Has anyone got the paddles on their steering wheel? What do you think of them and are they worth it?

I haven't, but in true Internet forum style, I thought I would respond anyway .

 

On an Octavia vRS or a Superb Sportline 280, maybe having fingertip control of the gear changes whilst driving spiritedly around some country roads is good, maybe even essential to get the best out of the DSG 'box.

 

However, on a big SUV that has no sporty characteristics whatsoever (and yes, I do believe the Sportline is pointless and a vRS Kodiaq would just be stupid, even if it would probably look awesome!), I really do not see the need to have paddles on the steering wheel. On the odd occasion when you do want to control the gear selection, you can do that with the main stick, but if you're doing that regularly then you probably should have bought a manual 'box anyway (or a different car completely).

2 minutes ago, WiggosSideburns said:

I haven't, but in true Internet forum style, I thought I would respond anyway .

 

On an Octavia vRS or a Superb Sportline 280, maybe having fingertip control of the gear changes whilst driving spiritedly around some country roads is good, maybe even essential to get the best out of the DSG 'box.

 

However, on a big SUV that has no sporty characteristics whatsoever (and yes, I do believe the Sportline is pointless and a vRS Kodiaq would just be stupid, even if it would probably look awesome!), I really do not see the need to have paddles on the steering wheel. On the odd occasion when you do want to control the gear selection, you can do that with the main stick, but if you're doing that regularly then you probably should have bought a manual 'box anyway (or a different car completely).

Yes, you can shift up and down easily with the gear**** in manual mode. But I would still get the paddles as a gimmick but i like tech

I'm in a similar boat. I like my tech and little gimmicks if they don't cost too much and this will be the first car that I buy brand new and order rather than just broken in ex staff cars. So am in two minds. Especially as in the grand scheme of things it only costs an additional £90 on top of the heated steering wheel anyway 

Just now, abaday789 said:

Especially as in the grand scheme of things it only costs an additional £90 on top of the heated steering wheel anyway

 

I'd question the need for a heated steering wheel in the first place - especially in Weston!

 

I like my tech as much as the next person, but spending money on 'gimmicks' or on tech that will have limited use is pointless.

Reason for heated wheel is for the other half as she has Raynaud's so struggles during the winter until the car heaters warm up enough to warm her hands up. Seeing as they're not much on top of the price of the wheel hence why it's something I've considered. 

2 hours ago, abaday789 said:

Has anyone got the paddles on their steering wheel? What do you think of them and are they worth it?

 

It’s not arrived yet, but I’ve ordered the option of heated wheel with paddles. The demo car I test drove had the heated wheel, but without paddles, and I really appreciated it (poor circulation in my hands when it’s cold). Like you, I was torn between just the heated wheel, or picking the paddles too. Ultimately, for the extra £90, it seemed worthwhile - I sometimes quite like picking gears manually, and sometimes quite like an auto. So the DSG + paddles seems to offer the best of both worlds. I get that you can shift gears using the lever, but then you can also adjust the radio volume using the touch screen and yet I wouldn’t want a car without steering wheel controls for volume now.

40 minutes ago, abaday789 said:

Reason for heated wheel is for the other half

 

So it's not a gimmick then!

 

2 minutes ago, MrTrilby said:

I sometimes quite like picking gears manually

 

Out of interest, why?

1 minute ago, WiggosSideburns said:

 

So it's not a gimmick then!

 

 

Out of interest, why?

It was more to ask about the paddles than the heated wheel itself

1 minute ago, abaday789 said:

It was more to ask about the paddles than the heated wheel itself

 

Fair enough. I'd still not bother, personally. Unless you're buying cash (i.e. no loan from anywhere), it's £90 + interest. And it won't add anything to the value of the car down the line.

I'll be cash finance as I call it. Making the most of the finance offers but paying it off as soon as all four wheel are planted on my driveway 


On a side note, how do you find the Edition model of the Kodiaq as that's the trim level I'll be looking to go for. Though may mean I need to upgrade my phone to make use of the wireless charging function 

Edited 9 April, 20188 yr by abaday789

I have the heated wheel and paddles. I wanted the heated wheel after trying a friends range rover years ago with it fitted and loved it. Over the winter the wheel and seat heating were my most used option bar none. Love them. If you have never tried a heated wheel you invariable do not get it until you have it and then it is a must, As for paddles, I tried them twice .. the DSG does a much better job of changing for you but as a gimmick you might try a few times and get bored quickly. If you are driving a performance car then paddles may be appropriate.

