How do you use your DSG?
 

Informal poll:Those with DSG probably love it--I sure do. But how is everyone using it? Do you mostly leave it in 'D'?

Or do you take full advantage of the capability to control engine speed, swapping cogs yourself? If so, why?

Also, cogswappers: are you using paddles or the gearshift lever?

D for around town and traffic. +/- for freeway onramps & twisties etc.
 

I'll use the paddles unless I can't reach them while turning then I'll grab the shifter.

"D" 85% of the time so far...
 

I only have about 500 miles on the odometer and mostly driving in heavy commute traffic. The "S" option is a real kick in the pants but I haven't had many good traffic conditions as yet to fully enjoy it. I did note that the gas gauge almost visibly goes down in "S" because it's up in a higher rev mode! I'm a little confused about the utility of the paddle shifters, it seems that just an accelerator pedal punch gives you the same downshift as a paddle tap.

Re: How do you use your DSG?
 

95% Manual. This is my first automatic car in decades. I use auto more than I thought I would! Usually I'm in town and eating :)

Same. Rarely use "S".

90% "D"..... "S" is for racing punks in civics.... and paddles when i pretend to be a racecar driver

Put me here.

D mostly due to high levels of traffic here...
 

However I don't like the hesitance/delay with gear changes in D, it is smooth but just not responsive enough. I use S in those cases, but with the downshifting being pretty aggressive it ain't the best on city streets.

I do like to control the gears in manual mode when I'm having fun, but it would be nice if the paddles were fixed to the steering column and not rotate...

All of the above is on our GTi, which is my wife's daily driver...

Pretty much in "D" all the time, but frequent override with the paddle....
 

...like pre-downshifting for a corner or twisties, engine braking for stops and whenever I want the engine to be in the powerband for some planned acceleration.

The A3 is not my daily driver car, but....
 

When I do drive it, it stays in D 75% of the time on the streets, and 100% of the time on the highway.

I use the paddles fairly regularly when not in traffic - I do a lot of downshifting when I need (want) to accelerate quickly or to engine brake.

I wish there was a compromise mode between D and S; if there was, I'd use it most of the time.


My wife uses D almost exclusively and really only uses the paddles to downshift/engine brake.

Re: How do you use your DSG?
 

I leave it in D while the engine is still cold. Once it's up to temperature I put it in manual mode. I do so because in manual when the car is cold the transmission tends to clunk on 1-2 and 2-3 shifts.

I'd rather shift myself because I like having the car in the right gear for turns and not get the kick down on the exit. And the car likes to put itself in second gear sooner than I think it should. Having come from a car with a manual, I like to feel like I still matter. :(

I never use S. Its shift points are so aggressive it's almost comical. It doesn't seem to be viable for anything other than track use.

Re: D for around town and traffic. +/- for freeway onramps & twisties etc.
 

That's the big complaint I have with the transmission. I wish the paddles were mounted on the column like many cars, not the wheel itself.

It could be worse, though, some cars feature shift buttons on the front of the wheel.

Re: How do you use your DSG?
 

When in heavy traffic, or driving around with my wife, I usually am in D. When I'm by myself and the traffic has some sort of flow, or is light, or I'm in the twistys, manual FTW! Life is about having fun, right?

Paddles, except for the occassional slow right turn.

Paddles 90% of the time. D only in traffic.

Steering wheel mount is better for track (when you NEED S)
 

When you're on the track, you never want to take your hands off the wheel. Putting them on the column means they're not always at your fingertips.

Mind you, I opted for the magical third pedal, so my opinion is moot.

paddles and stick 95% of the time

Leave it in D; If I wanted to row, i would have got a manual, maybe next time when 2.0TQ comes in M

"Put me here" as JimR said

exactly. my theory: if you learned to drive a traditional manual, you anticipate what the car will
 

need/do for a corner. "S" has no real advantage as it can't anticipate what the driver sees ahead. Future applications/models will tie "S" mode with suspension and steering changes, but that's not our reality with our cars.

