DSG Vs Manual

Personal preference and both have different advantages and disadvantages

Manual Advantages

Mechanical feel
Personal involvement with gear change
Possibility of mechanically upgrading eg short shift

Manual Disadvantage

Grinding gears
Chosing wrong gear
Clutch slip etc...

DSG Advantage

No clutch
no manual change
quicker changes
remaps
variety - auto, paddle, sport etc...

Disadvantages

expensive to buy
expensive to repair and maintain
can become boring
 
I know loads of people say that the involvement is a lot less with DSG but I think it's the total opposite.
Manual is a straight forward clutch down, change gear. Whereas with DSG you have to learn a lot more quirks of the box to drive it properly.
Yeah you can just plant your foot and go, but to get the most out of the box (especially if you are in manual mode) you have to be careful what you do with the accelerator pedal. Too much or too little can have a negative effect on your gear change.

Maintenance is also very cheap. £140-£190 every 40k.

If it goes wrong though then you'd better run.
 
That was my point, if it breaks, you're fcuked!

I drove my mates GTI DSG for a day once. I really liked it but did miss the manual involvement. It was only a day mind but he himself said he felt bored and less involved.
 
Always had manuals, loved the control having a clutch gives you.. Gotta have auto now tho:( But on the bright side am loving s-tronic, especially the sequential shift on the stick lol:racer:
 
They need to come up with a proper manual that has a D button for when I'm sitting in traffic/can't be ***** changing gear.
 
Personal preference and both have different advantages and disadvantages

Manual Advantages

Mechanical feel
Personal involvement with gear change
Possibility of mechanically upgrading eg short shift

Manual Disadvantage

Grinding gears
Chosing wrong gear
Clutch slip etc...

DSG Advantage

No clutch
no manual change
quicker changes
remaps
variety - auto, paddle, sport etc...

Disadvantages

expensive to buy
expensive to repair and maintain
can become boring

:iagree:
 
I've had a total of 22 cars in my life so far. 19 have had a manual gearbox and my last 3 have had a DSG. As far as I am concerned there is no choice - it has to be DSG every time from now on.

I always drive using the 'manual' mode with me choosing when to change gear and changing using a slight push of the centre stick or a click of the paddles. No silly clutch pedal to keep pushing down. It's also nice that 1st gear is automatically selected when to stop. I'm 63 and still enjoy my driving the DSG has added greatly to my enjoyment. I still tend to change my car every 3 years so it's always covered by the warranty so repair costs don't enter into it.
 
They need to come up with a proper manual that has a D button for when I'm sitting in traffic/can't be ***** changing gear.

Yea well its called S-Tronic....:)

Ay...you really have lost your touch in trying to start a argument :lmfao:
Why dont you try.....Should Audi bring out a car called the Council ?

We could have a 3 door Council V6 turbo

And for the Sportback guys......A Council estate :lmfao:
 
Yea well its called S-Tronic....:)

Ay...you really have lost your touch in trying to start a argument :lmfao:
Why dont you try.....Should Audi bring out a car called the Council ?

We could have a 3 door Council V6 turbo

And for the Sportback guys......A Council estate :lmfao:

You know fine that's not what I said/meant.

I want a proper manual gearbox, not a flappy paddle one with no clutch pedal. I also want to be able to just stick it into auto for when I don't want to manually change gear. I know DSG/S-tronic is the closest thing to that right now, but I'd rather a manual until I get my ultimate hybrid auto/manual 'box invented.

And what the hell are you on about with the "Council"? Was meant for a different thread? Would be a bit of a break from Audi's naming convention anyway, more likely a Vauxhall/Ford move.
 
It's ok paddy, I get it lol.. Ay does like to stir it with a big stick tho lmfao:w00t:
 
In other news............V6 v S3? Surely both are good but are they Cayman beaters?
 
The dreaded "C" word:faint::laugh:

Driven plenty of conventional torque converter autos and hate them, but haven't had chance to try a DSG yet. So for now manual for me
 
You know fine that's not what I said/meant.

I want a proper manual gearbox, not a flappy paddle one with no clutch pedal. I also want to be able to just stick it into auto for when I don't want to manually change gear. I know DSG/S-tronic is the closest thing to that right now, but I'd rather a manual until I get my ultimate hybrid auto/manual 'box invented.

And what the hell are you on about with the "Council"? Was meant for a different thread? Would be a bit of a break from Audi's naming convention anyway, more likely a Vauxhall/Ford move.

Yeah Paddy, what the hell are you on about man?
 
As Kyle's dad from Road Trip once said - I'm not mad!

