I think for a weekend car or track car etc it is fun and engaging but day to day commuting etc auto seems much more logical and let's face is that's what most people use them for. Agree on the DSG fart noise, sounds a bit synthetic. Although I'm being very hypocritical as the noise my bike makes using a qs isn't much different and I love that.
Sorry, I didn't mean to compare them, I just said I occasionally missed the lazy ease of the 5-series. I've never driven a DSG car so I have no idea what they're like. I'm no authority on any of it to be honest, I just know what I like best which is a relatively light rwd manual.
I'm also not sure I'm ready to give up the straight six and rear wheel drive. Everything's going 2L front/4 wheel due to emissions.
Twin clutch auto every day if the week. Been using them fir 10 years or so now and I wouldn't go back to a slow cumbersome manual on a modern car. If your looking at classic cars then that's a whole different kettle of fish. Manual every time as the older autos were dire slushy rubbish
I reckon Germans do have a sense of humour, just giving their suspect twin clutches the acronym DSG, how so many many owners come to realise it really meant Don’t Shift Gears. Should have learnt my lesson after the first car failed, to go and buy another was complete stupidity, not saying they are all rubbish, which clearly they are not, the wife’s car has one that works, but I do chuckle when the twin clutch camp are so dismissive of manuals.
My last two cars are/were a gt86 and an rx8... they're perfectly balanced for back lane driving (the rx8 was great on track) and I think that the manual gearbox added to experience. It doesn't matter anyway, you like what you like.
A dodgy DSG or a dodgy Manual gearbox = a dodgy gear box. However a fully functioning DSG v a fully functioning Manual and the DSG camp have every reason to be dismissive of manual gearboxes. DsG outperform in almost every area you can compare. How many bikers rave about quick shifters which is basically a half way house to an auto? The manual gearbox is dead and is slowly disappearing from production with more and more manufacturers starting to offer only DSG style boxes on new models. Since Ferrari abandoned the manual box in its range the prices of older cars with the manual fitted as opposed to their (quite terrible) F1 auto have soared in value as the market realised they would never again see a Ferrari with its gated manual be produced. Whether you're a fan or not they are the future and coming your way
No mate I wouldn't want to. Had a 57 plate in the day and it wS the coldest car in the world. Took 20mins minimum before the climate control would allow any heat out the vents in winter. The engine is up to temp in about 8 min but the climate control just sat there laughing at me freezing my arse off for at least another 10 min. Half my journeys didn't even last 20 mins ! A decent car but we fell out of love come the first winter and it was brand new too.
My first car with auto climate was a new 1998 Ford cougar (another shit car by the way) and the heating / air con worked perfectly well and has done in every other car I have had so 9 years after the cougar and honda hadn't sussed it out ? I shall remain quietly sceptical
I had a ford cougar! Thought I was the bees knees 19 year old with a V6 and leather seats. Done about 17mpg and gearbox shat itself after about 8 weeks of ownership
Ha mine was a v6 too in silver. The heated seat only worked if it felt like it but it did make quite a nice noise on full chat. Headlamp bulbs kept blowing and the Ford dealer couldn't work put why, not a problem as under the new car warranty and got rid when it was about 20 months old with 65000 on the clock I'm sure I was averaging about 32mpg but it was mainly long distance work
My first was a Ford 7cwt van circa 1960. Bought it in '73 at Uni from an old guy. Wooden floor boards in the back. Got a kick under the table once from Mrs Bladey when we talking about the old days to some friends as I mentioned how good the floor was to put up with both of us on it in a horizontal position. Paid £35 for it. The Passat DSG we have now has a bigger floor but we're too old to use it like that anymore.