Manual or DSG

[gulfstream11]

I have driven manuals all my motoring life.My first MK5 GTI was manual too.That was stolen and found myself in a DSG Eddy..Fantastic,next car will have DSG or whatever the equivelent will be called.

[vRS Carl]

On the subject of things you CAN'T say, you can't say a DSG is better than manual. You also can't say a manual is  better than a DSG. They are two very different ways of getting down the road, and as many have said previously, it depends what elements are more important to you.

Using your analogy then no-one can say that Lucy Pinder is better than Susan Boyle!!! But i know which i would rather ride

On a serious note anyone can say either is better as it is all down to perception! I had driven manuals all my life until i got a Diseasel DSG car. I liked the way it worked so i drove a DSG vRS before ordering mine and felt it was a better driving experience as you can be lazy when you want (traffic etc) and you can have as much control as you want by sticking in manual and using the paddles.

Look at it this way. If gearboxes like DSG etc weren't so good and manual was so much better, why are all F1, BTCC, WRC cars etc all some form of sequential auto box?

[Mk5 GTian]

On the subject of things you CAN'T say, you can't say a DSG is better than manual. You also can't say a manual is  better than a DSG. They are two very different ways of getting down the road, and as many have said previously, it depends what elements are more important to you.

Using your analogy then no-one can say that Lucy Pinder is better than Susan Boyle!!! But i know which i would rather ride

On a serious note anyone can say either is better as it is all down to perception! I had driven manuals all my life until i got a Diseasel DSG car. I liked the way it worked so i drove a DSG vRS before ordering mine and felt it was a better driving experience as you can be lazy when you want (traffic etc) and you can have as much control as you want by sticking in manual and using the paddles.

Look at it this way. If gearboxes like DSG etc weren't so good and manual was so much better, why are all F1, BTCC, WRC cars etc all some form of sequential auto box?

Faster gear change, slightly quicker performance, doesn't make it better to drive or more entertaining. Plus we don't live on tracks, we drive our cars in our own, different environments. I drive my car mainly at weekends on proper driving roads. I don't sit in traffic much, so for me I prefer a manual. It's not better than your dsg, but it suits my needs more, and it suits how I like to drive. It's no worse than your dsg, both have strengths and weaknesses over each other.  It's just far more rewarding for me personally.

[Tinytim]

I've got a question that hopefully one of the DSG boys can help me with.

If you use the paddles and say are going along in 4th, then come to a junction and stop,
What happens if I don't change down to first?

Does the car automatically change down or will it try and set off in 4th?

Like wise if I keep revving it in 4th but don't change up on the paddle what happens?
Will the car hit the limiter or will it change up to 5th

For me I want something that I am in total control of.

[jimojameso]

If you stop in 4th will automatically change down for you. If you rev it like an f1 car it will shift up to prevent you from blowing it up!!

I think the dsg is awesome but my weekend toy is as manual. For evryday use i love my dsg gti!! 

[sub39h]

I've got a question that hopefully one of the DSG boys can help me with.

If you use the paddles and say are going along in 4th, then come to a junction and stop,
What happens if I don't change down to first?

Does the car automatically change down or will it try and set off in 4th?

Like wise if I keep revving it in 4th but don't change up on the paddle what happens?
Will the car hit the limiter or will it change up to 5th

For me I want something that I am in total control of.

it won't let you stall or overrev the engine

but in day to day and fast road driving this is never an issue. if you're on track then it might be, but you can get one of the several DSG remaps and then you can bounce off the limiter as much as you like

[GarethB]

My previous car (A3 2.0TFSI) had DSG, and was fantastic.

My current GTI is manual and I think is excellent too.

I've got to agree that (personally) I prefer the greater involement of the manual, but can understand why people could easily prefer the DSG.

Something that seems a little odd in a DSG thread, is that in 5 pages (so far), no one has mentioned any form of mechatronics related problems that come hand in hand with DSG ownership - it'll get you in the end 

[vRS Carl]

My previous car (A3 2.0TFSI) had DSG, and was fantastic.

My current GTI is manual and I think is excellent too.

I've got to agree that (personally) I prefer the greater involement of the manual, but can understand why people could easily prefer the DSG.

Something that seems a little odd in a DSG thread, is that in 5 pages (so far), no one has mentioned any form of mechatronics related problems that come hand in hand with DSG ownership - it'll get you in the end 

That depends on the year of your car.

[Billy]

What are meant to be the bad years?

[Kalpsn2000]

My previous car (A3 2.0TFSI) had DSG, and was fantastic.

My current GTI is manual and I think is excellent too.

I've got to agree that (personally) I prefer the greater involement of the manual, but can understand why people could easily prefer the DSG.

Something that seems a little odd in a DSG thread, is that in 5 pages (so far), no one has mentioned any form of mechatronics related problems that come hand in hand with DSG ownership - it'll get you in the end 

That depends on the year of your car.

Also I have read that a lot of these problems seemed to occur early on in ownership, usually under the warranty period.

[Kalpsn2000]

What are meant to be the bad years?

There was poll on this site some time last year. IIRC the highest were 57/08 cars.

Linky:
http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,22943.0.html

[vRS Carl]

What are meant to be the bad years?

2008 was when VAG America sent out the letters to all owners. So your looking from whenever it was first introduced on the Golf (2006??) to Early 2009 to catch any that were built and sat around for a while.

Since then the Mechatronics will have gone through a fair few iterations/tweaks to it's programming.