

...this is probably my last car before I buy one with space for a zimmer frame so want to get it right.

No problem - a zimmer fits a Yeti

Auto boxes generally were transformed by electronics back in the 1980s. Providing they are not abused, they're reliable too. Virtually every car in the USA is sold with an auto-box, and many of those cover far higher mileages than we do in the UK. However, the DSG box hasn't been around long enough for lots of longevity issues to arise.

Personally, I really like DSG, but that's because for a lot of my driving, I am constantly changing gear or coming to a stop at traffic lights. However, if you are happy with a manual (i.e., no physical problems in operating the clutch or moving the gear stick), then you would probably be better staying with a manual.

Incidentally, one problem some drivers get changing to an automatic late in life is accidentally trying to push down a non-existent clutch pedal, hitting the brake pedal instead, and coming to a very abrupt halt with potentially serious consequences with vehicles travelling behind.

Incidentally, one problem some drivers get changing to an automatic late in life is accidentally trying to push down a non-existent clutch pedal, hitting the brake pedal instead, and coming to a very abrupt halt with potentially serious consequences with vehicles travelling behind.

It isn't just "late in life". My first drive of an auto was when I was a teenager in a Cortina auto-and I did the comedy "stoppie", stood it on its nose, luckily with nothing close behind. If trying out an auto and anxious I recommend tucking the left leg crossways along the line of the front seat cushion and driving right foot only.

My wife only has an auto licence and having had occasion to drive her cars over the years I maintained my opinion that no auto could ever be as good as a manual. Then she got a Fabia 105 TSi DSG and I changed my manual Yeti for a DSG. I have no intention of driving a manual again. Take a test drive of a DSG and see what you think.

I have 2 autos, one an old school 3 speed Borg Warner 35 attached to a V8, and my Roomster 1.2 tsi 105 DSG.

DSG all the way, every time, fast imperceptable changes, 7 speeds and I can get 50 mpg driven steadily.

B&W lazy, but very smooth changes, power sapping and therefore thirsty. I wouldn't use a" normal" auto in a car under 3 litre.

2 Years yrs ago I would have laughed at you if you told me I was going to buy a 1.2 engined car, and an auto.

I love my Roomster, I suggest you try one (you do not say if your test drive was a DSG or TSI 105 engine). Try driving it gently, then beat it with a stick, see what you think. It's your money/choice, but my wife is already talking about another Roomster and we've never had the same car model twice, in 40yrs of car ownership and over 40 cars,

The Yeti I test drove was a 140 DSG, the gear box was quite impressive, I wanted the 170 and DSG was not an option, The manual shift is pretty slick, one of if not the best the best 6 speed boxes I've used. Only reverse gear seems slightly vague compared to the forward gears.

...I never knew choosing a model would be so difficult, this is probably my last car before I buy one with space for a zimmer frame so want to get it right.

My 2 cents - I advised a manual-box driver that his retirement car should be an auto (based on me driving lots when working in the USA - I drive a manual in the UK). He was sceptical but was quickly converted to this being a good idea. When you get older you need less to worry about!

Personally I'd be happy to get an auto Yeti as my next car. Ideally a 1.4 DSG with cylinder deactivation for economy when it is released. I don't control ignition advance, front-rear brake distribution, etc on my car and see no reason why the gearing should also not be delegated to an automation system!

Edited 3 October, 201213 yr by Totally Square

(you do not say if your test drive was a DSG or TSI 105 engine).

The test drive was the 1.2 TSI manual change, I loaded my better half and 2 friends in the back plus the salesman and myself in the front (obviously) making a total of 5 adults which I thought would have proved the 1.2 was not capable of such a load.

No such thing happened and it nipped away up the road feeling quite lively, the only bit that concerned me was when we were toodling along at 40mph behind a wagon, I dropped back and then and I floored it..not much happened which I suspect was me hitting the power in too high a gear and not sufficient revs on...bit difficult to flog a demo car with 200 miles on it and a nervous salesman breathing down my neck.

The salesman is actually a real nice down to earth guy, after I explained I would walk away if he started any bull**** sales patter, he seemed to loose his gloss and talk normal, he knows I am serious about buying in Jan so I think I will tell him I want some serious road testing and not a Sunday afternoon run out.... need to try the 1.4 though and they are harder to find.

No problem - a zimmer fits a Yeti

and where do I put the half dozen mini wearing young ladys I am bound to attract with the new Yeti if the boot is zimmer full,?

