# MK1 3.2 V6 DSG vs MK1 V6 Manual comparison



## corradoman (Sep 11, 2010)

Well im on the look out for a nice Mk1 again, didnt take me long to scrap the merc slk idea  anyhow i do not want to have another TT sat on my drive being unused so have told the Mrs she will have to drive this one :lol: now i was looking for a 3,2 DSG but the mrs is worried she wont get on with the auto box so have sort of settled for a manual, *hens teeth* it seems, i would appreciate any reviews of how the manual stacks up against the DSG as if it is a big no no for the manual she will have to have lessons in auto`s :lol: i am looking to spend around 5 to 6 k on one but there are not many available that are decent, i am wondering if the TT feels a bit more involving to drive in manual as the mercs i have tested have, any reviews would be welcome


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## OeTT (Nov 10, 2007)

I love my manual to bits but don't think it can honestly compete with sport mode on the dsg box for sheer madness.
I've just removed my advert as I'm struggling to find the right S4 Avant but mine is/will be for sale. Moro Blue V6 Manual roadster, 2004, 57K miles fsh etc. £5999 so in budget.
Where are you? I'm in South Devon if that's any good?

Stewart


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## corradoman (Sep 11, 2010)

Thanks, im in north wales so a good way from you, not that that would bother me, but im not really after a roadster, thanks though


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## spaceplace (Mar 10, 2013)

Personally I love the dsg, I don't think it's as involved as a manual but day to day I think that can be a good thing. I think it's great in traffic when you're moving slow and also great when flooring it, gear changes are just instant and you don't even have to lift off the throttle. I do like the way the manuals give you a little more control but tbh I'm sold on the dsg boxes, the thing that I like the most about the dsg is the way it makes driving feel somehow special. I had a 225 manual before and I wouldn't go back to one.


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## corradoman (Sep 11, 2010)

This is what im thinking. is there much difference in performance between the 2 i wonder


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## spaceplace (Mar 10, 2013)

Dsg is faster as every gear change is perfect, no one likes to red line in first gear but dsg can do it all for you, dsg also has launch control


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## corradoman (Sep 11, 2010)

launch control mmmm


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## SC0TTRS (Oct 23, 2016)

Never truly liked the DSG. Great in traffic and being lazy but I always felt a level of disconnection when driving..

Each to their own


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## TT Boycie (Sep 27, 2009)

SC0TTRS said:


> Never truly liked the DSG. Great in traffic and being lazy but I always felt a level of disconnection when driving..
> 
> Each to their own


Me too. Mrs has a mk2 V6 dsg roadster. I had a mk2 manual V6 until I sold up for a TT RS manual. Absolutely hate the dsg box. Takes all the fun out of driving for me. She had a 3.2 auto boxster before that and I hated that too!
Personal opinions I suppose 

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## rusTTy_racer (Sep 7, 2015)

Never thought I would get an 'auto' before I got the TT but after my first drive I had to have one. The box is very clever given the age of it and if you are willing to cut it some slack then it is fine 99% of the time. Yes you get the odd messy pull away and some struggle reversing up a hill slowly but who gets it right every time/every day/every year in a manual? :?

What you can do with the DSG is flat out/WOT gear changes even around bends that you just can't do in the manual and for me it's an epic combo with the VR6 engine  It makes for a very balanced feel IMO

Changing the dogbone rubbers to superpro also help mine at crawling pace and regular oil changes seem to be the key. So while not to everybody's taste I won't be swapping mine for a manual :lol:


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## corradoman (Sep 11, 2010)

Nice rear end build thread there Rusty 8)


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## Oranoco (Jan 10, 2016)

I love my manual, feel more involved driving it and get the pleasure of using heel and toe to make the drive so much more fun and rewarding


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## rusTTy_racer (Sep 7, 2015)

corradoman said:


> Nice rear end build thread there Rusty 8)


Cheers  Do you think all the manual fans would turn down a Nissan GTR or R8 or Ferrari with a DSG box? Hmm I am happy to race them, oh no that's already been done lol :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## dave250TT (Jul 20, 2015)

