Functional DSG questions from a hardline MTX fan...

MacTechG4

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Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, Milky Way Galaxy, Sol s
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2012 Golf TDI (DSG)
I can't believe i'm even *considering* a DSG in my next Golf or SportWagen, I've been a hardline Manuals-Only fan my entire life, out of my short list of owned cars**, only *one* was a sludgebox, and it was the one I owned for the shortest length of time, dying prematurely due to car accident...

I owned it long enough to confirm that I *LOATHE* torque-converter based sludgebox automatics, and I could never own another, the biggest issue I had with them was the fact that unless you had your foot *firmly* on the brake, the bloody thing would creep forward...

at least with a manual, when you had the clutch disengaged, you could take your foot off the brake, or lessen the pressure momentarily on a flat surface and it wouldn't creep forward, it moved only when *YOU* wanted it to...

I also hated having no true control over what gear I was in, and there was no ability to *feather* the clutch to smoothly vary the power when starting forward

anyway, I have some questions on the DSG operation in *simulated manual* mode...

when at a stop on a flat level surface, if you release pressure on the brakes, does the transmission creep the car forward, or do you have to rev the engine slightly like a manual

when approaching redline in one gear, will it automatically upshift without driver input, or will it hold you in the selected gear, even if it means bouncing off the rev limiter?

When decelerating in one gear, will it automatically downshift as the revs drop, or will it hold the selected gear?

When coming to a complete stop in a higher gear, will it downshift automatically to first?

Can you start off in second gear in snowy or low traction environments, or does it have a snow/low traction setting

when starting forward uphill, does it have a "hill hold" feature



**Car history (in chronological order)
'88 Black Ford Escort Pony MTX, 2 door notchback (horrible car, will never trust ford again, I dubbed it the "Murphy's Lawmobile, you name it, it broke)

'92 Fire Red Dodge Shadow America MTX, 2 door notchback, great little car, I loved that thing

'98 Red Neon Highline MTX 2 door, fun little car, modified with DOHC muffler, solid motor mounts and gauge cluster from a Neon with tach

'02 Patriot Blue Neon Base model MTX 4 door, slightly less fun than the '98 and a tad more unreliable, but still fun

'07 Berry Red Saturn Ion 2 MTX, horribly mediocre car, and cursed with bad luck, was hit by at least 4 other vehicles during it's life

'07 Sage Green VW Rabbit MkV MTX, still have it now, great car, Mom uses it as a backup vehicle and my nephew may end up inheriting it for his first car, sold, reliable, fun, an all around great car, even if it's a bit cosmetically rough for now

'11 White Honda Element AWD LX ATX, my first (and last) sludgebox automatic, amazingly versatile vehicle, tiny turning radius, Bigger on the Inside (clearly assembled in Gallifrey…) but horrible fuel mileage, and boring transmission, very prone to wind gusts, topheavy handling, sadly died in a car accident and was totaled out

at the moment, i'm carless, but I plan to get either a Golf hatchback or JSW to replace the Element, MTX prefereed but I might have to go DSG to keep it in my price range :( I just hope the DSG isn't too much of a compromise
 

calimustang

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May 17, 2010
Location
Central FL
TDI
2011 JSW DSG (buyback, RIP), 2014 JSW TDI, 2015 Passat TDI, 2013 Jetta TDI.
Oh you are better off to do the test driving them with DSG to see for yourself, they are totally different from slush-o-matics. Its like if you are comparing Oranges to Apples.

If you are in horrible weather such as snowing or going uphill with heavy load in the car, put the DSG into “S” as sport gear and she will pull a tad harder and better control for uphills and downhills braking/acceleration/deceleration as transmission will help braking itself along while you actually pressed the brake pedal. Thats what I totally love the DSG. Its silky smooth shifting like if its a manual transmission and its known for the world’s fastest shifting transmission, like if you are riding the locomotive train. Thats how smooth shifting they are.

If you let go of the gas pedal, transmission do gently brake itself to slow down as “coasting” without you to actually brake hence how My 2011 JSW TDI had original brake rotors and pads until 235k miles as I took them out, fronts were about 25 percent life left and rear was about to be depleted. Mostly driven on flat roads in Florida.

When you go on manual shifting mode, it will shift into next gear if you reach almost to the red line in order to avoid diesel engine to run away. I cant recall about downshifting as I rarely use the manual mode.


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nucklehead

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Joined
Jan 30, 2014
Location
Ephrata Washington
TDI
2013 Golf TDI W/DSG
You really should just go drive one. Learn to use all three modes before you do. I think you will like it, it isn't like most automatics. You just have no clutch pedal. I have no use for manual mode, sport mode (S) does the job in twisting corners, up hill and down. Engine braking could be better, but it is a diesel. Gas motors use the vacuum created by shutting off the air feed - the butterflies, when shut create the engine braking. Diesels have less since they rely on cylinder pressure as an engine brake. I don't see why someone doesn't come out with an engine brake like I had on a diesel pusher motor home. That thing would brake very well. Saved money on brake equipment.

