Question to fresh owners of Fabia MK IV. 1,5 DSG - does your virtual cocpit show number of gear engaged while driving in "D" mode? Mine shows it in "M" and "S" mode only. 

 

Skoda changed things and the gear does not show when in D. 

Thank you Ootohere.

What an inovation! 

Complaints about the lack of a 'gear-number' showing on a Virtual Cockpit (VC) when in normal "D" mode with a DSG transmission go back at least 7  years where some other Volkswagen Group brands are concerned, and there is online discussion about enabling the capability by using a tool like OBDeleven.

 

The issue seems to be confined to the VC as my Fabia's non-VC instrument-cluster displays the gear-number in D, S and M modes.

This stupid change must be quite recent as videos on YT show thaat gear number is always displayed in all modes. My dash also shows only "E" when I switch to ECO mode.

Thats why I was courious if some of fresh owners face the same issue and if it can be corrected.

Edited 1 December, 20241 yr by KaroqCZ

When in D / automatic (semi automatic)  what difference does it really make what gear the box is in?  It goes up the gears quickly. To many,s annoyance.  If the accelerator is not giving performance and you are not kicking down to drop a head then into S or M and there you are, in control.  As it is knowing that your hand all 4 cylinders firing and ACT does not have you down to 2 cylinders matters.  Then knowing if Coasting or not. 

KaroqCZ

 

This 2021 BRISKODA forum discussion related to Octavia Mk 4 models that had a Virtual Cockpit (VC) instrument-cluster displaying the same 'no-gear-number in D mode' that you highlighted in your initial posting.

 

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/489629-gear-selection-display-on-virtual-cockpit/

 

One posting in the discussion said 

 

when you select Sport mode the indicator changes to S and it shows the selected gear e.g. S2, S3, ... Also when you shift gears manually M2, M3, ... but not in normal mode

 

The Fabia Mk 4 was first marketed in 2021. Since then, it's likely that the majority of Fabia Mk 4s sold that had a DSG would have had a 'conventional' instrument-cluster (not a VC) and - as I said earlier - my 2024 Fabia DSG's conventional instrument-cluster DOES display D1-D7. I'm guessing that all Fabia Mk 4s with a DSG + VC combination (or possibly just every Mk 4 with the 1.5litre motor, DSG and VC) that have been sold since 2021 have never displayed D1-D7, but you are the first owner to draw attention to this.

 

If you carry out a GOOGLE-search using gear selection display on virtual cockpit you'll find a fair amount of moaning about this omission. This link discussed using the OBDeleven tool to hack an Audi's software, but does not appear to have been successful.

 

https://forum.obdeleven.com/thread/15293/gear-number

 

I can appreciate that it would be considered important for a driver to know exactly which gear a DSG transmission is in when the car is in Sport (S) or Manual (M) mode. When in Normal (D) mode, the driver will have chosen to pass gear-shift control to the DSG, so the D 'gear number' should matter less. Conversely, as a geeky driver, I'm fond of seeing which D1-D7 gear-number the DSG has selected and when it does this.

 

If my car's instrument-cluster only displayed S1-S7, M1-M7 and D, but not D1-D7, I wouldn't be concerned enough to want to change that. And if my Fabia had the higher performance 1.5 motor with DSG and a VC, but only a D gear indicator, I'd still feel the same, particularly  if a change demanded 'hacking' the software. But I'd definitely still wonder why, if S1-S7 and M1-M7 could display on the VC, D1-D7 did not.

MK3 Fabia have nothing to do with MK4 Fabia and 2024 as far as the latest displays. 

This video is abt 9 months old and as you can see, VC shows number of gear engaged even in D mode (time 8:00 onwards). This is Monte Carlo specification but I assume VC is the same for all versions. 

In fact, the only reaason I would like to show it is to know if the car is sailing or running with engaged gear, as I can see it in my Karoq with the same engine. 

 

 

Having looked at videos of left-hand-drive Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo cars that have the 1.5 TSI motor and the Virtual Cockpit (VC) being driven, it is evident that 2023 models could display D1-D7 DSG gear-selections on the VC.

 

As your car is a 2024 model,  it looks like only D being displayed on the VC is a quite recent change (as you've said).

 

Suggest you ask a Skoda dealership about this just in case it is peculiar to your car and whether the dealership can check/modify the software so that D1-D7 are shown.

Consulting dealership did not help at all. They have no idea why  Skoda changed it. I have sent an email to Skoda infoline.