Hi, would not swop my manual for a DSG, Because I think small light sports cars all ways got to be manual! Big barge limo cruiser s class, A8, 7series, etc absolutely and big powerfull exotica lambos, porsche whatever, but owners choice at end of day, good luck in your search dave


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## damien.wrl (Sep 20, 2009)

Just get the best car you can get... more dsg out there so the odds are on it being one...they are both good...Mrs will love the dsg when she gets used to it... both have that V6 noise which is the clincher for me ....I personally wanted the manual and got lucky, I would have gone dsg if the car was right though


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## corradoman (Sep 11, 2010)

No rush damien, as you say i will not rule out the DSG and she will have to get used to it, but would prefer the manual i think


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## firediamonduk (Dec 24, 2013)

I personally love Autos. Just bought a Mazda CX-5 2.2d automatic and love it. Very relaxed for every day driving but decent enough at picking the right gear when you want to get a move on.

However... i hate the DSG box that VAG stick in everything. I find it just never seems to be in the right gear for me, the lurchy feeling when trying to maneuver if a PITA. Just dont like it. Find it has all the negatives of both the auto and the manual which negate the positives of each so for me in the TT it would be the manual. Auto boxes are a hard thing to get right and i personally think the half arsed tiptronic/ DSG manual box with an auto actuator stuck on it are ever any good.

I think if you want Auto, you go with a proper auto box, if you want manual, you go with a proper manual box. I dont think there is room for the DSG in between


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## rusTTy_racer (Sep 7, 2015)

I have to agree that how good the DSG performs is engine dependant and that it's default is to get into the highest gear as quick as possible ( :roll: ) but coupled with the 3.2's low down torque it's not a problem that I have had. I think you will always have the lovers and haters, some who drove one around the block once and those who have added many thousands of miles. I do think that there is no point in getting one if you don't think they are a good idea to begin with but just saying anything with a DSG is crap would be missing the point :?

I would get a QS for a weekend warrior and a 3.2DSG as a daily driver


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## dave250TT (Jul 20, 2015)

Buying a 3.2 with a DSG gearbox would be fine! each to there own, they both have there plus points was only jesting in earlier post! good luck with whatever you end up with


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## seTT (Mar 23, 2014)

Mine's a manual - although I'd never even considered a V6 before I drove this one. The turbos - of which I'd driven plenty - just didn't feel as special somehow, at least as standard. If it had been a DSG, I'd still have bought it, mind, because it's a truly beautiful car, whatever the transmission.
That said, the manual gearbox can feel a bit "gritty" at times which I'm sure would make the auto a bit easier to live with and probably faster.
Sadly, due to changes at work I may have to contemplate selling the TT (having intended to keep it forever). My heart will break but needs must, I guess, although I won't be giving it away.
I'm in West Yorkshire, so I'd understand if you'd prefer looking closer to home.


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## corradoman (Sep 11, 2010)

seTT said:


> Mine's a manual - although I'd never even considered a V6 before I drove this one. The turbos - of which I'd driven plenty - just didn't feel as special somehow, at least as standard. If it had been a DSG, I'd still have bought it, mind, because it's a truly beautiful car, whatever the transmission.
> That said, the manual gearbox can feel a bit "gritty" at times which I'm sure would make the auto a bit easier to live with and probably faster.
> Sadly, due to changes at work I may have to contemplate selling the TT (having intended to keep it forever). My heart will break but needs must, I guess, although I won't be giving it away.
> I'm in West Yorkshire, so I'd understand if you'd prefer looking closer to home.


pm me some info and pics and price if you like, i wont hold you to it if you decide not to sell


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## MichaelAC (Sep 7, 2009)

I don't personally like autos because, like someone else has noted, they can feel that they are always in the wrong gear for some people's driving style and this includes my own. I tend to dislike that it will have to change down during normal driving because, in my opinion, it was rolling in a gear that was too high because I knew that I'd want to pick up lightly when it didn't or it would be in 6th as I approach a corner.

