Keep reading, things are changing
DSG is faster 0-60, even with the best drivers.
I was was a die hard stick shift guy until yesterday’s test drives. Took all of a minute to rethink that position, even with their great 6 spd manual (that I drove first). The computer can blip the throttle and work the clutch better - but I still get to say when.
Tonight, and A3 DSG sits in my driveway.
Congratulations
Hope you like it, I’m sure you will. Saw an A3 commercial on TV for the first time tonight, very nice.
Driving fun is not simply the best numbers from point a to point b, however. Has a lot to do with what’s involved getting there.
I actually had one of the first wide-market attempts at this sort of thing, an Eagle Vision with the Autostick. Fun on the upshifts, didn’t lend itself to smooth or satisfying downshifts. I’m sure DSG has refined this considerably, and of course it is not a slushbox, another big plus.
Was delighted to get back to the real thing in my GTI though.
Mike
VW/Audi sticks
are obviously pretty comparable, so you can imagine just how good the the A3’s six speed stick was that I passed on for the DSG.
Still surprises me. BTW - it’s 6 speed in either configuration. All I lost was the clutch pedal - and the car shifts smoother than I ever could - it even blips the throttle like heel/toe - and dual clutch makes it very smooth. It will take a while to really learn to maximize the potential.
I’m still having trouble just wraping my head around the concept that an “auto” can be both faster and more fuel efficient than a stick.
The new 2.0T engine, successor to the venerable 1.8T, is awesome. First street legal with direct cylinder injection and turbo. Result is more HP (200) and better fuel efficiency. It will be standard on A3, A4, and 2006 GTI among others.