Seriously confused about the Council though... where did that come from?

And Lee - S3 looks + shove win it for me, but gotta love the V6 rumble!
 
Ay's last attempt to get am argument going was....Whats ? best 3 or 5 door......The Council "estate" is a hang up from that :)...dont worry...it wasnt that important :)
 
Back on topic though.....I remember manual gear shift ! It was an old fashioned way of making your car go along. Bit like manual advance and ****** and squeezy hooters and wooden tyres..
 
I don't think I've met anybody who owns a DSG and wishes they had a manual again.
Anybody DSG owners on here wish they'd got a manual instead?
 
A thread I see the point of aythree :)

I've driven a DSG once (140 TDI S-Line abut 5 yrs ago when I chose a Leon FR 170 TDI instead) for about 10-15 minutes - confused the hell out of me and certainly put me off. I'm choosing a car right now and a little voice is goading me into going for a DSG and just trusting that I'll get used to it.

I love manuals but will I get used to it and love DSG like you lot do?

What do the remaps do?

Can you drive like a granny a get great mpg like you can manual? (I do that now as practice while fuel is expensive).
 
A thread I see the point of aythree :)

I've driven a DSG once (140 TDI S-Line abut 5 yrs ago when I chose a Leon FR 170 TDI instead) for about 10-15 minutes - confused the hell out of me and certainly put me off. I'm choosing a car right now and a little voice is goading me into going for a DSG and just trusting that I'll get used to it.

I love manuals but will I get used to it and love DSG like you lot do?

What do the remaps do?

Can you drive like a granny a get great mpg like you can manual? (I do that now as practice while fuel is expensive).

Remaps get rid of the auto downshift/upshifts in manual mode, increases launch control holding revs (probably not a good idea), increases rev limiter, and some other stuff i think.

And yep, you can drive gently with DSG for improved fuel consumption. The softer you are with the gas pedal the quicker it changes up to the next gear (i.e. changes up a gear at lower revs).
 
Remaps get rid of the auto downshift/upshifts in manual mode, increases launch control holding revs (probably not a good idea), increases rev limiter, and some other stuff i think.

And yep, you can drive gently with DSG for improved fuel consumption. The softer you are with the gas pedal the quicker it changes up to the next gear (i.e. changes up a gear at lower revs).

I know it's a little off-topic Ay.. but will a revo stage 1 stop the auto downshift and increase the rev limiter on mine? I plan to go to amd technik soon for a little mild tuning....... and you're right, I notice no one with DSG has said they miss their manual yet...!
 
Ah ok, DSG remap goes hand in hand with the normal fueling remap then really.

Is that an implicit yes to "will I get use to it?" :)
 
I know it's a little off-topic Ay.. but will a revo stage 1 stop the auto downshift and increase the rev limiter on mine? I plan to go to amd technik soon for a little mild tuning....... and you're right, I notice no one with DSG has said they miss their manual yet...!

According to revo's website:

DSG transmission performance software allows you to use the full potential of the engine, giving the control back to the driver. Hold onto the gear through that sweeping corner without the worry of the transmission shifting up and throwing out the balance of the car, have no worries about using full throttle and having the car jump about whilst shifting down for you… get back in full control with Revo DSG software.
Revo DSG software can be run on a standard car and it complements our full Revo Stage 1 ECU software.
 
According to revo's website:

DSG transmission performance software allows you to use the full potential of the engine, giving the control back to the driver. Hold onto the gear through that sweeping corner without the worry of the transmission shifting up and throwing out the balance of the car, have no worries about using full throttle and having the car jump about whilst shifting down for you… get back in full control with Revo DSG software.
Revo DSG software can be run on a standard car and it complements our full Revo Stage 1 ECU software.

so how much extra is the DSG software then?
 
Is that an implicit yes to "will I get use to it?" :)

:yes:

You know what one of things I like most about DSG is.... sitting at a set of traffic lights that has two lanes merging into one lane 20 meters on, there's a nippy car next to me which looks like he wants to get into that single lane first, and KNOWING that there is no chance of a poor take off or bad gear change.

0-60s aren't everything, but having DSG puts your car into the same acceleration league as manual cars which are half a second to a second quicker on average.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
DSG or go home IMO.

I'm only 20 and I've got a DSG BE on order. The ripping I've taken off folk for ordering an auto at my age. :banghead:

A common one is "Lazy man's car" but I always reply with "when you want to change channel on the TV, do you get up and press a button on the side of it or do you use the remote" stops them dead in their tracks. :lmfao:
 
  • Like
Reactions: paddy
Another vote for DSG here, the paddle shifting when pushing hard on the bendy bits without having to take your hands from the wheel is just awesome!

