Are You Down with DSG?

Audi and VW Owners Love Their Direktschaltgetriebe
The Rise of the Direct Shift Gearbox

There has been a lot of discussion in the automotive sector regarding which emerging transmission type is better, the 6-speed automatic or the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Wait, there's a dark horse coming along the outside rail, and it's the DSG. DSG stands for Direct Shift Gearbox.

There are several types of DSGs, including the clutchless types used by Formula One racecars, but most of the affordable DSGs are actually double-clutch designs. The most popular versions are used across the line on Volkswagen and Audi models. Judging from car reviews and internet message boards, owners love their DSGs. See the google.com search below.

Owners Love DSG

Negative comments about the DSG are few & far between. Contrast this to reports that 6-speeds shift too much, CVTs rev the engine too much, and neither consistently delivers the superior fuel economy claimed.

A DSG transmission is in its basic workings a computer-shifted manual transmission. It retains the fuel efficiency and performance of a manual, but with an automatic mode, so your foot isn't married to the clutch pedal.

What's not to like about the DSG? At the present time, there's no long-term word on reliability. Some of the early computer-controlled transmissions had problems with reliability that significantly hurt their manufacturers' reputations.

What's the future of the DSG? Volkswagen/Audi licenses technology for its DSG from Borg Warner. I don't know the details of the BW-VW deal, but I suspect that it's non-exclusive. Likely you will see more DSGs in cars by other manufacturers as soon as Borg Warner can ramp up supply and the automakers can can integrate the DSGs into the designs of new cars.

DSG - Wikipedia



Hello Mudda Hello Fadda
They're Giving A-way - New Sonatas

Autoblog.com reports that Hyundai is giving dealers up to a $2,000 incentive on the redesigned 2006 Sonata. Although the Sonata was introduced to great fanfare last fall, the manufacturer has used rebates to keep the cars moving off the lot, usually near the invoice price. Since the Hyundai was competitively priced to begin with, a $2,500 direct to customer rebate, plus negotiated sale prices below invoice (thanks to the direct-to-dealer incentive) should mean that the Sonata should be available for a song -- perhaps a sonata.

Hyundai give-away