22 minutes ago, WiggosSideburns said:

 

Out of interest, why?

 

Because sometimes on twisty lanes, I find it fun to change gear myself and either anticipate a slow corner coming up, or hold it in a lower gear than would be considered economical. Most times I prefer the car change gear itself.

 

17 minutes ago, WiggosSideburns said:

 

Fair enough. I'd still not bother, personally. Unless you're buying cash (i.e. no loan from anywhere), it's £90 + interest. And it won't add anything to the value of the car down the line.

 

We’ve ordered a Kodiaq to replace an 11 year old car with nearly 160k miles on the clock. I’m really not fussed about “adding value”, or worrying about what a prospective owner in 11 years time might want. The paddleshift option is likely going to cost me 68p a month for the next 11 years. I reckon I can live with that.

That's answer I'm looking for. I would presume the option may make more sense if you were having to change gears manually in the first place. I was thinking more on the off chance that that for say the DSG might try selecting too high/low of a gear at some points so would help with shifting it up/down manually to get the RPM that you need.

4 minutes ago, MrTrilby said:

Because sometimes on twisty lanes, I find it fun to change gear myself and either anticipate a slow corner coming up, or hold it in a lower gear than would be considered economical.

 

Flick the gearbox into Sport, or change the drive mode into Sport. The DSG will then hold a lower gear for you.

Does the heated wheel hear up any quicker than the seats?

 

I've had heated seats on 5 Volvos, a Ford, 3 Saabs and a Mercedes Benz. All have heated MUCH quicker than the seats on my previous Superb or present Kodiaq.  On a winter's morning, I've done nearly a mile before I can feel any effect.  My 23-year-old Benz (with thicker leather) has me toasty in 300 m - and turns itself down after a while!

I'm not a big fan of heated seats myself. They're nice thing to have as standard on the higher trim levels but I'd sooner swap them for the heated screen and washer combo. Plus to me they just make me feel like I've just soiled myself. But I guess that's my niche opinion on them lol

Edited 9 April, 20188 yr by abaday789

54 minutes ago, WiggosSideburns said:

 

Flick the gearbox into Sport, or change the drive mode into Sport. The DSG will then hold a lower gear for you.

 

I appreciated the thought, but that’s not the same thing for me. I’m already used to auto gearboxes with a sports mode, which I also sometimes use.  But I also want to manually choose the gear sometimes, for no better reason than sometimes it gives me pleasure to do so. 

As with everything in life opinion varies, but if you check this website outside of the Kodiaq forum you'll see that in some Skoda models and in some circumstances the DSG box doesn't always get it right.

 

As good as an auto box is, it isn't going to select the gear you want, when you want, every time, manual intervention is likely to be required.

 

Whilst you can use the regular gearstick to manually change gear I would always prefer using steering wheel mounted paddles, if for nothing else than it being easier.

DaveMiller - the wheel heats up a little quicker than the seats. You feel it warming within the half mile easy. Not as good as the Merc heating response you refer to though.

 

Silver1011 - gear selection is personal preference. I have never found the DSG box with the 190tdi in the wrong gear. Admittedly you can confuse the box with a slow down and immediate accelerate with preselection delaying the gear change. Various factors though .. I find the better torque on the diesel suits the DSG box better than the petrol when I test drove and personal driving style will no doubt play a part. If you want to hustle along then the paddles will no doubt help. I am no hustler though ..

 

Have been using paddles for years. Wouldn’t be without them. Who wants to grope around on the floor in this day and age.

 

I use them every journey. Mostly to click down for various reasons.

 

I think there are far worse Gimmicks on offer before paddles.

Edited 9 April, 20188 yr by BoxerBoy

On 4/9/2018 at 13:43, abaday789 said:

On a side note, how do you find the Edition model of the Kodiaq as that's the trim level I'll be looking to go for. Though may mean I need to upgrade my phone to make use of the wireless charging function 

 

You may be disappointed - seems like the wireless phone charging has been dropped from build until they stop them from over-heating 

 

Ah well. Not a problem and certainly won't be needing it really. Plus more often than not my phone is plugged into the USB socket anyway for Android Auto

Me too, also I have a high powered 12V usb adapter plugged into the lighter socket for when I need a quick charge

BoxerBoy: +1