Evening everyone.

Early next year its likely we'll be changing our 2006 manual vRS for one with DSG due to a health issue that may make an automatic easier to live with further down the like.

 

Anyway, I've got a few questions for DSG Octy owners:

- I've never driven an auto. Does DSG allow you to shift up/down with the stick if you wish (for overtaking etc?)

- do flappy paddles come as standard with a DSG box or are/were they an option? If a car doesn't have them, is it easy to retrofit?

- does anyone know if the pre-FL Limited Edition came with a DSG option? Only ones I've seen have been manuals...

 

Cheers all!

Dave

1 - Yes

 

 

2 - Paddles did not come as standard on normal Octavia models, but I think they did on vRS models....but maybe only from FL onwards? I don't think it's a very easy retrofit......although I think technically it's possible.

 

3 - I imagine it must have been an option.....maybe not many of them around.  

Ive only ever owned manuals and found autos horrific. However now own a dsg 170 vrs pre facelift. No flappy paddles however has in drive a manual option were you merely push up to change up and down for down. Which ia good dun and it changes insanely fast. Very smooth. I will say though I now rarely use that feature and just drive in auto or sport because its such a good gearbox anyway!

Been answered above. 1 - Knock the lever over to the left and you can use it as a manual. FL DSG Octavia vRS models have paddles as standard fit. No idea about the LE. 

It'd be a FL I'd be looking at but if a decent pre-FL LE popped up which matched what I was looking for I'd consider it (as long as I could change the standard wheels on it!).

 

Cheers chaps

I've had 3 conventional automatics and now own a DSG. Mine's the 7 speed though so not the same box as the RS gets. 

 

I don't really understand all the hate on "normal" automatics, not if you have the right one at least. I'll admit, many are crap. 

 

An auto needs some power and torque behind them to work well. A typical european or japanese naturally aspirated engine is too weak and need some revs to wake up. This isn't really ideal when mated to a transmission that always wants to shift up and keep the revs as low as possible. Add to this the fact that automatics of old had fewer gears than their manual counterpart meant that you were either lugging or (over)revving the engine. It further doesn't really help that most compact car makers used to have a single automatic option - their basic 1.6 liter mated to some random box they found in a shed. Something to market for people without a left leg, then. "Who cares, everyone buys the stick anyways". 

 

A reasonably powerful turbocharged engine (petrol or diesel) mated to a decent automatic transmission is a smooth and comfortable thing of beauty. 

Ok, rant over. So what about DSG then?

 

DSG has a more crisp power delivery because there isn't any rubbery slip effect like you get in a conventional auto. However, the clutch robot will never be as good as your own brain at operating the clutch. An automatic has no clutch, it's always in gear, and starts rolling immediately when you let go of the brake. A DSG needs a split second to start slipping the clutch for you. You can't fault the DSG once the car is rolling, but a 'proper' auto is still the king of stop and go driving.

 

Regardless if you go DSG or normal auto, I think you'll find that you won't use the flappy paddles nearly as often as you thought you would. I wouldn't mind having them, but they're by no means necessary. My transmission stays in D 99,95% of the time. There's also S which will put you right in the powerband and move the shift points higher up. You'll also get throttle-blips and downshifts during braking. 

Edited 2 September, 201312 yr by Perc

Mines the 6 speed wet box, it is the first DSG/Auto I have had. I like it alot, even my wife likes it & she hates autos.

Mated to the CR170 it is very smooth & rapid. As perc said, hardly ever use the paddles or gear shift. To be honest if you floor it in drive it will change down a gear or three and put you over the speed limit very quickly.

The 6 Speed 'wet' box is actually pretty smooth. Because the clutches are lubricated they actually slip a bit to smooth it out.

 

For instance slowing down to a crawl then setting off again the gearbox selects 2nd gear then slips the clutch to smooth out setting off.

 

The DSG is a cracking gearbox and actually goes very well with a diesel engine. I never liked a lot of diesel automatic cars I had experienced before. The gearboxes never seemed to want to make use of the puchy boost of torque and would just endlessly rev and rev.

 

The DSG is actually pretty clever. If you time your throttle input just right its just peachy. If you just mash the throttle down it will kick right down and rev right out... press a little gentler just to invoke 1 kickdown, let the revs pick up slighly let it will let you go full throttle without kicking down again- almost like it thinks "ah, won't bother kicking down again. Let's just stick with this gear".

 

I very rarely use manual or sport. I find D offers all the flexibility I need. If you need to overtake it only takes a split second for it to change down.

 

The only time I use manual or sport is for descending steep hills (mines the older box with no incline sensor).

 

Phil

I thought there were some FL cars with DSG but no paddles - I am sure they discounted a few cars for me when I was shopping.  Others here may know better.

 

Unlike others, I use my paddles a great deal - not always in manual mode (although I do drive like this a lot), but even when in D, I use the paddles all the time to drop for corners, even when not driving 'enthusiastically.  I have driven several other paddle shift cars previously, so maybe that is why - but I would highly recommend a paddle shift DSG box, it is worth being picky and ensuring it is on your car IMO.

I drive my FL CR 170 VrS DSG quite a lot in manual mode and use both the lever and paddles, probably using the lever more than the paddles. I find I can keep the engine in the main torque band better than the DSG box does. I dislike the Sport mode for normal driving and find it holds on to the revs too much for normal road use, even to the point of power drop off.

 

The only time I really disliked my DSG box was on the snow and ice. I didn't feel as in control as I would have with a manual box.

Agreed with the above. It's rubbish in winter in the UK - goes for both aspects actually 

Shrug... I've driven plenty of DSG (and even more conventional automatic) in winter weather and it's no more difficult than a manual. If anything, it's easier. I don't really get the "not being in control" part. 

 

The only time I really disliked my DSG box was on the snow and ice. I didn't feel as in control as I would have with a manual box.

 

Mine's a DSG box, Winter tyres/wheels, 205/55/16, drive using the +/-

 

It's a peach

Shrug... I've driven plenty of DSG (and even more conventional automatic) in winter weather and it's no more difficult than a manual. If anything, it's easier. I don't really get the "not being in control" part. 

 

Likewise. I actually find it easier than a manual in snow.