[RYP]

DSG will FAIL, it is by design not a flaw as its made out. It is just not designed for street cars in mind. There's no two ways about it. 4 days in a garage for 361 days of fun is a very interesting proposition, but the thing is when that 4 days will happen will always be in your back of the mind for the remaining 361 days. So it will dampen the fun no matter what. All said I don't want to rain on your fun day parade as well, best possible option would be to get the 1.5MT or even the 1.0 AT. Its the best of both worlds.

In my view this is how it stacks:

1.0AT - Creature comfort (10/10), reliability (8/10) and moderate amount of fun (say 7/10) = 25 pts for Gryffindor
1.5 MT for reliability (9/10) great fun (9/10) military medium comfort (5/10) = 23 pts
1.5 AT for Creature Comfort (10/10), Fun (10/10) and Reliability (4/10) = 24 pts

Go with your own judgement for point allocation.

A gadget or an appliance or a car must be bought on its own merits and not just because the seller is providing some extra warranty in case it breaks down.

[Hamza123]

Why should one risk their hard earned money on the lottery "if my DQ200 gearbox survives or not?" Life is too short to drive boring cars etc sounds good on Instagram posts and whatsapp status but when a person has to part with your hard earned money to pay for a design that's faulty its a whole different ball game. Unless you have loads of money in which case you won't be looking at cars in this segment.

My advise would be go for something that's utterly reliable. And there is only one sedan in this price bracket when you think of reliability. Honda City.

My car turns 10 next year. It's a 3rd gen automatic. No rattles, no squeaks, nothing. The other day I sat in a friend's Kushaq. It felt like someone had left a bag of coins somewhere. Also the plastics and all were just like a glorified Maruti than a premium Skoda.

[petrolhead777]

Originally Posted by BleueNinja

Hi folks ,

I booked the Virtus 1.0 Topline AT today. However, I am in a bit of a dilemma and I would appreciate feedback from learned folks on this forum.

I really want to go for the GT variant but is the DSG gearbox really that bad as it’s made out to be? I frequently travel during nights on highway, so is there a decent enough chance I might be left stranded? there was an option to book 1.5 MT but, I didn’t want to splurge huge money on car yet miss out on creature comforts.

Hey, I have the (DQ200) DSG Vento which is 6 year old now and I would totally recommend it just take the maximum available warranty and you are good to go.

I am sure you won't regret it.

[sachin_cs]

I was going through the entire thread again and I realised that suggestions to go for the DSG is mostly from the ones who are already driving DSGs. I guess it speaks for itself!

Go for it. YOLO (you-only-live-once) and all that. I am personally okay with enjoying a German car for 361 days of the year and enduring a headache for 4 days. It's still a 99 : 1 ratio of joy : pain.

I have said this multiple times in the past - Atleast in my view the joy of driving the tsi+dsg combo on a daily basis overrides the risk of potential failure. Of course that is just my personal view and it has worked out for me. My Vento TSI is into its 9th year and close to 70k km so far and have not had any issues

I've the infamous DSG dq200 in my Polo. ~20K on ODO. No issues so far but there is a nagging fear every day as the car gets older. Irrespective, the pleasure of driving the car every day makes up for the fear.

I own a DSG since 2016, and hence my opinion might be biased. But in the last 42k kms, I have never repented buying my Vento TSI. Driving this car is an auto enthusiasts pure delight

I own a gt tsi 2013 model. One of the first to buy it in Chennai. Have done 63K on the odo and have done a lot of long drives. I have not faced any major issues sonfar. Had run into a problem where there used to be a jerk when on D mode , which was eventually resolved after a visit to the service center. Almost 9 years of ownership come August and I plan to keep this at least for a few more years.

It's odd that people don't discourage buying unsafe cars but get pretty vocal when it comes to financially risky purchases without knowing the affordability of the buyer.

I am driving a 2010 Skoda Laura L&K DSG and 2016 Vento TSI DSG. If you enjoy driving, do not give it a second thought and purchase a DSG.

[arakhanna]

I am driving a 2010 Skoda Laura L&K DSG and 2016 Vento TSI DSG. If you enjoy driving, do not give it a second thought and purchase a DSG.

Some people like a car to behave as an appliance. Toyotas, Marutis, etc cars are for them IMHO. If you are a spirited driver and enjoy your time behind the wheel there is no question !!

[milindpotdar]

I own Vento 2016 TSI and clocked 1.5+LKM to date, and no fuss. The discipline driving and extended warranty will give you peace. I will do not hesitate to buy a car with DSG again. IMHO, DSG gives you pure driving pleasure.

[rkv_2401]

I have a 2016 Vento TSi. And if I were in the market for a new car with an ICE, I would definitely choose one with a dual-clutch transmission. I would pay a premium for the DCT, and I also wouldn't mind setting aside 1-2 lakhs in case it needs a replacement.

