My last 2 cars have been automatic and I like the relaxed driving style and general ease in city traffic and motorway jams.

Given I live in London my journeys are either local and relatively slow, or longer motorway trips eg to the Alps - I don't go belting along A-roads.

Wherever I start with my criteria I end up with the Octavia estate (or possibly the Leon equivalent), and a petrol engine (probably the 1.4 but possibly the 1.2). It will be a family car and looks to fill our requirements perfectly.

We are looking for outright private purchase and to hold the car for as long as possible.

I would normally have just gone straight for the DSG but did a google search for problems and there does seem to be a lot of noise about DSG issues.

What do people think? (For the MY16 1.4 150PS the manual slips into Band C like the other combinations I am looking at, whereas the 1.4 140PS is Band D.)

 

I think if you opt for DSG you will find it to be a very smooth box.

If you are looking at the lower power models, they are fitted with the seven speed 'dry' box as opposed to the 6 speed 'wet' box used on the higher torque engines.

You would need to research any issues relating to the seven speed in particular.

If you are buying a Mk3 then regardless, it will still have all or some of the Manufacturers warranty on it, once that expires of course it's up to you, maybe a third party warranty to protect you from any issues.

I think with every update or upgrade, the boxes get more reliable but any Auto box has the potential to cause issues, just look up nasties relating to Ford's Powershift transmission if you want some light reading....

I moved from an auto 320d to a manual VRS TSI because I missed the engagement of a manual box. However, having owned the TSI for more than a year I do miss the ease of driving and smooth/seamless gear changes. I do like the manual, but if could travel back in time I would chose DSG instead.

Edit: The new 7-speed DSG's fitted to the 1.2 and 1.4 TSI's are really good. I had a 1.4 DSG courtesy cars during warranty work on the VRS, and the engine+gearbox combo were silky smooth and very responsive.

Edited 31 May, 201511 yr by Orville

Around town in London and cities alike the DSG comes into its own and just makes driving easy. The 7 speed is slick and quick and just keeps the car moving and quickly when needed.

 

Any gearbox can give issues and searching the internet might not be the best way to get an idea of how good a car/gear box is, take this forum most of the posts are about a problem or a possible problem does that make the Octavia a bad car - no the problems are in the 0.001% or less of total production.

 

I would go for the 1.4TSI over the 1.2. The 1.2 is ideal for around town and the 1.4 is ideal for your long runs fully loaded.

I have gone for a DSG, but I'm coming from a very smooth Ford Powershift Auto. I have to say, when test driving the DSG,miss not a smooth as the Powershift, you can feel the gear changes where the Fird nix is seamless (unless in sport mode, then it's closer to the DSG)

But I wouldn't go manual ever again, as the advantages of auto over manual are getting increasingly larger as our roads and traffic jams get more and more frequent.

I find DSG a bit of a mixed bag to be honest.

From experience I find DSG doesnt mate so well with TDI motors, but is v good with TSI motors.

The 6 speed box is on the most part smoother as its wet clutch design means it can build in additional clutch slip to smooth out pulling away from standstill and in stop start traffic. Problem is (particularly on the TDI's) it can make them a little hesitant to pull away quickly...the diesels affected more so due to their shorter low gearing and bigger turbo lag/inertia to pull away from idle. Did my head in on my Mk2 vRS TDI CR, you do learn to drive around it on the most part...providing a heavy dose of throttle a few splits before you actually want to move and regulating it so it doesnt result in a heap of wheelspin...but at times and particularly if you got it wrong it was borderline dangerous. You get none of that with a manual TDI.

The 7 speed cant slip the clutches so much so IMHO isnt so smooth at low speeds or in stop start traffic particularly going between 1st and 2nd gears but it provides a more positive/rewarding shift on the move.

I'll freely admit I havent driven an O3 or MQB based DSG car so I am sure they have improved since my ownership experience but other than for relaxed long distance driving I would still preference a manual.

I would consider one on a higher output VW/Audi vehicle where you get the benefit of the exhaust "thrap" on upshifts which is lovely but you dont get that on the Skodas.

I am looking to order a Golf GTD company car soon; I could pay a £50/month tax deductable contribution and take a DSG equipped one but as much as it would probably suit the kind of driving I have to regularly undertake (30k-ish/year, lots of motorway work), overall I know Ill prefer the manual box and would rather save the money.

I wouldnt personally worry too much about DSG reliability now though...the 6 speeds are pretty bulletproof so long as the mineral oil in them is changed every 40k miles...also the 7 speed experienced alot of early problems which have been resolved by the switch from synthetic to mineral gearbox oil for those...was a big recall in china I believe.