Different markets will have different wants, also buyers of different models and trims will have different wants.  The indication of what gear the car is in was originally part of a package of further pretence of caring about fuel consumption and emissions.  With modern vehicles being so oversized and weight (and over-wheeled and over-tyred) and most of those 4/5 seaters only usually carrying 1 or 2 for the majority of the time and the fact that many drivers now prefer for the car to do as much, or everything, for them being told which gear the car is in when the driver has selected "automatic" on the gearbox is probably considered unnecessary, and perhaps a distraction from the phone, infotainment, setting the correct colour or level of ambient cabin lighting, or whatever else is considered more important.

 

As 2024 Fabia Mk 4 models with DSG but without the Virtual Cockpit (VC) show D1-D7 on the dashboard display and it's evident know that Fabia Mk 4 Monte Carlo models with the same specification as KaroqCZ's car used to show D1-D7 on the VC, there's no logical explanation as to why his car's VC just shows D.

 

The idea that deliberately showing just D is to to reduce driver-distraction is basically flawed. If that were the case, wouldn't Skoda choose to just show S and M rather than S1-S7 and M1-M7, or remove gear-related distraction completely by showing no gear-number?

 

Like KaroqCZ's dealership, I can't see any credible reason for deliberately replacing the D1-D7 readout with just D (but keeping S1-S7 and M1-M7) and, when this strange omission has been discussed on this and other VW Group forums in the past, no credible explanation has ever been forthcoming.

 

It will be interesting to learn what the Skoda infoline's response will be...

This German video of a 2023 Fabia Monte Carlo 1.5 TSI with DSG transmission being driven at high speed on the autobahns is perhaps more legible than the one KaroqCZ referenced and clearly shows D1-D7 appearing on the Virtual Cockpit (VC) display as well as S1-S7.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBJ7rD2N1WE

 

Conversely, this German video of a 2024 Fabia Monte Carlo 1.5 TSI with DSG transmission and VC being driven on country roads clearly shows just D being displayed.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uc03_vu2Pg

 

It may be concluded then that displaying D rather than D1-D7 is a feature of Fabia Monte Carlo 1.5 TSI DSG models from 2024-onwards and not unique to KaroqCZ's vehicle.

Well, I will certainly find the way to live with it. What I am missing is a sensible explanation why Skoda took this decision as it is certainly a step back.

Apparently it has nothing to do with fuel economy as it does not show gear number in "E" mode either.

Skoda infoline´s response is as expected - none.

 

 

This September 2024 discussion on the forum relating to Volkswagen "T-Cross" models highlighted the same  'no gear-number in D' issue that you've asked about.

 

https://www.tcrossforums.co.uk/threads/2024-dsg-1-5-cockpit-gear-number-display.1351/ 

 

From the many online discussions about this, the present position appears to be that recently built VAG cars with the 1.5 litre EVO2 motor and DSG now show D, E, S1-S7 or M1-M7 on the Virtual Cockpit (VC) display, whereas  same-model, slightly older, cars could show D1-D7, E1-E7, S1-S7 or M1-M7 on the VC.

 

As the issue apparently is VAG-wide and affects Audi, Seat and VW brands as well as Skoda, I'm doubtful that Skoda's infoline will be in a position to provide a credible reason why things have changed and (I suspect) might well refer you to VW.(In fact, it might be worth you contacting a Volkswagen dealership yourself to see if they can provide any sort of explanation other than "That's the way it is".

 

No longer being able to display D1-D7 or E1-E7 on the VC seems to be a VAG-wide 'limitation' and not a 'fault', so I can't see VAG dealerships putting effort into exploring the reasoning behind the change. If suitable diagnostic equipment were used to compare the software of a 2023 Monte Carlo (that shows D1-D7 or E1-E7 on the VC) with that of a 2024 Monte Carlo (that just shows D or E) it might be possible to spot differences in pre-set options or coding that might allow the earlier gear-number display to be re-enabled - but persuading a Skoda dealership to carry out that experiment would be difficult.

Edited 5 December, 20241 yr by DerekU

Not only VAG limitation but Volvo as well and probably others. My current XC40 doesn't even have Sport mode (though being a mild-hybrid performance is good anyway) and you only see the gear when in Manual mode - surprised nowadays that we are even trusted with that! I'd like to see the gear as well and particularly so in my previous XC40 as it had a TC box which was a bit lazy to change gear sometimes. Current one is Volvos equivalent of DSG and snappier but I'd still like to see the gear. And no flappy paddles either!

 

Having ridden in my BiL's earlier T-Cross with the 1.5 and DSG I was looking forward to seeing the gear indicator (yeah, I know I'm a bit sad!) but with the Fabia I've been disappointed, oh well.

Edited 5 December, 20241 yr by VAGCF