The EA111 engine is peppy for a 1.2L and has a strong mid-range, but try driving it in manual mode and you'll realize just how MAGICAL the DSG is. In manual mode, it's dead in the low-end (so much so that I had to abandon what would have been an effortless overtake in D-mode, 3/4ths of the way through on an undivided two-lane road!) and progress after 4500RPM is weak, too. But the DSG makes it pull like an electric train, effortlessly rowing through the gears and providing linear acceleration until you get to (and above!) illegal speeds.

As a CS student, I can appreciate the level of thought that's gone into the software of these boxes. Some people say it creeps forward in traffic and they need to ride the brake all the time. Mine has realized that I only want it to release the clutch when I press the accelerator - I can coast for nearly 10 seconds without touching either the brake or the accelerator, and it just won't start accelerating! Others say it gets stuck in the wrong gear occasionally. I agree, but to me that adds to the joy of driving one - it's all a song and dance with the car, it learns from you and you know what to expect of it. When you're driving along the ECR at sunset, and need to make an overtake at 90km/hr, and it downshifts to 6th, kicking the revs up to 2200 (not too much, but definitely not too little!). When you're driving on the hills and it holds the gears, making a fairly ordinary family sedan like the Vento feel like a cat, agile and ready to pounce out of corners. Those are moments when I think "Thank God I bought the DSG." And this is all with a fairly ordinary, tiny engine that was designed almost 15 years ago - I can only imagine what it would feel like in a Slavia 1.5/ Laura 1.8/ Octavia 2.0 TSi.

Some people would find this strange. Why would someone pre-emptively set aside money for a potential failure, before even buying a car! And I agree with them. The DSG cars aren't for everyone, and I don't mean that in a "holier than thou" way. How VAG have still not rectified this fully, 10+ years after the first problems were reported, is astonishing to me. But I also think : a car that performs better than the Slavia 1.5 DSG would cost a lot more than 2L more than it. This is why if I were looking for a new car, I would definitely try to stretch my budget/pull any strings possible to get one with a DCT. (Side note : AMTs are far from problem-free, too, but they find quite a lot more acceptance outside of this forum from what I've seen.)

Of course, I wish the poor reliability weren't the case, and VAG should definitely be held accountable for it like they are in so many other countries. We didn't actually know about the DSG failures when we bought the Vento! So in my case, we aren't prepared for it (other than getting the max. extended warranty). But seeing as you know the risks and rewards, as many forum members have spoken about them more elouqently than I have, consider this a calculated risk and make the choice that's best for you. (I would suggest that the process involves a test drive of the Slavia/Virtus 1.5 )

On a side note, I remember reading an article in a car magazine (around 2007) about the Porsche 911 Turbo and how turbocharged petrol engines weren't common because of how hot the exhaust gases got in that case. A C2 sedan is no comparison to that, but to think that current cars exist that have the same underlying technology as the then-cutting-edge 911 Turbo (the PDK first came out in 2009!) puts a smile on my face. Even after the takeover by our electronic (and electric!) overlords, the debonair witchcraft of a dual-clutch transmission is something I'll sorely miss. Huh. Maybe they've already started by weaning people away from MTs?

[Transmission]

A lot of posts here seemingly are ignoring what I think is an important point that OP made.

I frequently travel during nights on highway, so is there a decent enough chance I might be left stranded?

This alone is enough to give the DSG a miss, IMHO. For the DQ200 the elevated rates (probability) of failure is not the only problem, the mode of failure and predictability are also important. And for some things, the mode of failure is everything - like a tyre isse (puncture vs blowout) brake failure (fade/loss of bite vs total loss of braking) and powertrain (limp mode vs inability to continue).

No amount of driving joy is probably worth getting stranded in a no-mans land at midnight if thats something you wish to avoid. For some people it may not be a big deal, for some others it may be an annoyance, but not much more. But if you travel through not-so-safe highways or simply dont wish to put yourself in this position, then you have your decision cut out for you.

For me, I expect to be using my car for long travels, sometimes even at night and with family - and thats made it easy to ignore the existence of VAG cars that come with the DQ200. Tbh, I wouldnt accept the DCT from Hyundai/Kia or Tata either.

[cka]

Originally Posted by BleueNinja

Head says to go for 1.0 TSI AT or Book harrier/xuv 700 but, I really want to own a DSG / TSI combo considering this might be my last ICE car.

I have the very same dilemma and living in scenario of "Paralysis by Analysis". Already have booked Xuv700 AX7 Petrol automatic with delivery date next year however I keep getting attracted towards Skoda Superb ever since I read the GTO post on buying Superb last year. Only the DSG failure is that one thing which is stopping me from writing a cheque. Do let us all know what you decide and may be I also get my courage

[careind]

From all the comments
Don’t go for a DSG if you plan to do frequent long journeys
Don’t go for DSG if you plan to drive only in city traffic
Don’t go for a DSG if you are depending on one car.