The computer controlled DSG does not keep the clutch engaged at a stop, so creeping forward as with a torque convertor doesn't happen. The clutch is disengaged until you remove your foot from the brake pedal, then you get creep.You will feel it engage as you take your foot off the brakes.


In manual mode the DGS will not shift unless you are at or near redline, or lugging the motor. I like that feature since the computer will not let you over-rev the engine, nor will it let you lug it. Using reasonable shift points and it won't override your input.

At a stop, it doesn't matte whether you're in full auto or manual mode, the clutch acts the same, foot on the brake, no creep, foot off the brake and it engages the clutch and will creep forward.

You cannot over-rev the motor unless the computer somehow fails. In D or S modes the transmission will downshift automatically, and more aggressively in S (sport) mode. I use S in town, keeps the load off the brakes.

It's an automatic, you don't have to downshift even in M (manual) mode.

My current Golf is DSG equipped, my second VW with DSG. I'd own a third if I buy another VW. When I bought the Golf last Dec, I was thinking of buying a manual trans car. I'm glad I didn't. The only downside to the DSG is the $400 or so service fee every 40k. I can live with that.
 
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MacTechG4

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Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, Milky Way Galaxy, Sol s
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2012 Golf TDI (DSG)
Okay, so it looks like the DSG might actually have some advantages, I like the idea of brake pads lasting 200k+ and having the ability to run in automatic mode could be advantageous in case I injure my left leg/ankle...

.... but the hardliner in me is still SCREAMING “ARE YOU INSANE OR JUST STUPID, YOU KNOW YOU HATE AUTOMATICS!!! THEY SUCK, AND THE DSG IS NOTHING MORE THAN AN EXCESSIVELY OVERCOMPLICATED AUTOMATIC, you’re gonna hate it, Mark my words!”

Sometimes my hardliner self can be annoying, he’s very hard to live with ;)

It’s like when I was younger I was a hardline Mac-Only guy, I hated Bill gates and Microsoft, they were pure evil, the source of everything wrong in the computer industry, I refused to even touch a windows pc...

I’m still a Mac guy, but even I have to admit that windows has gotten better, and Win10 is now remarkably Mac-like, and it’s now APPLE that’s dumbing things down, becoming more anticompetitive, actively trying to shut down independent shops, and making their hardware even more service hostile, it’s actually easier to perform hardware repairs on PC’s now, and Win10 is easier to tweak/tinker/maintain than the Mac OS now!

The Mac OS still has a more refined, polished, elegant interface, but it’s also harder to maintain and tweak due to the dumbing down

Heck,Mac OS 9 and earlier I could repair by pulling individual drivers off the install disc and dropping them directly into the System Folder to overwrite the damaged drivers... ahh, the good old days...

Anyway, back on track, I’ll test drive a DSG and see if it’s livable... I know I can’t stand sludgeboxes though
 

03GolfTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
May 4, 2003
Location
Atlanta, GA
TDI
'12 JSW DSG and '11 JSW DSG
I made the switch from MT to AT a few years back after I moved to the traffic hell called Atlanta. Have had a number of traditional torque converter automatics before the DSG and except for some automated manual quirks the DSG is leaps and bounds better than the traditional autos.

Shifting is superb (nearly imperceptible) and much smoother than the traditional autos as it does not require the brief torque reduction to achieve a shift, not to mention how fast the shifts happen.

You unfortunately cannot force a 2nd gear start even in tiptronic - at least in 2012.

My DSG (even in D) will downshift through the gears on deceleration or even when you are trying to maintain speed going down a hill. It downshifts all the way to a full stop. The 2-1 shift is the only one that could use some refinement, the only way to notice the others is with the engine speed increase.

In all honesty besides for the 2 to 1 downshift this has to be by far the best "automatic" I have ever driven. Definitely go drive one and see what you think.
 

MacTechG4

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Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, Milky Way Galaxy, Sol s
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2012 Golf TDI (DSG)
One feature I would definitely miss from the manual would be the inability to pop-start it, I actually did that once in the Rabbit as the battery died on a hot summer day, otherwise I would have been stuck at work waiting for AAA for a jump start, I was able to get it rolling, put it in second and popped the clutch, drove to the local auto parts store and picked up a replacement battery

when I had the battery die in the Honda Element, I had to wait for AAA, as it was a sludgebox and couldn't be pop started
 

MacTechG4

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2012 Golf TDI (DSG)
Well, I test drove a DSG Golf and an MTX JSW....

I absolutely LOVED the Golf, even though it was an “automatic”, the power was seamless, the shifts buttery smooth, there was no low speed hunting, it didn’t shift inappropriately, it felt, well, *polished* and precise, very “German”

It didn’t misbehave at all, it didn’t feel anything like any automatic I’ve ever dealt with, it felt and performed like an actual manual (just without the clutch pedal)

Then I test drove a MTX SportWagen, and I was shocked!

