Mk7 GTI - manual or DSG?

[T34au]

Test driven both, can't decide

Manual - sweet, very engaging, I've been driving autos for the past 9 years and if I don't buy manual now, it's going to be "never".

DSG - versatile and fast, more cars are available with it (and sunroof and DAP that I want).

What do you guys think?




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[tigger73]

One thing to keep in mind is if you're going to tune it the clutch in the manuals don't take the higher torque so well as the DSG. There's quite a few manuals that need to upgrade the clutch just to take the torque.

Though if you're going to stay stock then it's a lot less of an issue.

Resale is potentially harder with a manual as there's a smaller market.

If it's going to be a daily and you do a lot of bumper to bumper traffic then changing gears can be a bit of a pain. If it's a weekend car then go manual

[Fish Jetski]

As an owner of a manual R, you can tell where my allegiances lie...but I think you can look at the key drivers of your decision as follows by the key Pro's of each transmission:

Manual:

- Better feel on take off, you can load, slip, control exactly what happens on take off
- Traffic light Grand Prix - in between launch control and a docile take off there is more variability with a manual.
- The joy of changing gears yourself (although the gear change itself is not as sharp as say an mx-5 or Boxster)
- The better longevity of the manual and more likelihood of frying a clutch ($2k) instead of a gear box ($$$$$s). This is more important if you tune or add even more to the car.
- A con is that you will stuff it up and look like a twat once in a while - this is offset by the feeling of when you get it right.

DSG:

- The speed of launch control, it is faster
- The noise of gear changes under load
- The risk of the gearbox (the life is stated to be 150k on average and shorter if tuned)
- The comfort of auto in traffic
- The security of consistent gear changes offset by the disconnect of not having to do it yourself.

If you can afford a GTI, any resale differences are moot, and more than offset if you choose to mod the car.

There is no right or wrong answer here - either preference is a good choice!

My 2 cents worth is that you are buying the car for the joy of driving a beautiful machine. If you wanted raw you would go the Megane RS or Focus RS - hence you want some comfort. For me the compromise ended with the manual - I wanted that extra level of control, but maybe my next car will be a DSG as I will be 5 years older and (maybe) have a bit more of a mature outlook....


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[Fish Jetski]

One thing to keep in mind is if you're going to tune it the clutch in the manuals don't take the higher torque so well as the DSG. There's quite a few manuals that need to upgrade the clutch just to take the torque.

Though if you're going to stay stock then it's a lot less of an issue.

Resale is potentially harder with a manual as there's a smaller market.

If it's going to be a daily and you do a lot of bumper to bumper traffic then changing gears can be a bit of a pain. If it's a weekend car then go manual

My understanding is this is an issue with the R with the Haldex AWD, but not so much with the GTI with it's smaller turbo...That said I once burned a clutch in my first drive out from a 'dump pipe and tune' in a manual, and have got to say that the investment into a heavy duty clutch made the tune 100% better as hook up with the upgraded clutch was visceral!


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[T34au]

Traffic doesn't annoy me, I lived with a manual before
Tuning? Nah.
It's a second car in addition to wife's SUV and I do want to be more engaged with the car (otherwise will be texting in traffic )

Megane RS - no French cars, thanks!
Focus ST - torque steer and grip in the wet are my concerns
Focus RS - not going to be available for a number of months (I kinda need to change the car now)
And there is WRX with CVT vs manual. CVT is a no, manual is fun, but it's unhealthy petrol appetite (probably double the golf if driven hard), but the grip is good

So GTI is a good compromise.


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[sparkyboy69]

Never owned a auto until MY16 GTi PP. Best decision ever made, DSG is fantastic


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[Fish Jetski]

Traffic doesn't annoy me, I lived with a manual before
Tuning? Nah.
And there is WRX with CVT vs manual. CVT is a no, manual is fun, but it's unhealthy petrol appetite (probably double the golf if driven hard), but the grip is good

So GTI is a good compromise.


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Not Tuning? You are missing out.

Upgraded from manual WRX to manual Golf R - using the same driving style around town the usage went down from 14.5L/100km to 12.1L/100km...(note the second car is a boat lugging Jeep...I understand your want of a fun machine...)


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[T34au]

Not Tuning? You are missing out.

Upgraded from manual WRX to manual Golf R - using the same driving style around town the usage went down from 14.5L/100km to 12.1L/100km...(note the second car is a boat lugging Jeep...I understand your want of a fun machine...)

May be after warranty tuning...if it's not broken, don't fix it





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[Mattlock]

Manual all day long. The main reason I bought an R over the GTI PP.

I found the GTI & R DSG cars to be dull and not exciting. The manual cars felt completely different. My sister thought the same and avoided the DSG R.

I spend 90% of my time in the daily grind but find the manual no real pain.

Plus a manual is cheaper to buy.


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[T34au]

Manual all day long. The main reason I bought an R over the GTI PP.

I found the GTI & R DSG cars to be dull and not exciting. The manual cars felt completely different. My sister thought the same and avoided the DSG R.

I spend 90% of my time in the daily grind but find the manual no real pain.

Plus a manual is cheaper to buy.


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That's what I'm leaning towards. Plus wife isn't keen on driving manual cars despite knowing how to. More reason to keep the car to myself


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