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Could Be Slicker in the City - 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited October 2015 in Volkswagen
imageCould Be Slicker in the City - 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI Long-Term Road Test

Our 2015 Volkswagen GTI is great to drive - unless you drive in the city.

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Comments

  • emajoremajor Member Posts: 332
    This is why I roll my eyes when I read car reviews describing how great dual-clutch auto transmissions are and how it is the one automatic they could live with over a manual. Like Mike describes here, I've found them to be sluggish, non-linear, and unpredictable in traffic situations, and let's face it: we drive around town far more than we do at Buttonwillow where the DSG would shine. I'd rather have a good torque converter auto. If that sounds sacrilegious, I'll point you to the delightful Infiniti G37 and the BMW 328. Heck, even the 6spd in a Camry V6 is preferable.

    And how much is the 40K service on a GTI DSG again? Torque converter auto, pleeeze.
  • yellowbalyellowbal Member Posts: 234
    Or how about the Acura DSG with a torque converter? That seems like it would make the transition between lockup and not locked more natural.
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    And this is why Acura/Honda's new 8 speed DSG has a torque converter. Lightning quick shifts of a DSG and the smooth low speed behavior of a traditional automatic.
  • 7driver7driver Member Posts: 145
    emajor said:


    And how much is the 40K service on a GTI DSG again? Torque converter auto, pleeeze.

    Edmunds maintenance calculator says $67.80 (parts + labor) for a fluid change. If it's wrong, you should probably complain to Edmunds. http://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/results.html?year=2015&make=&model=&styleId=200697945&engCode=4ITCG2.0&transCode=AUTOMATIC&zip=94040&mileage=40000
  • subatomicsubatomic Member Posts: 140
    DSG + Torque Converter => Advantage Acura
  • emajoremajor Member Posts: 332
    edited October 2015
    7driver said:

    emajor said:


    And how much is the 40K service on a GTI DSG again? Torque converter auto, pleeeze.

    Edmunds maintenance calculator says $67.80 (parts + labor) for a fluid change. If it's wrong, you should probably complain to Edmunds. http://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/results.html?year=2015&make=&model=&styleId=200697945&engCode=4ITCG2.0&transCode=AUTOMATIC&zip=94040&mileage=40000
    It is wrong.

    http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5463424-DSG-Service-Interval-and-Cost
    http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28942
    http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4020411-40-000-miles-service-is-that-expensive
    http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2006-volkswagen-gti-long-term-road-test-service-stops-page-2
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    It's experiences like this that make me feel better about manuals never going away. I like to be in control of and drive my car. (veiled shot at the self-driving camp)
  • darexdarex Member Posts: 187
    This is why I have a MINI Cooper, and not a Golf. I could not get a Golf due to packaging restrictions, but my MINI, I could order with everything I wanted, and nothing I didn't, AND get a manual, which I did! The MINI rules in the traffic conditions you describe, and the clutch and brakes are just right, making stop-and-go traffic no worse a chore than, well, being stuck in stop-and-go traffic. I'm not a super-aggressive driver, but I to take advantage of every opportunity to escape the vicinity of clueless/timid/Sunday drivers, and the MINI is great at launching itself away from the likes of these people, due to its immediate torque and it's excellent maneuverability.
  • longtimelurkerlongtimelurker Member Posts: 455
    Sounds like you are comparing a 6MT MINI and a DSG GTI - ? Edmunds appears to think the 6MT GTI has all those attributes too.

    The MINI does offer much more flexibility in ordering, but it's pretty well acknowledged that you will pay dearly for that...Edmunds' LT MINI cost quite a bit more than their LT GTI and offers nowhere near the performance.

    I guess it's all in what matters to you.
  • racingmaniac1racingmaniac1 Member Posts: 7
    I had a MK6 GTI DSG for 70k miles and now in a 6MT MK7 GTI. Pretty much my gripe with the DSG is that it does all the things that an auto supposed to do well pretty poorly. Low speed smoothness is nonexistent, you have to kinda know how to drive around it.

    If I know I "have to" get on it hard, I actually would use the launch control of the car, put it in M or S and disable TC and just give its a bit of rev(not much) and just side step the brake when you need to go. At least that way the car will just go.
  • darthbimmerdarthbimmer Member Posts: 606
    A lot of people warn against driving a manual transmission on a slow commute. I've done it a number of times, and it's not so bad. In a car with a wide powerband I can tool along in 2nd gear much of the time. Upshift to 3rd when things speed up, downshift to first when at a red light. It's less fun with a really heavy clutch, of course.
  • hrornelashrornelas Member Posts: 1
    I own a MK7 MT GTI and commute from south LA to Hollywood daily. Its about an hour + of traffic each way and I couldn't agree more with this write up. The clutch on this thing is buttery smooth which makes my redundant commute a bit more exciting with not much effort... and it keeps me awake!
  • legacygtlegacygt Member Posts: 599
    I also live in the city and have on several occasions borrowed my in-laws' A3 with a DSG. Very happy to see posts like this one because now I know I'm not crazy. For years I've been wondering "what's all the fuss about" when it comes to this transmission. Auto journalists are always praising the Audi/VW DSG and I just didn't get it. To me, I find that it's frequently confused and pretty rough shifting at low speeds. It's kind of like being with a driver that just learned to drive a manual. They can get the car going and avoid a stall but it's not smooth at all.
  • dgcamerodgcamero Member Posts: 148
    emajor said:


    And how much is the 40K service on a GTI DSG again? Torque converter auto, pleeeze.

    The DSG transmission service is around $200-250 these days. Roughly an hour of labor, about $100 in DSG fairy juice, a $10 filter, and fees and taxes.

    Does anyone know how much Honda charges for the TSX dsg service and how often it's required? I'm just curious.
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    @dgcamero
    Don't know how much a DSG transmission fluid change costs but there is no set schedule. Acura's Maintenance Minder system alerts you to all required service when needed. My TSX with the old 5-speed auto usually requires a transmission fluid change around every 60,000 miles and it costs about $90.00.
  • dgcamerodgcamero Member Posts: 148
    allthingshonda said:

    @dgcamero
    Don't know how much a DSG transmission fluid change costs but there is no set schedule. Acura's Maintenance Minder system alerts you to all required service when needed. My TSX with the old 5-speed auto usually requires a transmission fluid change around every 60,000 miles and it costs about $90.00.

    Thanks. That seems very appropriate as to the relatively inexpensive cost of the 3 quarts of fluid and the simplicity of the drain and fill, since Honda doesn't typically have filters. It's actually easier than an oil change on a Honda!

    I would imagine that the dsg fluid service on the Acura would be more expensive and more complicated. It could have 3 separate fluids, but more likely just one for the torque converter and one for the clutches and transmission, but I could be wrong there.
  • moparbadmoparbad Member Posts: 3,870
    What is the conclusion for the GTI? It is now listed in the past long term category.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited December 2015
    The wrap-up was recently posted, just showed up on my RSS feed a day "early". Link is up top.
  • andres3andres3 Member Posts: 13,729
    To each there own, a properly broken in and trained DSG worked flawlessly in my '06 A3 for 106,000+ miles. The same with my current S4 with almost 41K miles.
    '15 Audi Misano Red Pearl S4, '16 Audi TTS Daytona Gray Pearl, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
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