Comments on the auto transmission please

[George K]

Quite simply is it any good - on other sites the auto transmissions gets mixed reviews, but also suggest that for model year 2008 (to be announced week 20 2007?) there will be either a manual or twin clutch option, in which case would it be worth waiting. The Getrag website confirms that they have a suitable twin clutch unit, capable of handling 450 NM which is more than ideal and is scheduled for production this year.

[tigerbalm]

I have a S40 D5 geartronic and I find it great ! The only thing is that it is the first automatic I have owned so I'm not in a position to compare it with anything. I too have read average reviews about the gearbox but I must admit that it seems to change gears very smoothly and quickly. And I really like using the 'semi-manual' mode which also works very well.

My two euro-cent !

[robg]

i have a v50 d5. Its my first auto also.
The down sides are:
Its a bit slow to pick up from standing start, but so are all autos.
It often slips whe torque converter rarther than staying locked in a gear, eg going up a hill or accellerating at 2k revs it will slip to 2.5k when the engine has plenty of torque to stay locked in gear, this is abit annoying and wastes fuel.
Its abit thirsty
The manual(geartronic) override takes about a second to change after you move the lever, abit frustrating. rapid accelerating is faster in auto mode cos it changes at the optimum time, in geartronic its hard to time it perfect to the red line.
The twin clutch dsg audi system is way way better.

The benefits are:
In stop start / town traffic its lovely and relaxing
its pretty smooth and quiet
it makes life very easy if you arent in a hurry
once it locks up into 5th eg on motor way it will only change down if you accelerate full throttle so there is not hunting for 4-5-4-5 on the motorway.

If i was buying the car again i would hapilly go for the auto again, but there are much better auto boxes around. Twin clutch is the way forward in my opinion.

rob

[CTCNetwork]

Hi,
If i was buying the car again i would hapilly go for the auto again, but there are much better auto boxes around. Twin clutch is the way forward in my opinion.

rob
Yes, apparently the VW with the twin clutch performs well and the gear changes are positive and smooth.. Done in under a second..
Might be a wee bit expensive when changing a clutch!!!

Des. . . ;)

[Engineer]

Check out VW/Audi they already have a twin clutch system in production worth waiting for IMHO, try one :)

http://paultan.org/archives/2006/04/25/volkswagen-dsg-direct-shift-gearbox/

[George K]

Having driven various Audi TTs with DSG I am a complete convert - it is brilliant, responsive and economical - agree that a clutch change could be expensive. Tried a D5 today, it seemed OK on a short run, but suffered from the inevitable auto 'lag' - seems that I should wait to see what comes later this year. Thanks for everyone's feedback.