Edited 31 May, 201511 yr by pipsyp

I had an early DSG7 on a 1.8 TSi and it was a great box, however when I dropped out of high speed driving (70+) to low speed/stop start driving it was horrid until such time as it had cooled right down. Stuttering at times.

 

The DSG6 in the vRS is perfect. Not any hassles at all.

Since I'd already decided I wanted the chunky geekyness of the scout with the top engine my decision was made for me.

Yeah, reliability rumours are mildly concerning (but overstated - it's no longer new tech), as is there being no headroom on the max torque rating of the DSG, but I still think that overall its a good thing.

Combined with ACC - it makes sense, and you can always use it like a manual if you want.

It also stops the wife making inappropriate gear choices - an advantage that shouldn't be overlooked.

Welcome, jambalaya. I've been automatic since the mid 90s. Citroen Xantia 2.0, Mitsubishi Galant 2.5 V6, Saabs 9-3 2.0t and 9- 2.3t, now Octavia 1.4TSi DSG.

The DSG box generally had some teething problems, but IMHO VAG appear to have solved the issues. They wouldn't still be using the tech across all the different makes and engine power outputs if it was still an issue. (Incoming...!) IMHO. Lots of stuff on Wiki site.

My Galant box packed up after 20k miles - not a good advert for Japanese workmanship. In my 9-5, the gearbox was the only thing that didn't go wrong in 125k.

 

The DSG box is not much different - no better, no worse in its own ways - from any of the others I've had. Like any new car, it just takes getting used to - the power band, when the box changes, throttle pressure, etc, etc, etc.

It's not "intelligent" the way the boxes in the Saabs were, they built a memory of your driving style and adapted their changes accordingly and I miss that with the DSG. I use it within its limits.

I have a DSG7 with a 1,2 litre engine. Although others have said that low-speed driving is horrible, I disagree. It's smooth even at low speeds and start/stop traffic. There are some occasional hiccups but these seem to be related to driver actions, for example releasing the accelerator pedal for a brief moment just as the box has started changing gears.

Hi, I have the DSG7 with the 1.8 TSI, and the association is a real pleasure. It's smooth in all circumstances.

If Sport drive mode is selected, it is very reactive, and you get this joyful sound when gear is going down.

 

There have been lots of reliability issues raised on the DSG7.

I don't have detected so far any complaint raised on cars produced after end 2013. 

I assume the new gearbox oil and the Mecatronic change have solved the issue.

However, I took a garanty extension to 5 years.

I have the 7 speed DSG in my 1.6cr Elegance Combi and it's really smooth (as was my previous Mk2) with the Mk3 it has the choice of Drive, Sport or Eco mode so there is a choice to suit your driving style, plus you can also shift manually. My mk 2 had 79,000 miles on the clock when I traded it in and I had no DSG issues in that time.

I think most of the DSG issues are from the MK2 time not many issues being reported now.

DSG is poor with diesel engines. I actively avoided buying a DSG car when looking for a Superb 4x4 after driving a Vrs Octavia to Scotland and back. Clunky and slow. Hateful.

And torque convertor one's are just putrid on diesels. I had a 4x4 with a TC box (whilst waiting for the Octy) on it and it was absolutely atrocious. Bloody thing couldn't make up its mind whether to go up or down.

 

When I went for a test drive in a vRS it was in a TDi DSG and it was superb, buttery smooth and perfect and I'd rather have a TDi DSG than a TDi & TC boxed car any day of the year!

Dsg from my edn30 golf to the tsi vrs dsg is a vast improvement. Round town in traffic. Auto mode is great. I agree with the above re the getting away quick causes slight hesitation but not a deal breaker but spirited driving, use the paddles. I find the eco style fuel saving in D means its in 6th at 35mph and quite rightly the car has no pull at 1250rpm :( meaning going down the box at least two cogs.

I've been an "automatic" fan since my 1st auto (Ford Granada 3.0 litre GXL ), through Mercedes, 3 x BMW's, and a Honda Hybrid with a CVT 'box. Apart from the Honda, which failed 3 months out of 3 year warranty (at a cost of £10,000 to fix !!), all have been good, but my Octy 3 with 7 speed DSG mated to a 1.6 Diesel is the best, & has been a perfect match. After 18,000 miles it has never missed a beat and remains silky smooth in operation - I wouldn't hesitate to have another !

