Volkswagen Golf GTI Gearbox Comparison
The Volkswagen Golf GTI is currently, and has long been, one of the best and most popular examples of the hot-hatch formula - as much as many would like to argue the point. With its front-wheel-drive layout, punchy engine and compact dimensions, the Mk7 Volkswagen Golf GTI is not only supremely competent, it鈥檚 also vastly entertaining. But what impact, if any, do transmissions have on that entertainment factor? To put it simply: which is more fun, stick or paddles? Now, it鈥檚 important to highlight from the start that this a question that affects more vehicles than the Golf GTI and far more brands than solely Volkswagen. True, the German car maker first introduced the direct-shift gearbox (DSG) - or dual-clutch transmission (DCT) - into a series production road car in 2003 with the original Volkswagen Golf R32. But paddle-shifted automated manual-type transmissions had already been seen in high-end street cars since the late 1990s - notably the Ferrari 355 F1 and SMG-equipped E36 BMW M3. The proliferation of these transmissions, however, has been more impressive.
According to Volkswagen Australia, since the arrival of the Mk6 Golf in 2009, DSG transmissions have become the dominant sales choice for local buyers and now claim a 90 per cent take-up rate in the current market. So with all this in mind, let鈥檚 meet our contenders. Our two test cars for the day will be a Carbon Steel Grey manual and a Tornado Red DSG. 41,990, our grey GTI teams a 162kW/350Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a six-speed manual transmission and is as standard as they come - meaning uber-cool Clark tartan sport seats and golf ball-style gear knob. 44,490 red GTI packs the same engine and outputs but features a six-speed dual-clutch transmission and paddles fitted to either side of its leather-bound flat-bottom steering wheel. Both claim identical 6.5sec 0-100km/h times and both make do with Volkswagen鈥檚 extended electronic differential lock (XDL), rather than the electronically controlled limited-slip front differential found in the more powerful but dearer Golf GTI Performance.
Taking into consideration the Volkswagen Golf GTI鈥檚 excellent on-road flexibility and usability, focusing solely on performance (i.e. with a track test) would be far from a complete test. Based on this then, we have devised four tests that each car will complete. The first will be a five kilometre hills run through a tasty stretch of winding Victorian forest road. CarAdvice鈥檚 own preeminent paddle aficionado, Anthony Crawford, will be in charge of the DSG, and yours truly the manual. The passenger will be tasked with not only avoiding 鈥榯wisty tummy鈥?syndrome but also counting the number of gear changes taken to complete the run. Not timed, and most definitely not a race, the goal here is simply to record how many times each car swaps cogs over the same section of road. Test two will see Tony behind the wheel of both cars for a true measure of man and machine, the much-maligned parallel park. The battle of wits - and transmissions - will continue with a three-point turn-off handled by myself, before the day鈥檚 conclusion: a peak-hour traffic stint steering our initial cars.
With both cars鈥?touchscreen-operated selectable driver profile system in our ideal 鈥業ndividual鈥?mode - adaptive chassis control and steering in 鈥楴ormal鈥? engine and transmission in 鈥楽port鈥?- we are primed and ready for Test One. Tony鈥檚 first at the helm of the red DSG, while over in the passenger seat my trigger finger hovers above the official counter鈥檚 silver clicker. Now, given Volkswagen has, in the past, claimed DSG shift times of around eight milliseconds, keeping track of gear changes can be no mean feat. So to ensure a modicum of legitimacy, several runs are to be completed with the goal being to come up with an average gear change number per car. Vomit and incident free, Tony manhandles the paddles an average of 23 times per run. A quick swap of cars, and seats, and we tackle the identical leg again, this time with my ginger self charged with juggling the grey car鈥檚 trio of pedals.
Another stack of runs down and the results are in: the manual averaging 15 shifts per run - eight fewer than in the red DSG. Fun enough to have Tony questioning his original preconceived bias towards paddles, the manual easily feels the more engaging of the two and allows braking to be done later and gear changes to be completed at will. The paddles win out for sheer speed of shifts, of course, and also ensure hands never have to leave the wheel. The exhaust 鈥榖lurts鈥?that punctuate every paddle click also never fail to put smiles on dials. Too early to pick a winner, we move out of the woods and into civilisation for the remaining tests. Helping the cause, however, are the reversing camera and parking sensors now fitted as standard on the Volkswagen Golf GTI. 1300 driver assistance package, so there can be no cheating. Fast quelling any possible inkling of nerves, Tony seamlessly parks first the red DSG, then the Grey manual, finding engagement of reverse gear in both cars quick and trouble free.