Well with the dsg this isn't really a problem because I always change gear manually with the paddles so for my own driving style, all is well. Someone mentioned that they have less control with the dsg than the manual but this simply isn't true. Using the paddles you have far more control because you can change the gears instantly whenever you like without upsetting the car's balance as rusTTy has pointed out.

I had a 225 before my V6 and although I loved the car the gearbox was far from slick. Don't get me wrong, as far as I'm concerned all opinions on here are quite valid and just show that people's feeling for how they drive will always differ. However, a lot of people that normally prefer a manual gearbox will, if they actually drive one, be more than happy with the dsg too unlike a standard auto.

The TT for me is more of a mini GT car really and so the dsg and V6 engine fit in well together. If I want to go for a 'light sports car' blast I'll take my R53 JCW out.

I think maybe, you should not rule a dsg out and if the car you find first happens to be one then both of you could try it out to see how you get on although it really takes a while to learn how to drive the dsg properly. Just bare in mind that it is a different type of gearbox that appeals to many 'manual only' drivers too.


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## rusTTy_racer (Sep 7, 2015)

Well put Michael, as always a balanced view from someone who has had both


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## corradoman (Sep 11, 2010)

very good review 8)


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## mikeat45 (May 9, 2009)

i do get the urge to sell mine now and again (due to it not being big enough) have you tried a test drive yet the DSG behaves quite different to "normal" autos I have a E46 330 ragtop auto and its quite a different drive, she might fall in love with the DSG
ill volunteer if you cant find closer (Bristol)


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## corradoman (Sep 11, 2010)

mikeat45 said:


> i do get the urge to sell mine now and again (due to it not being big enough) have you tried a test drive yet the DSG behaves quite different to "normal" autos I have a E46 330 ragtop auto and its quite a different drive, she might fall in love with the DSG
> ill volunteer if you cant find closer (Bristol)


Im a long way from you, thanks for the offer anyway, going to view a couple this week and have driven the manual yesterday, totally different power delivery than my old mapped 225, engine noise was fantastic, something you dont get in a 225, but felt a good bit slower! probably the way the power is delivered, but felt nice and planted though, not in a rush as i have transport


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## neil_audiTT (Sep 1, 2010)

Manual in a mk1 all day long. It suits the drive much better, I never like how the early DSG responded fitted to mk1 TT's. The mk2 is a much nicer s-tronic car to drive than the mk1 DSG.

And that comes from someone who's owned all, and currently owns a DSG :lol:


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## asahartz (May 24, 2014)

Let's be clear though, a DSG is not the same as an auto. It's a manual box with electronic gearchange. I've not had the chance to drive one but I'd like one. Our family bus is a Citroen Grand Picasso with EGS, which is basically the same thing. In the Citroen it's distinctly quicker in manual mode and that's how I drive it (having bought it initially as an auto). Just a flick of the finger and you change gear - when you want to - but the electronics won't let you change into too high a gear, and automatically drops it down if you slow down below the speed range for a gear. Manual changes with this system are far quicker than I could manage with a gearstick, and that car accelerates faster than a 2.0 diesel MPV ought to!

At the end of the day it's your choice and the best thing you can do is drive examples of each and decide what you like. For me, I'll be looking for a DSG in my next TT.


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## westo3 (Jan 15, 2011)

As a given, it is a personal choice, anybody wondering which type to get has only to test drive both, you will soon know. I have a manual and the only reason I choose this was because I wanted a keeper and there are far less manuals than DSGs so they might be worth more in the long run plus slightly less to go wrong.


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## gogs (Dec 22, 2010)

Never driven an auto box in any car until my first V6 TT, took me a week or so to adjust to its quirks etc, that car had the mechatronic unit go on it, around £1000 for removal, repair, refit plus fluids and labour, I foolishly sold the car as a knee jerk reaction ☹
I'm now back in my 2nd V6 DSG and have just had the gearbox fluid and filter changed and it feels smoother, I've never driven the manual version of the 3.2 as there never seemed to be any around when I was looking, I would take either tbh as the engine is the important part 

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