DSG vs Manual - opinions please!

[kc]

hi guys! long time being away! got rid of my 9n3 GTi and bought a Civic Type R, missed the torque so bought an Edition 30 and mapped that instead

so I'm looking to order a new 6C GTi, but not sure which route to go down with the box...

what do you guys recommend? current golf is DSG which i do love... but sometimes i do miss the 3rd pedal.

but i do sit in traffic quite a bit as

anyone who has a manual wish they bought a dsg, or a visa-versa

options please

ta!

[green_comet]

I ordered a manual and haven't regretted it at all, I much prefer rowing my own gears. I have no interest in the lower torque, higher price and reliability problems that come with the DSG.

[MczZippy]

I have the dsg and love it. I do about 1500 miles a month for work sitting in traffic and the dsg is a god send. The power delivery is smoother on hard acceleration as there is not 'lerch' when changing gear, like in a manual. I've had 2 of this type on dsg. One in a fabia vrs and now the polo.
My opinion is vw wouldn't build a gearbox to go wrong, as would cost them to much to fix each time.also I have heard of clutches needing replacing in the manual after 6k.
I think issues with with either box are the exception rather than the rule.
Final point, the dsg is slightly more economical and in a lower tax band than the manual.....something that hardly gets mentioned

[Bigtam]

I would suggest you go and try them both and get what you prefer

[joe6]

Notice you mentioned mapping in your post. If you are thinking of mapping at a later date go for the manual.

[JoeMarano]

This video may be of some help to you...

https://youtu.be/b-vCsALau0g

[RUM4MO]

VW don't use duff gearboxes, hummm, I think that you might just be surprised if I tell you that far too many owners of top-end Audis have been having very expensive issues with their auto boxes - that is just for information, it is only DSG boxes that are being discussed here.

[SRGTD]

Manual for me; very happy with my choice. I rarely drive in rush hour, stop-start type traffic these days - if I did, then DSG might've been a consideration when I got my GTI.

I find the manual gear change is light and precise, and the clutch pedal weight feels good; not too heavy. I've not experienced the 'lurch' that MczZippy refers to. As has been said already in this thread, the manual version is also cheaper to buy than the DSG and unlike the DSG, the manual gearbox doesn't require servicing (oil change) at 40k miles.

As Bigtam has said, try both to help you decide which one's right for you.

[kc]

thanks for all your replies guys

I've only had chance to take the dsg out, no dealer has the manual in! but the 30 mins i had in the DSG it was decent enough ...

I've got to make my decision tomorrow and I'm swaying toward a DSG i think

the mapping maybe some companies can take the limit off, I'm sure in due course this will be available (yet to do homework on maps on the car)

cheers

[JoeMarano]

I've gone over the pro's and cons in the video BUT

They might be able to take the torque limit off but then your nice expensive DSG box is going to need replacing when it goes bang. Not something I would enjoy.

If it was a decent DSG box like a Golf's I can understand why people would get them but the fact you get 70nm less torque than the manual makes it a pretty flawed option in my eyes that only becomes more flawed as you start modifying the car.

I don't care if people have been running maps on their DSG cars it's simply a ticking time bomb.

If you are told to tighten some wheel nuts up at a required torque setting and you decide to do them up even tighter than that what do you think will happen? Yep as has actually happened to me before they have snapped.

That's a nice example of what will happen but to your fancy DSG box which obviously costs more than a wheel nut.

If VW say they have limited torque to protect the box then I'm guessing they limited torque to.....

Protect the box!

[gregmkv]

At GTI International I went up against a stock manual GTI in my stock DSG GTI and I won.

The gear changing speed in the DSG is quick enough to compensate for the reduced torque.

One of the main reasons I got a DSG box was due to the gear knob, on the manual box, looking as if it was straight out of Halfords.

Also, in regard to the people talking about the limited torque and how removing that limiter could damage the box - speak to Adam at DTUK. He's running about 260bhp (not sure what torque) in his DSG and hasn't had any problems I believe.

There is also another DSG GTI running above that figure, can't find the Facebook post atm.

[SRGTD]

One of the main reasons I got a DSG box was due to the gear knob, on the manual box, looking as if it was straight out of Halfords.

If the gear knob was one of the main reasons for getting the DSG, wouldn't it have been cheaper to replace the gear knob for around £30 - £50 rather than spend £1,245 (current cost) on the DSG?

[JoeMarano]

A drag race depends on so many factors that you can't say that you won because you had DSG.

Let's look at a different example. You accelerate in 4th or 5th gear....you have a long time to change gear and in that time the manual is putting it's extra torque to good use. In real world conditions such as the motorway you aren't going to be zipping up through the box (the main advantage of DSG)

Adam may not have had any problems that is correct but I bet if we had a designer from Volkswagen on here he could she'd some light on how long the car will last

People with DSG will tell you DSG and people with manual will say manual. I think you can trust what I say more as im fully aware each has their own strengths and weaknesses.

[dtuk_polo]

I run a DSG car and have done 36k miles... tuned at 255-260BHP/270-272ftlb.

As for pro's and con's both have their advantages and disadvantages.

I've done a lot of testing with both DSG and manual cars... both pushing 0-60 in 6.1 seconds. Both DTUK tuned.. 5.4 seconds. Timed with a V-box (professional timing gear). Both do 1/4 in 14.2/3 seconds without an issue.

Personally if you're covering a lot of miles go DSG... the practicality of it is great...

After having the car for 13 months and 36k miles.. i'm slowly missing a manual.

Each to their own.. my advice...

test drive both . Anyone else opinion is never your own.

[kc]

I've ended up ordering a DSG!

I've got a DSG in my Golf and thats currently mapped to 330hp/350ftlb and touch wood nothings happened with the box as yet...

its an everyday car and i commute 20 miles a day to work and sometimes to the south coast with work!

thanks guys!