So why did you choose an automatic transmission Skoda?

[pfaff]

I didn't.

Having knee or leg troubles you're excused. Automatics otherwise are for little old ladies. :-)

[The PM]

I'll let you tell Lewis and his mates they are little old ladies then...

Edited 12 November, 2016 by The PM

[yetifabia]

I used to be in the "I want to be in control" camp.  In fairness, SWMBO only has an auto licence and either had ghastly 4 speed sludge boxes or gutless CVTs.  Then she got the Fabia with 7 speed DSG.  I immediately changed my manual Yeti for a 6 speed DSG version, so we have both dry and wet clutch versions.  Nothing would persuade me to go back to manual.

[VRS230]

I got bored with changing gear when on the motorway and stuck in traffic.

 

Had a test drive for a day in a DSG vRS and decided it's the way to go, I'm also a lazy ****.

[old newbie2]

I don't currently own an auto, and my new car is manual too, for no other reason but price.

But for me it's the massive progression made with auto boxes.

I used to own an old Vectra with an old school 4 speed auto, which tbh around town and in traffic was perfectly fine. But out on the open road, felt numb and to be honest couldn't live up to enjoyment of a manual.

But Morden autos now so much better. I've driven several Skodas with DSG boxes when I worked at Dealer, and while for some it won't match the enjoyment of a Manual, it does a pretty good job of keeping the fun in driving on the open twisty roads.

In the right car if I had the budget I'd have an auto all day long. Even something like the Octavia VRS.

To take the point further I currently work for an Iveco Dealer and we have recently seen the introduction of a ZF 8 Speed Box in to the Daily Van (same as the box found in Range Rovers etc), and wow what a box.... Unlike the DSG it doesn't have the Dual Clutch Set up but a more tradional torque converter based job. But even so the changes are as good seamless. If I needed a van for busy areas like city's or towns it would be top my list.

In summery I feel many people (particularly from older generations) when they hear Auto, think of an Old clunky 4 speed type of box. If someone hasnt tried a modern auto I'd encourage them to. I'm not saying it would make you buy one, but it's worth just trying to see the progession made.

I think of the old clunky 2 (Vauxhall Victor 101 fitted with a 2 speed GM Powerglide) & 3 speeds, Borg Warner 35 + many others.

 

The twin-clutch DSG's etc, are in a different league, easy to live with & fun to drive when in the right mood.

 

DC 

[Guest]

I didn't.

Having knee or leg troubles you're excused. Automatics otherwise are for little old ladies. :-)

 

I bought my first auto when I had a serious knee injury that prevented me driving a manual for 18 months. The auto kept me driving which was essential...although I really didn't want an auto and had never needed one until then. The plan was to keep the auto until my knee was better and then trade in for a new manual but surprise surprise...we kept that car for near 4 years as it was so good to drive and amazing fun. My knee has been fine for over 4 years now and I've just bought another brand new auto. Wouldn't now ever go back to a manual. Auto's are amazing, giving you complete control with manual mode, lazy mode or of course, sport mode. I used to enjoy changing gear in a manual as many folks do, but today's autos are amazing fun to drive and often give you better mpg's. It's also near impossible to abuse the engine as the auto just won't let you do that. So buying second hand is also a safer bet in my honest opinion. In fact, I don't know anyone of any age that has lived with an auto for a few days and didn't want one afterwards. But each to his own! And by the way, I'm an advanced driver and like to get a move on...certainly not an old lady in driving style!

[vc-10]

After a disastrous experience with a Focus, I ended up inheriting a P-reg Peugeot 306 earlier this year before my Fabia arrived. It was a 1.8 4-speed automatic, and it was terrible. High teens MPG, it was never doing what I wanted it to do (hunting for gears while at a steady 30mph... drove me nuts!), and it just wasn't engaging to drive. Hateful gearbox. Of course, a modern DSG would be much better. I've driven my friend's Sirocco 2.0 TDI with the DSG, and it's great. It's more that I can't see the point of spending the money- the DSG is a worthy alternative to a manual box, they're very smooth and don't sap power and fuel like an old torque converter does. 

[old newbie2]

I'm going back many, many years but I had a manual Ford Granada which was writen off when the engine burst into flames, followed by the rest of the car!

My brother-in-law who lived and worked in the City of London and didn't need his car at weekdays, leant me his automatic Talbot Solara (anybody remember those?) for a few weeks.

Although it wasn't a particularly sophisticated box, I quite enjoyed the auto experience and have never looked back at a manual since then, having owned autos - Vauxhall Cavalier, Ford Monado, Renault Magane, Astra Coupe before my present DSG Octavia.