The transmission and clutch felt mushy and laggy, it felt like the car was driving through molasses, the power delivery was poor, it felt like it was designed for comfort over performance, the *manual* felt more like a torque converter sludgebox than the DSG did!, the manual in my ‘07 Rabbit with 130,000 miles and original clutch felt crisper!

Plus, the blind spots on the JSW were worse than the Golf...

So, I put a deposit down on the DSG Golf, I still don’t believe I’m going to buy an “automatic”, but in this case, the DSG just felt and drove better, it felt more natural than the JSW.

Oh and I absolutely adored the whopping 235 Ft-lb of torque, under hard acceleration it felt like a real sports car, and I know I’m gonna love the fuel mileage as well, plus that glorious diesel rumble!

I also want to put a “Prius repellent” bumper sticker on the rear glass ;)
 
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calimustang

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May 17, 2010
Location
Central FL
TDI
2011 JSW DSG (buyback, RIP), 2014 JSW TDI, 2015 Passat TDI, 2013 Jetta TDI.
Its actually 240 lbs of torque. What does MTX stands for? My 2011 (old) JSW and now 2014 JSW TDI has DSG. They are the exact same as the Golf TDI with DSG but bigger car and little blind spots for me as being 6’3” 250 lbs plus carrying many videophone equipments so the JSW is suitable for me and may not for you as you mentioned it.

So are you saying you test drove a gasser JSW with MTX? Just wanted to clarify because of what you said,

“I test drove a MTX SportWagen, and I was shocked!

The transmission and clutch felt mushy and laggy, it felt like the car was driving through molasses, the power delivery was poor, it felt like it was designed for comfort over performance, the *manual* felt more like a torque converter sludgebox”

Glad you took our advices to test drive them.

Good choice on the Golf to take her out for a test drive, its truly a world of differences from slush-o-matics.


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MacTechG4

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2012 Golf TDI (DSG)
MTX= Manual transmission
ATX= automatic transmission

both vehicles were TDI diesel, the JSW was a 2011, the Golf was a 2012, the Golf had a hair over 50,000 miles, both were in great shape, as expected, I found the cloth seats far more comfortable than the "leatherette" of the JSW, and the interior of the Golf was black, the JSW was beige

the Golf is Candy White exterior and black interior, the JSW was Toffee Brown exterior and beige interior

I like the black interior better, even though it'll be hotter in the summer, neither one had a sunroof

Now I need to find a nice durable set of canvas or cordura seat covers, I want to keep the seats as nice as possible for as long as posible
 

bizzle

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May 21, 2013
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Southern California
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2015 GSW SEL (totaled), 2013 Touareg Executive
My 98's cloth seats are still wearing like iron. I wouldn't worry about covering them.
 

MacTechG4

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Apr 7, 2019
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Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, Milky Way Galaxy, Sol s
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2012 Golf TDI (DSG)
I live close to the beach, and have a dog that adores car rides, and New England is brutal in the winter, my favorite fishing spot is at the end of a long dirt road near a sod farm, and i'm going to have a good trailer hitch fitted to the Golf to tow my 14' Sears Jonboat w/ 2HP Honda 4 stroke outboard motor, believe me, it'll be hard to keep things clean ;)
 

MacTechG4

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Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, Milky Way Galaxy, Sol s
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2012 Golf TDI (DSG)
Bizzle, bear in mind you have that glorious California weather, no snow, no road salt or brine fluid, and i'd imagine your "cold snaps" are usually never below 50 degrees...

Here in Maine, we have brutal winters, temps below 20 degrees for weeks/months, the occasional subzero snap of 20-30 below zero, Polar Vorticies from Canada (thanks, Hosers ;) ) road salt, Nor'Easters, the occasional hurricane (typically no more than Cat 2-3 when it gets here) thunderstorms, microbursts, the occasional rare hailstorm..... and FIVE seasons...

Summer, Fall, Winter, Mud Season, Spring (we're starting Mud Season now...)

You just have Droughts, Earthquakes, fires...…... and horrible nannystate politicians...

I'll take New England any day, even if Mother Nature eats our cars (She likes them *well salted*, apparently...

;)
 

MacTechG4

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Joined
Apr 7, 2019
Location
Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, Milky Way Galaxy, Sol s
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2012 Golf TDI (DSG)
My nephew has also decided he *does* want the Rabbit, so it's going to be handed down to him as his first car, a heck of a lot better than my first "car", the '88 Ford Escort Pony, so cheap it only had a *FOUR* speed manua.

At least my nephew's car is better than the horrible Priuses the drivers ed course used :vomit:

Both my nephew and niece *LOATHE* the prius, they have excellent taste

My drivers ed used 1986Toyota Corollas, I practiced driving in Mom's Oldsmobile Omega (horrible little car, even worse, it was a sludgebox), then learned manual in her Toyota Corolla FX (Toyota's version of the Mk 2 Golf, quirky little hatchback)
 
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