DQ381 DSG7 vs DQ250 DSG6 experiences

I've had my 272 with the new DQ381 7-speed (not to be confused with the lower torque DQ200 7-speed on the 1.4/1,5 TSI) for a couple of months now and having come to it right after 2.5 years of driving a DQ250 DSG6 car I have noticed some differences that I'd be curious to discuss with other members, even more with owners that were in a position to make a direct comparison between the two.

On the DSG6 I was driving 95% in Manual. D mode was more or less similar to DQ381 but maybe due to the gears being placed slightly more far apart, I felt the need to switch to Manual even for smaller, boring journeys. S mode though on the DSG6 was simply unusable. Un-necessarily high revving and completely mis-judged shift points that were little based on throttle input. It was as bad as in the DQ200 dry 7-speed I had a few years back so after a little while, S mode simply didn't exist for me. It was either D or (most of the time) manual.

On the DSG7, D mode feels more responsive especially below 4th gear so no need to take things in your own hands and that's where I leave it most of the time on my commute nowadays. It's also silky smooth in that mode, noticeably more so than the DSG6 which I considered a smooth box in general. The positive findings continue with S mode that (although not perfect) is now more often making the right decision as to when it would be best to shift. I am positively surprised that when I am very light on the throttle it will up-shift even below 3K rpm iirc, that would never happen in my old car. Ok still I don't use S mode too often, but at least I do use it sometimes when the conditions are right. Again, when I want absolute control I am flicking it to manual but I definitely have more options so to speak.

Now the quirks. Launching is a bit trickier to get right with this gearbox it seems. Not due to traction but there is something weird going on when letting go and on the change from 1st to 2nd, as if some limiter is hit that for a split second stops progress. I have to say I run a JB4 so some extra torque is made compared to stock but not as much as I was making on a full stage 1 DSG6 car before, that seemed to launch more effortlessly (although the wheel-spin on that FWD car resulted in worse times obviously). Experimenting with a bit lower rpm than Launch mode suggests and manual shift 1st > 2nd gives more consistency. So far I've done a verified 4.76" 0-60mph and 4.99" 0-100 kph but I expect these times to drop a couple tenths more with more careful launching. Not a biggie unless you drag-race on a regular basis, but more like a note on different behaviour.

Manual mode is more rough than it was in the DSG6, especially the lower the gear and the more the throttle. The change from 1st > 2nd takes forever (almost as if it's ignored, it just happens later on from when you flick the right paddle). 2 > 3 is better but again not as smooth as before. With the DQ250, the changes felt pretty similar in D, S and manual. In the DQ381, in manual mode the car seems like it's dumping the clutch when giving it some from 1st to 3rd, then it smooths out.

Overall, I would say it's an improvement. In daily driving or travelling where the car spends more of its time it's smoother and quicker to react than the DQ250. Both Auto modes D and S are now set up in a way that makes more sense for normal driving, and that has led me to be leaving the 'box on Auto (either D or S) more of the time. The only downside is the rougher operation in manual in full-blast mode in low gears. Not something that makes it un-driveable, but when compared against its predecessor you can tell it has become slightly rougher. Probably something that the likes of TVS (real experts on DSG 'boxes) would be able to address if that's too big of an issue for someone.

 

Edited 18 April, 20197 yr by newbie69