Brilliant box in my experience but why does Honest John, the Telegraph motoring correspondent, not recommend them and knock them at every opportunity?

I remember the Solara, the saloon version of the Chrysler / Talbot Alpine. We owned 4 Alpines, 3 for myself & 1 for  SWMBO after she'd passed the driving test.

 

The last pair were replaced by an '86 Volvo 360 & an '87 Rover 216. They were all manuals, we didn't really get into automatics until we bought a Cavalier in '90.

 

The only manuals I've had since then have been 3 V6 Mondeos & an '07 Vrs Octy.

 

I still like the DSG concept though, I managed test drives in a 7-speed Tiguan & a 6-speed auto Ford Edge (210ps twin-turbo 2.0 diesel) last week, which if it wasn't too big to get through our garage door would have been her choice of SUV.

We didn't like the 190ps diesel in the Tiggy, but the DSG was more responsive than hte auto in th Ford.

 

DC. 

[old newbie2]

After a disastrous experience with a Focus, I ended up inheriting a P-reg Peugeot 306 earlier this year before my Fabia arrived. It was a 1.8 4-speed automatic, and it was terrible. High teens MPG, it was never doing what I wanted it to do (hunting for gears while at a steady 30mph... drove me nuts!), and it just wasn't engaging to drive. Hateful gearbox. Of course, a modern DSG would be much better. I've driven my friend's Sirocco 2.0 TDI with the DSG, and it's great. It's more that I can't see the point of spending the money- the DSG is a worthy alternative to a manual box, they're very smooth and don't sap power and fuel like an old torque converter does. 

We were lumbered with a Focus rental in Cyprus last month, (1.6 petrol, 4-speed slushbox, probably an '09 or '10 5-door) & the performance / economy was terrible.

Spent most of the time in manual mode trying to find some power to climb the hills!

 

Got home, & back into the Superb which felt like a quick luxo-barge by comparison! 

 

DC

[Guest]

Yes, times have moved on with these autos. The tech and mechanicals have all improved beyond any recognition. I should have qualified what I said earlier with that point. The old auto's were not so engaging and left a bit to be desired. However, my last Fabia estate did have the older 6 speed torque converter auto tiptronic box and that was in fact quite good by most folks standards. Wife and me had a loan car which turned out to be a Ford with that hateful manual shift auto box which had a mind of it's own. Very slow to change, jumpy and would completely put anyone off of auto's for life!

[pfaff]

In fact, I don't know anyone of any age that has lived with an auto for a few days and didn't want one afterwards. But each to his own! And by the way, I'm an advanced driver and like to get a move on...certainly not an old lady in driving style!

Well, now you know (about) me

I may be an old fart but Ive had my share of automatics, including DSGs, and have no desire at all.

But, as you say, each to his own. Just being happy with the Fab man six - tho I find the SEAT man five even smoother, but thats probably the 3cyl engine.

[Phil-E]

We were lumbered with a Focus rental in Cyprus last month, (1.6 petrol, 4-speed slushbox, probably an '09 or '10 5-door) & the performance / economy was terrible.

Spent most of the time in manual mode trying to find some power to climb the hills!

 

Got home, & back into the Superb which felt like a quick luxo-barge by comparison! 

 

DC

 

Wow. I didn't believe that such a new car would have such a god-awful gearbox in so looked it up on Parkers:

 

http://www.parkers.co.uk/ford/focus/hatchback-2005/16-lx-5d-auto/specs/

 

And there it is- 4 speed auto! I bet it didn't have a lock-up on the torque converter in all the gear even.

 

They really have come a long way and even the old boxes termed "slush boxes" which were the old torque converters are completely different now. Even the 6 speed auto in my Saab is a joy to drive and not miles apart from the DSG as it can lock up the torque converter in any gear and stays locked up all the time in manual mode.

 

Similarly the 6 speed tiptronic used in the MK2 Fabia and Octavia has a torque converter capable of locking up in all gears.

[Ootohere]

DSG & having 'Coasting Function', the best thing since sliced bread.

 

Up to speed and off the throttle and instead of displaying 'D6' it goes to 'D' and you are saving lots of fuel and going along just fine.

[old newbie2]

Wow. I didn't believe that such a new car would have such a god-awful gearbox in so looked it up on Parkers:

 

http://www.parkers.co.uk/ford/focus/hatchback-2005/16-lx-5d-auto/specs/

 

And there it is- 4 speed auto! I bet it didn't have a lock-up on the torque converter in all the gear even.

 

They really have come a long way and even the old boxes termed "slush boxes" which were the old torque converters are completely different now. Even the 6 speed auto in my Saab is a joy to drive and not miles apart from the DSG as it can lock up the torque converter in any gear and stays locked up all the time in manual mode.

