Hi,

I'm a 50-something Software Engineer. Always been a fan of cars and driving, including owning a share in a racing kart, two Westfields (one of which I competed with in Sprints). Always been a fervent manual car driver, but after replacing my Mondeo with a manual Octavia in June 2025 and driving my wife's Scala with the DSG gearbox (purchased at the same time), I started to become converted. 'Upgraded' to a DSG Octavia in September 2025, and gradually getting to grips with it!

Andy

Welcome along Andy 👋

It’s amazing how we can suddenly get used to a convenience we previously shunned 🤣

My wife’s car and previous are both autos and I have to say… it’s lazy comfort to pootle along without bothering with gears or a 3rd pedal in traffic!

Hi Andy and welcome to the Forum

19 hours ago, mac11irl said:

It’s amazing how we can suddenly get used to a convenience we previously shunned 🤣

My wife’s car and previous are both autos and I have to say… it’s lazy comfort to pootle along without bothering with gears or a 3rd pedal in traffic!

I've driven autos sporadically in the past, even almost bought a Fiat Stilo with the paddle change. However, I always found 'traditional' autos just couldn't keep up with the way I drive (or probably more accurately, drove!). The DSG is a whole different animal though, and when combined with ACC and Travel Assist it's a game changer!

Andy