Looks like my brother is buying a Golf Plus.
He was wondering whether to go for the 1.4 firecracker petrol engine, or the 1.6TDI Bluemotion.
It will be an auto - DSG.
Seems a nice car from the brochure, which it wants to be for £20k+.
Any thoughts on which engine?
Is the latest DSG - seven speed in the diesel - a decent drive?
I've read some people can't get on with that gearbox.
Any comments on the car generally also welcome.
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>> Seems a nice car from the brochure, which it wants to be for £20k+.
Not answering your question, but hopefully he is aware that he can get a 1.4 TSI SE DSG (list £20844) for <£18k at driverthedeal - perhaps worth mentioning to the dealer if nothing else.
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'Firecracker'? 'Bluemotion'? 'TSI SE DSG"? I am being left behind. Maybe we should have a glossary of contemporary motoring terms on here somewhere? Preferably with a Bluetooth connection - whatever that is...
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>> 'Firecracker'? 'Bluemotion'? 'TSI SE DSG"? I am being left behind...
:-)
Don't worry, Mike, you're not alone.
Maybe in a dystopian near-future, there'll be a Golf Double-Plus too....
Last edited by: Old Sock on Mon 17 May 10 at 09:40
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...thats a shirt init?...
Now look,
I posted on here to get some information and advice from motoring anoraks who take themselves far too seriously.
I did not post on here to get ribald remarks.
Time was when it wouldn't have been allowed.
Think I'll start a new website for genuine car enthusiasts and call it Honest Iffy, no hold on, proper motor traders are called John aren't they?
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Read a guy complaining about his DSG and roundabouts over on briskoda.net.
He reckoned it was the worst autobox in existence solely because it changes up and down at different speeds depending on whether the next gear is pre-selected or not.
Approach a roundabout at the end of a slip road off a fast dual carriage way. The car wont be able to make up it's mind what gear to be in. As you coast up to the entry point onto the roundabout looking for a gap, it'll be fiddling about. Apply some throttle to make the gap and... nothing!
Apply some more since we've coasted onto the roundabout and are now committed... nothing!
Foot to the floor boards instinctively. 3, 2, 1 whiplash! followed by nothing again as traction control kicks in.
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I've driven a few VWs and Audis with the DSG gearbox. Overall I find it an excellent gearbox, though the early ones sometimes made some peculiar metallic clonks at low speeds.
The gearchange is Formula 1 fast if the gearbox has guessed the change correctly. If it guesses wrong the change is similarly quick to a good torque converter box.
At home I park in an underground car park with a very steep ramp up to the road. Difficult to make smooth progress up this in cars with the automated manual type gearboxes, especially when the engine is cold, but no problem with the DSG type. If I was buying a VW or Audi I would definitely choose one.
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Or pop it in to manual mode and select your own gear, CraigP.
Yes, some will say that's defeating the object, but all automatic gearboxes are compromised in some similar way. All of them get it wrong some of the time.
I currently run a DSG (Touran), a TC auto with tiptronic function (Mk4 Golf) and an older style automated manual (Smart Roadster) in my family's fleet. The DSG is, by streets, miles, lightyears, the best of the three. So much so that I'm going to find it incredibly hard to ever buy a car outside of the VAG Group again. Unless the Ford/Volvo version of DSG is as good.
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The autobox i've got a lot of experience with -- the one in my E38 -- i really can't fault for anything.
It ticks all the obvious boxes: silent, almost imperceptible changes etc. although it's not F1 fast at gearchanges.
It ticks some boxes you wouldn't immediately think of but make all the difference when you have to live with it:
It detects if you're on a steep enough incline and one dab of the brakes will see it downshifting for engine braking -- no need for manual over ride. How cool is that!
There's different modes it runs in depending on how you're driving. Take it onto the twisty bits up at the side of loch lomond and it detects from the steering inputs and frequency of throttle changes that you're having fun -- it holds the gears longer on the way up and is eager to change down when you come off the throttle. Again, no manual overrides required.
It's got a temperature input too, external temp below 4 degrees C and it will move off in 2nd gear unless you bury the throttle, it'll also change up much sooner. Not a problem for comfort as the engine heats up to operating temp in under a mile even driven this way.
I'm in awe of it. The only disappointing thing is most people will never notice or appreciate the thought and effort that's clearly gone into this box...
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Well, when new, those (E38s) were (for most of us) extremely expensive cars. I would be somewhat disappointed if it didn't outperform a VW Golf Plus in every single regard (except economy).
But we are talking about Golf type cars here. Unless the sort of box you are talking about is available in a cheap 1 Series, it's not really a fair comparison. If it is, then fair play.
In the mass market for family runabouts, I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if there were a better auto(mated) box than the DSG.
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Just been to have a quick look at one - nice piece of kit.
Of course, I suggested to brother he had a look at a C-Max.
"Too much like a glass van." was the reply.
I agree the Golf Plus is the better looking car.
Don't think I'll mention the gearbox, there's enough people on here giving it the thumbs up, and brother's had a test drive.
Incidentally, I stood around in the VW glass palace in Harrogate for about 30 minutes without so much as an acknowledgement.
There were a couple of customers - including a yummy mummy getting collecting her new Tiguan - but one of three sales staff or the adminstrator had plenty of opportunity to speak to me.
But none of them bothered.
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Do you look a bit odd Iffy ? .....only asking !
:-)
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...Do you look a bit odd Iffy ? .....only asking !...
Nearly every post on here recently has been met with attempts at humour, some better judged than others.
Seeing as you ask, I don't look in the least bit odd.
Very normal today. Open neck shirt, short sleeved pullover, slacks, loafers.
The female sales person came closest to approaching me, but it was dinner time and I think the thought of her low-fat pasta snack and a few gossipy texts with girlfriends got the better of her.
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My Altea was based on the Golf Plus platform, and a fine roomy chasis it was. great ride and handling. Lots of room too.
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...My Altea was based on the Golf Plus platform...
Yes, I did wonder about complicating brother's buying decision by suggesting he look at an Altea.
But he seems keen to pursue the Golf Plus, and he can afford VW money, so I'm going to leave him to it.
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VW Golf Plus - any thoughts? - Focusless