JKW

Dsg from my edn30 golf to the tsi vrs dsg is a vast improvement. Round town in traffic. Auto mode is great. I agree with the above re the getting away quick causes slight hesitation but not a deal breaker but spirited driving, use the paddles. I find the eco style fuel saving in D means its in 6th at 35mph and quite rightly the car has no pull at 1250rpm :( meaning going down the box at least two cogs.

Never go down 2 gears, always an odd number of gears 1 or 3, with twin clutches1,3 and 5 operate on one clutch and 2,4 and 6 on the other. Changing down 2 gears means a longer wait as the clutch has to disengage/re-engage, so the throttle gets a tickle or a boot full.

I've now done nearly 10k miles in my TDi vRS DSG, and i wouldn't swap it for a manual now.

 

As everyone says, its a bit of a pain getting off the line, but once rolling she's buttery smooth, and great for driving stupidly, or trundling round town.

 

At ~30mph in eco, there is a bit of a dead spot, but i suspect that is all about economy.

 

I personally think 1st is a bit low ratio, my car seems to change out of first almost instantly.

 

On paper my Seat Leon Cupra R should wipe the floor with the vRS, but its very even, due to the quick perfect gear changes from the DSG.

Welcome, jambalaya. I've been automatic since the mid 90s. Citroen Xantia 2.0, Mitsubishi Galant 2.5 V6, Saabs 9-3 2.0t and 9- 2.3t, now Octavia 1.4TSi DSG.

The DSG box generally had some teething problems, but IMHO VAG appear to have solved the issues. They wouldn't still be using the tech across all the different makes and engine power outputs if it was still an issue. (Incoming...!) IMHO. Lots of stuff on Wiki site.

My Galant box packed up after 20k miles - not a good advert for Japanese workmanship. In my 9-5, the gearbox was the only thing that didn't go wrong in 125k.

 

The DSG box is not much different - no better, no worse in its own ways - from any of the others I've had. Like any new car, it just takes getting used to - the power band, when the box changes, throttle pressure, etc, etc, etc.

It's not "intelligent" the way the boxes in the Saabs were, they built a memory of your driving style and adapted their changes accordingly and I miss that with the DSG. I use it within its limits.

The VW group DSG box also adapts to driving style. Shift patterns after a while change over different driving habits.

Edited 1 June, 201511 yr by harrysprout

I'd really like to know hoe stuff "learns" - I mean, how well.

 

If I drive like a nun 95% of the time and briskly it the rest, will my sedate driving stop it behaving properly when I want it to?

I have been driving a 1.6TDI/DSG since 2010, faultless, once on the move, quite brilliant, say when sightseeing round the Antrim Coast road, the very twisty 'n steep bit the tourists are sign-posted away from.

Otherwise one ud be changing gears endlessly, if a manual.

So, sorry, but also GOOD with diesels!

Reversing a trailer, not so much, ditto for parking/un-parking on an incline, as the low speed/slow speed or "inching" facility was well-poor on the Mk II.

Very much "all-or-nothing"

But;

I suspect (as he dusts off his rusty Halo) the DSG responds best to smooth driving/drivers, i.e. it can "learn" what to expect better if one is consistent with the pedal control.

As opposed to being intermittently off the throttle,  dab the brake, 'n back onto the throttle, as I am aware others are known to drive.(having followed them at a safe distance)

Cheers

M

Left foot braker me, why lift off when you've gotta brake pedal ?

 

LOL

The VW group DSG box also adapts to driving style. Shift patterns after a while change over different driving habits.

Sorry harrysprout, I beg to differ.

Can't see any mention of that in any Skoda or VAG material - owner's manual, Skoda website, model brochure, nor VAG's technology webpages on DSG, nor any road tests. Just that it adapts to the current conditions - road speed, engine speed, accelerator position, and driving mode (i.e. Sport, Normal or Eco). No mention of any long term learning of driving patterns, but I'm willing to see it written down somewhere.

 

From a default setting the Saab box built up and stored information over a few hundred miles and gradually settled into its own parameters, with gradual changes in its behaviour if there were any material changes in driving style as the miles went by, for instance always using fierce acceleration when before it was always gentle acceleration. Alternatively the memory could be cleared by pulling a fuse for 20 minutes. Then the learning process started all over again. Driving over a well known route, before and after memory clearance, the difference in gearbox behaviour was clearly noticeable.

From SSP 390 (7-speed DSG), FWIW.

The electronic control unit learns (adapts) the positions of the clutches and the positions of the gear selectors when a gear is engaged and takes what has been learnt into consideration for further operation of these components.

And from the SSP for the 6-speed DSG.

The Mechatronics assembly can adapt to learn the positions of the clutches, the positions of the gear actuators for each specific gear and the main transmission fluid pressure.