As is, "D" offers best mpg, yet is quickly overiden for downshifting prior to corners, sudden braking, or need for better acceleration.

this exact poll was over on Vortex for the R32. I'd say 90%+ drove in manual mode all the time
 

And the number of responses was significant. (3+ pages)

95% "D", unless 1) I need a gear quick or 2) winding road
 

The beauty of the DSG is it does a better job at economy driving than I could, then when driving 6/10th plus on a winding road manual mode is quite fantastic at keeping pace.

I tried "S" mode, but I see no need to rev the motor that high in road use with the torque of the 2.0T. VR6 might be a different story.

99% paddles. Use 'D' only when warming up engine. Rarely use 'S'

What, there's a manual mode?
 

Live in LA, so there's little reason for me to keep the engine in the higher rev range. If anything, I shift to engine brake rather than accelerate (live on a 30 mph hill). Most of the time I just downshift with the paddle, so I rarely touch the shifter (love this feature). Maybe I'm just growing...dare I say it...old.

Exactly. I went through a period of trying to use dropping it into S, and didn't like the results.
 

D and manual with the paddles when needed is the ticket.

I don't think I could beat the "D" mode for mileage...
 

..since in regular driving, it is in 6th gear by the time I am around 40mph or so. If I was shifting manually, I would most likely shift at 3k rpm and get worse fuel economy out of it.

"S" must be for sporty drivers who never drove a manual, since they don't know when to downshift, or how to use engine braking in corners.

Manual mode all the time? How can you...
 

Smoke, drink your Starbucks or Big Gulp, work the iPod, adjust the stereo, put on makeup (females), answer your cellphone, give rude hand gestures, etc. all while using the DSG manually??? ;-)

Ditto

Re: How do you use your DSG?
 

Manual 95% of the time. Makes me enjoy driving -- isn't that the point? Plus even after 2 year of owning the A3, and even with a 2 liter 4 cylinder, I still can't get enough of the blurp on the downshift, or the sound of the engine around 6000rpm.

Re: "Put me here" as JimR said
 

I am here as well

I think S mode is very smart actually....
 

Unless the R32's DSG program is different from the A3, the S mode knows exactly when a corner is approaching since you're probably braking right before or letting off the gas, which is when the DSG will downshift.

Have you noticed it will upshift faster in "D" than if you upshift using paddles?

speaking of ticket, I got one today. First since '99. Gah, 9 over on the highway.

It downshifts agressively to stay above about 2500 rpm.
 

It tends to not upshift soon enough, in my experience.

Ugly. You'd be hard-pressed to get a ticket for 9 over around here.

Nevertheless, it doesn't hold the gear through the turn. Only *you* can tell how fast you are going
 

the need for engine braking/accel. (which also changes the line of the car through the turn) and if the the turn is decreasing or increasing radius.

None of those variables can be accounted for through programming(a car can't anticipate)those are learned driving skills.

Same

I have a VW GTI, but...
 

I use D for highway cruising and S for around town and traffic. I find S is better for hitting openings in traffic faster and keeping a tight spacing with the car in front of me around town.

I use the paddle shifters for downshifting for passes in everyday driving and when i want to have some fun.

My GTI is primarily a commuter car for me--I drive about 75 miles round trip (mix of city and freeway) every weekday.

Re: How do you use your DSG?
 

D most of the time (for fuel economy) Manual stick for brakeless speed control in crawling traffic, and paddle override for those infrequent sporting moments.
(Sticking to the speed limits until the points are gone..)

S4 tranny shifter
 

My 2002 S4 (RIP) had the tranny shifters on the steering wheel itself where the volume controls are now. I really liked it because it made me feel like I was in a video game. Then, someone stole Sleeper (S4) and wrecked it :(

I concur and with this post and drive exactly the same way.