Golf R Observations and Questions

[bcm]

With respect to the DSG, I'm sure it has some notion of memory (even if it's only very short-term). If I drive aggressively and then decelerate (say halting at traffic lights, or turning a tight corner) and then take off gently, it will hold the first and second gears for quite a bit longer - right up to 3,000rpm or higher - almost without fail. This is despite not accelerating heavily or on an incline. I read that as the transmission having retrospectively considered me to (still) be in a rev-happy mood, and obliging by holding onto gears longer.

What you're describing isn't "learning" though. It would simply be you having met a set of conditions that have been coded into the DSG controller. ie the engineers being clever with their programming. It's not hard to imagine coming up with a condition that says if the TPS registers full throttle for greater than x secs hold gears longer until the TPS is below a certain threshold for x seconds. Again a set response to driver inputs. Not the computer exhibiting HAL like qualities.

My guess is that the learning process is one whereby the car applies weightings as to which maps to prefer given several external (environmental, driver input) factors. IIRC, the GTI has in excess of 280 maps in a stock tune; the R may have more again. Presumably many of these are specifically designed for extreme temperatures and other mechanical states, but surely there's also some room in there for choosing one over another based on driving styles.

I doubt that it works this way. I can't see the engineers changing things like engine mapping based on how you drive (apart from swapping between open and closed loop). It is much more likely that they will have setup the triggers for map changes on things like temperature, fuel quality (detonation) etc. All you're doing is controlling which data point the ECU chooses from the various tables with your right foot. And the 280 maps you mention are most likely not all maps, but more likely a small number of fuel/timing maps with a whole host of ancillary lookup tables that are used to adjust the fuelling, timing or boost. Things like cold start, boost control for different gears etc.