Not limiting to DSG, We did also have a higher than average failures with ABS Sensors, injectors and even fuel/water pumps across the Škoda product suite.
But all our experiences were with the previous iteration, not in the 2.0 Iteration and It has not been around for that much time albeit the quite recent fuel pump issues did not invoke much confidence. Makes one wonder What other long term reliability issues would crop up?

It would purely be dependent on one’s risk appetite to go for Škoda / DSG.
After 7 years of ownership of a Rapid DSG what I keep repeating whenever I get a chance is

VW/Škoda cars are awesome cars and brilliant pieces of engineering if some one else owns them.

[krishnakarthik1]

Originally Posted by BleueNinja

I frequently travel during nights on highway, so is there a decent enough chance I might be left stranded?

A big NO to DSG and please stay away from the brand all together if you travel in the night.

I got stuck one mid night on Shiridi highway with my aunt and her teenage daughter and there is nothing fun about that experience. We all live only once but that does not mean we would want to experience nightmares.

No offence do VW owners and fans. Just sharing my experience.

[heydj]

DSG / DCT please choose carefully, I can’t comment on everyones quality issues however in my Rapid tdi went kaput in 2 years.

I used to baby Rapid, never let anyone drive except me and never engage sports mode or do anything to make DSG go bad still despite everything left me hanging two daysweek before my wedding without a car. Talk about being unreliable.

So yeah DSG / DCT no thanks would rather walk or go in a auto!

[roadrunner_nv]

You will have approx. 7 owners that will talk you out of the DSG and 3 owners that will promote DSG. I’m not writing anything new here but as an ex-owner of a Superb and Rapid, I’ve decided that I will not touch Škoda or VW cars with a barge pole.
It’s not just the DSG but a whole lot of other issues that bother one and prevent peace of mind. I love driving and “Live to Drive” but the enjoyment is always shadowed by concerns over the slightest of noises, differential feel or vibrations coming from any corner of the car. Add to it, various other bits like injectors, ABS sensors, water pump, AC bits conking off. I changed 6 injectors of my Rapid over the ownership timeline.
If you can keep aside ₹ 5K every month, invest it in SIP or an FD or anything similar, you should be able to tide over the expense headache. No guarantee on the service folks and the state of the car and your mind when you drive it later. Know this: Škoda will only offer a 2 year warranty on changed parts. I’m not sure if they offer a whole 6 year warranty on a replaced ‘box.

Secondly, if you mostly drive in city traffic that crawls a lot, stay away from DSG. It will give up a lot sooner this way. DSG was meant to roam around like a free stallion. It wasn’t meant to be a workman’s mule.

At the end, I would personally rather buy the XUV with a TC or better still, an Innova with bulletproof reliability and enjoy my drives for years.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by BleueNinja

I really want to go for the GT variant but is the DSG gearbox really that bad as it’s made out to be? I frequently travel during nights on highway, so is there a decent enough chance I might be left stranded?
---
Head says to go for 1.0 TSI AT or Book harrier/xuv 700 but, I really want to own a DSG / TSI combo considering this might be my last ICE car.

KEEP CALM
SEE THE BELOW
AND GO FOR IT!

* VW provides a 'standard' 4-year warranty at the time of purchase - DSG included
* VW provides an 'extended' 2-year warranty after 'standard' warranty - DSG included
* VW provides a further 'add-on' 1-year warranty after the 'extended' warranty - DSG included
* VW provides Road-side assistance for the first 4 years of 'standard warranty (24*7 dedicated helpline + roadside repair + courtesy vehicle + hotel accommodation)
* After 4 years, take road-side warranty via insurance policy (same benefits as above)

As for me, I am into my 7th year of the DSG Vento ownership, have purchased the above line items till date, and follow the '10 Commandments' quite diligently. Not a single complaint on the DSG so far.

Have clocked a good 86,400 km as of yesterday evening:



P.S. If you have come this far, thanks for reading.
Please read (again) through GTO's post on the first page of this thread, to conclude your decision either ways for the DSG Vento.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by krishnakarthik1

A big NO to DSG and please stay away from the brand all together if you travel in the night.

I got stuck one mid night on Shiridi highway with my aunt and her teenage daughter and there is nothing fun about that experience. We all live only once but that does not mean we would want to experience nightmares.

No offence do VW owners and fans. Just sharing my experience.

Could you please share more details?

My understanding is that DSG doesn't result in complete breakdown 1. without early warnings way before such a failure 2. even when it fails, it will allow you to drive in limp mode (few of the gears still work)