I don't necessarily agree with these reviews, but they do exist, which is surprising, given that car magazine reviewers are all pretty much beholden to the car companies.
Motor Trend:
While our editors can't complain about the
mileage, they continue to throw criticism on the DSG transmission. "I'm starting to dislike the DSG," notes associate Web editor Scott Evans. "I tried over and over to figure out how to motivate the car from a stop smoothly, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Sometimes it pulls away smoothly, sometimes there's a clunk and a jerk. Nothing I tried would consistently get the car moving without any fuss. Volkswagen needs to have another go at the transmission programming and get this thing updated in time for the launch of the diesel Golf in the U.S."
Boston.com:
Come to a stop, however, and the Jetta’s smooth demeanor vanishes and the quality controversies reappear. At first you’ll think the only jerk in the car is you – after all, every brake pedal has a different initial bite and feel. But after a few more times, the culprit becomes obvious: it’s the 6-speed Direct Shift Gearbox, Volkswagen’s version of the latest transmission fad, the dual-clutch automatic.On paper, it sounds great to have this advanced gearbox in an average car, the same in principle as the 7-speeds on the latest Porsche 911 and Volkswagen’s 253-mile-per-hour Bugatti Veyron. On the way up, shifts are indeed quick and smooth, delightful even, thanks to the diesel four-cylinder’s generous 236 pound-feet of torque. But like a drug addict, the high literally comes crashing down.
In every transmission mode, the DSG delivers abrupt downshifts from third gear. It's mild for the most part, but the forced engine braking ruins the ability to coast and stop gently, even with the lightest of brake pressure. Stop-and-go traffic makes you realize what it’s like to be a bobble-head doll, and the DSG even has the audacity to shift into first while the car is still moving. There’s no rev-matching feature to abate the feeling, and it never goes away. Granted, it’s helpful for engine braking, but that should be the sole job of the Tiptronic mode. In short, the DSG - at least in the Jetta TDI - feels sloppy and better suited for high-performance cars where a jerky ride is more of an expected shortcoming.
Not that I by any means wish this but, after the 09-10s laughable 3/36 and in some cases even before, you could replace the cam/lifters, DMF, EGR cooler, etc. twice on an 05.5-06.5 PD and still be ahead of the game as opposed to one HPFP snafu. Then there's the wonder of the expensive and sensative emissions components from the downpipe to the tail pipe which hasn't had tons of inclement weather exposure as of yet with the exception of a few flapper valves that may make one wonder/worry too but, *** do I know, eh?
