Dynamic / Adaptive chassis control (DCC / ACC)

[WhiteJames]

DCC is always put into sport mode for mountain climbs and is the default setting for the tight twisting routes. DCC provides a flatter ride, less understeer, and more direct - reactive - firmer - weightier - steering that requires less input from the driver when negotiating the roadway from tight bend to tight bend.

Many others say DCC in Sport setting is only good for a speed greater than 80kph in regards to steering weight & reactivity – I’d agree, but with the exception that DCC Sport is also default setting for the tight twisting bends, provided the roadway texture is reasonably good.

The steering resistance does increase in every mode as speed rises – this also includes Sport mode, but does not feel as pronounced a change as is the case with Comfort/Normal modes. All modes feel lighter at car park speeds – Comfort/Normal modes considerably lighter in weight & resistance than Sport mode at very low speed.

In city commuting, and referring to demo non-DCC equipped GTI riding on 17” rubber that I had for half a day test drive - the DCC GTI riding on 18” wheels very rarely feels underdamped when striking city irregularities. The demo non-DCC on the same routes had me wanting extra compression & rebound rate in the dampers on certain sections of roadway. The DCC version has the electronics adjusting the damping rate continuously to all but eliminate any feeling of inadequate damping rate. This ensures that the ride on DCC is always controlled and that the chassis sits flat and undisturbed, while at the same time, providing for a subtle ride. In other words: DCC is providing an improvement in handling and comfort at the same time – not an easy thing to achieve with conventional suspension set-ups.

The ride of the previous MKV GTI on similar roadways with aftermarket KW V3 coilover suspension on almost full soft & H&R sway bars was nuggetty and stiff legged at very low speeds offering a very brittle feeling on 18” huffs. There seemed to be no way to eliminate the old Mark 5 GTI of that brittle feeling. The sensation of a brittle ride is never the case with DCC on the new Mark 6 GTI, despite the Mark 6 DCC GTI also riding 18” wheels. This makes me very happy.

Cheers
WJ