You know what one of things I like most about DSG is.... sitting at a set of traffic lights that has two lanes merging into one lane 20 meters on, there's a nippy car next to me which looks like he wants to get into that single lane first, and KNOWING that there is no chance of a poor take off or bad gear change.
I hear ya on that one, always good fun :)

Unfortunately i'm looking at getting a new BE TDI 170 Quattro and they don't do it with DSG :sorry:

So back to a manual for me.
 
I've done the switch from DSG to manual.
My A3 2.0T was DSG and my S3 is a manual.

I think about this subject ALL of the time and question my decision for purchasing a manual.

Firstly, i miss the excitement of the DSG.
Planting the accelerator and ripping through the gears with the paddles.
The finesse of each flick and the 'FART' sound of a gear change.

However, I do also love the manual.
Since getting the S3, i've mastered the rev match and the heal and toe.
The thrill of a perfect heal/tow rev match into a bend and then a perfect change out.
It's such a rewarding feeling.
You really are in control of the operation of the car.

The clutch is so light on the S3 that city driving (which I do most of my driving unfortunately) is not a burden.

I also feel that my A3 2.0T with DSG felt quicker than the manual S3 from acceleration.
But I do think that also has a lot to do with the K03 of the A3 having less lag that the K04 in the S3.

Either way, as much as I LOVE the manual in my S3, my next car will be back to DSG where i'll stay.
 
  • Like
Reactions: paddy
Fivetones
Get a DSG. Everyone who has one loves it. Its the Law. the problem is later on......I want to change my car..I dont particularly want another Audi but i dont want a non DSG. So i keep what i have and its getting really old now but i simply haven't found anything better to replace it. Add to that Quattro and your choice is down to about 4 cars.
 
I seem to buck the trend, I'd rather get gonorrhoea than a DSG box, mum has had them on her last 3 cars (2x TT 1x A1) whenever I drive them for a week when the rents take my a5 for longer journeys I will only drive as little as possible with the auto.

I like to be able to use engine braking and DSG just doesn't respond well to that at all, sometimes I may want to go from 2nd to 5th but it won't change up that quick. I also don't want to cruise at 30 in 5th! then have to kickdown to get any performance, not very IAM friendly.


I just enjoy changing gear, and feathering the clutch at least allows you to go somewhere in snow, on summer tyres and snow mums TT was a serious no go even with quattro. The clutch on my bike however can be tiresome but gives you a vice like grip haha!
 
Oh Aythreee lol you like to do it eh!

Ok, DSG always for me! Ive had more manuals than autos but deffo wouldn't go back to a manual. I had an auto BMW, awful thing and not a patch on the Audi. Ok, if it goes wrong its costly, but they dont go wrong too often, remember on here you are more likely to hear the horror stories than the good stories, no one will raise a thread to say...wow my DSG is ace and never needed repairing!!!!!

Gerard you are one of the few to change back but even you have said the next will be DSG so for me that speaks loads and I agree.
 
Seems that most people in this debate are driving petrol so I'll pitch in with an oil burners opinion.

My last car was my first denzel after many many manual hot hatches (thank you credit crunch). I never thought i'd go auto so when I bought my first denzel it was naturally a manual. From my experience of that car, changing gear in a diesel isn't all that enjoyable. First gear is soooooo short, power falls away completely during clutching due to them running at such low revs and there's no joy in revving hard.

When I decided to change the car I was originally looking for a manual as having no experience of auto I just didn't even think about it. I test drove an A3 2.0tdi manual and liked it but the price and mileage weren't agreeable so when I spotted an identical car with less miles and £2k less I went and took a look. Turned out it was DSG which initially put me off a bit. However, after a short test drive I was completely blown away by it. The manual I tested was a 170bhp and the DSG a 140bhp but it felt quicker due to the smoothness of the box (I know it's not quicker).

I had heard that autos are generally less economical than manual, the salesman confirmed this saying that the autos generally get 5mpg less. This week I've been "eco driving" the car using D mode most of the time but paddling up a gear bang on 2000rpm. This morning on my 30 mile commute which includes 22 miles motorway/dual carriage way, 6 miles town and about 2 miles city centre I averaged 70mpg. I know my DIS is out by about 5 but I think this is still pretty good.
 

Similar threads

Replies
25
Views
14K
_G_
G
Replies
34
Views
3K
NHN
Replies
10
Views
940
Replies
3
Views
508
Replies
17
Views
1K