 

Similarly the 6 speed tiptronic used in the MK2 Fabia and Octavia has a torque converter capable of locking up in all gears.

I "think" that it would lock-up in 4th, not at all in 1st & 2nd, & possibly in 3rd on wide open throttle.

Cyprus is a bit hilly & with a 100 km/h limit on their motorways locking up in 4th going uphill doesn't work uphill!

 

(With a better rental car, Cyprus is a great driving country, the A6 between Limassol & Paphos is well laid-out, very scenic & with very little traffic.

Scooting up into the Troodos mountains is usually fun, even in a Mazda Demios mit a CVT 'box, but the Focus did spoil the experience.)

 

FWIW, we did own 2 Cavaliers ('90 & '91 models) back in the day, both 115 bhp 2.0 injection lumps with 4-speed Asian-Warner autos, with lock-up in 3rd & 4th

& they were great fun , even on a lap around the North Loop of the 'Ring. (In manual mode, using 2nd & 3rd, when shifting up to 4th on the last straight we went from 115 mph

to 110 mph.)

 

Sorry about the rambling, TTFN, DC. 

[Phil-E]

Yeah locked up torque converter in 4th gear with a 1.6 N/A engine uphill is not a good combo!

 

It's fine if you have some power. Mine certainly never bogs down when the torque converter locks up but then it does have two turbos.

 

My gearbox is an Aisin-Warner made box. They make gearbox for many manufacturers including the 8 speed box used in the Touareg which I've also driven and was very impressed.

[tinkytinca]

Apart from a 'Track day' there is nowhere to enjoy a manual gearbox these days. So i opted for an easy life with the DSG. It is far from perfect as it does suffer from 'deciding' which gear to select when you aren't thrashing it. 

[vc-10]

I dunno, there are plenty of decent roads where you can enjoy a manual box without getting a ticket! There's something quite satisfying about nailing a gearchange

[edbostan]

I am surprised car manufacturers have not ditched the manual box. What with engine management systems running the engine at optimum settings why spoil the drive train by the owner over revving, labouring or stalling the engine because of a manual gearbox. I drive a manual but also enjoy automatics.

Edited 29 November, 2016 by edbostan

[Guest]

ed, yes...more and more manufacturers are going auto with the latest DSG/DCT boxes for just that reason. My TSI 110ps DSG is more economical than the manual version. It's almost impossible to abuse the engine too, yet it's so much fun to drive and equal to any manual I've owned, and I've owned some pretty impressive cars over the years. So a win win in my book. But I guess not everyone is ready to upgrade to an auto yet and it's there choice of course. 

[old newbie2]

I dunno, there are plenty of decent roads where you can enjoy a manual box without getting a ticket! There's something quite satisfying about nailing a gearchange

I shudder to think about the number of good & bad manual gearshifts I've made since 1966 but I'm very happy to let the DSG do all the grunt-work, but with 

the ability to shift with my finger-tips when I feel the need.

 

Times change..............

 

DC

[vc-10]

Well the main reason manuals are still around is cost. On the Fabia it's a £1,000 premium for DSG, which the majority of people aren't prepared to pay unless they absolutely need an automatic. On a cheap car like the Fabia that's a significant premium.

[edbostan]

Agree the cost may be a factor but if every car was an auto the cost would come down. The Americans laugh at people who want a car with a stick

[S6JOK]

Hi all,

 

I'm the lucky / proud owner of an Octavia VRS Estate 4x4 (17 days new at time of print, I've managed a thousand miles already ) which only comes in DSG guise.

 

I had already decided my next car was going to be an auto as I was getting fed up changing gears all the time whilst in traffic and towing my caravan.

 

I test drove a 30th anniversary Golf GTI in 2007 with DSG - Wooooow it was so slick and quick I still remember it like it was yesterday, I ended up with the new model Honda Civic Type R.

 

In my opinion the DSG is fantastic just as i remember in the Golf GTI: Impossible to stall the car, No missed gears, No crunching of gears, Lots of fun to be had on twisting A/B roads using Flappy Paddles without taking hands of the wheel, Slick quick gear changes, I can go between Drive, Economy and Sport with a single back shift on the stick which adjusts the revs - gear change limit, No more up and down gears commuting to work and I'm sure it will be good when towing the caravan, i'm looking forward to a nice relaxing drive.

 

I'll be sticking with auto from now on, stick shifts are going the way of CD's they're being phased out, you just need to look at all the luxury high end cars it's now filtering down to the mainstream!

 

That's all Folks!!!!