Edited 3 October, 201213 yr by Cumbria Steve

and where do I put the half dozen mini wearing young ladys I am bound to attract with the new Yeti if the boot is zimmer full,?

No problem there - you simply switch cargo!

Bolt the Zimmer to the roof bars and they can take it in turns to pretend they are wing walking, sorted.

Bolt the Zimmer to the roof bars and they can take it in turns to pretend they are wing walking, sorted.

I knew this was the right forum to join for technical help

There's a used 1.4 TSi SE manual at Border Cars in Workington (Approved Skoda).

£12,995 with 5k - seems very cheap...

http://www.skoda.net.r66.co.uk/carview.aspx?id=602500454

Was gonna have a look at it myself but it's too far away!

I knew this was the right forum to join for technical help

To be serious, I do agree - the members were invaluable while I was investigating the Yeti back at the beginning of the year. This is probably my last 'proper' car, too, but what a way to go!

There's a used 1.4 TSi SE manual at Border Cars in Workington (Approved Skoda).

£12,995 with 5k - seems very cheap...

http://www.skoda.net...px?id=602500454

Was gonna have a look at it myself but it's too far away!

3 miles away so I think It's worth a run out tomorrow..and you are right, not a daft price at all that..Thanks

I was in the same frame of mind as yetifabia above. Swore blind I would never have an auto.

My Mrs bought a Seat Ibiza Cupra 1.4 TSi (180 PS) with the DSG box (7 speed dry clutches) and I couldn't believe how quickly it changed up and down the gears, also how responsive it was. Of course 180PS in a small car helps with the fun.

I love the kickdown button, which I've re-named the G-spot button. Flick that and blimey, it goes!

When I was looking for a Yeti and pondering on which model, I definately wanted DSG. I think ALL cars should be this way from now on!

I wanted Petrol (maybe one day I'll be converted to Diesel too)

To me, the specs showed the 1.2 DSG to be a little under powered but only slightly less than a Honda 2.0 CRV auto. I tried them both and didn't like the Honda as it had no Umph. The Yeti 1.2 DSG was very nippy pulling away but once up to speed lacked that Umph needed when you want to excelerate or overtake. Nothing to do with the DSG, just lack of power. The 1.4 DSG would be more power but I think the Yeti is a 4x4 type of car and that's not available on 1.2/1.4 DSG.

In the end I opted for the 1.8 4x4 petrol, for the extra umph, but sadly only available with manual gearbox. Fortunately mpg isn't an issue with me. (good job-28mpg)

The six speed manual is lovely but I'd much prefer a 7 speed DSG

Edited 4 October, 201213 yr by ParaYeti

I have a manual 170 diesel Yeti and my wife has a 1.2 DSG one.

Despite mine being more economical and faster we always take the DSG when we go away, even though I do all the driving.

It's such a nice drive, relaxed, quiet and refined.

If we could only keep one, it would be the DSG.

It's very well suited to the petrol engine.

You've got all the upsides to the DSG already. Here are the reasons you might not want one.

The gearshifts are harsh. A conventional auto slurs it's shifts with the torque converter as it pulls the engine revs up or down. The DSG releases one clutch and grabs the next. Taking about 0.6 seconds.

0.6 seconds is great if you are in a hurry. If you are cruising it just feels wrong.

The gearbox pre-selects the next gear based on what it thinks you are doing. If it gets this wrong it takes about 2 seconds to sort it out. 2 seconds is a very long time to be without any drive when traffic is bearing down on you. For some reason round-abouts flummox this gear prediction, it can't get it right. On the test drive I took the DSG box got it wrong three times. There was only one roundabout. Other times it was sitting at un-necessarily high or low revs.

The fuel economy is worse than a manual. Sure the official figures for the dry 7 speed box put it as beating the manual by a fraction in the standard test. But this is because VW have done an excellent job tailoring the shift pattern to the standard test. Compared to a manual box you've got more clutches, hydraulic pumps and actuators running which all require power from your fuel tank.

If anything goes wrong with the ECU or clutch packs, it'll cost you thousands. These boxes are still powered by a dual mass flywheel. So you are potentially still up for the same labour cost as a clutch change in a manual box. But you'll save maybe 80 quid on the clutch.

Honestly I prefer a conventional auto with an aggressive lockup program to a DSG. I rate the ZF 6 speed in the mondeo above the 6 speed DSG in the superb.

Edited 4 October, 201213 yr by Kiwibacon