Manual vs Automatic

Geoff.D said:
As I originally posted, there are cases where an automatic becomes an imperative choice.
Which Helshoogte are you taking about?
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AFAIK there is only one Helshoogte, between Stellenbosch and Pniel.
 
Stellenbosch one. I never really feel that the DSG gearbox is in the wrong gear, I do sometimes shift it to S mode though when going over Franschhoek pass.

Now and then I miss the manual gearbox, but in reality it was just something my brain did on auto pilot anyways. I find that avoiding people not keeping in their lane is much more of a mental challenge than shifting gears.
 
Strange said:
My puny Golf 7 1.4L TSI DSG does fine over Helshoogte pass every day. Certainly less effort than my Civic 1.8L manual that required constant shifting to get any torque out of the motor at 4000 rpm.

Anyways I have chronic knee pain so it's either an auto or no car.
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Not really a fair comparison you are making here.


The VW:
Golf 7 1.4, with 103kW 250Nm at/from 1500 rpm. More than enough to drive a decent well designed DSG. You should not notice the vehicle having any difficulty on helshoogte.


The Honda Civic:

104 kW @ 6 500 rpm
Torque 174 N.m @ 4 300 rpm
Note the different peaks and the gap between max power and maximum torque peak.

Half the torque. Would need to NOT try and optimise torque on a pass like Helshoogte and rather stay in a lower gear and lower speed, hopefully in the Left lane.

That is the difference between a driver understanding what the car can do and using skill to optimise performance in a given situation.
 
The VW is 92kW/200Nm. The turbo does give it a much greater peak torque range though compared to the NA Honda engine.

Eh, Helshoogte is an 80 zone. Left lane has people doing 40 and right has people doing 120. :)
 
Older model? Still plenty of torque available. and at low revs.

Ja so you are caught. Stick to the general Left lane speed or join the lunatics ( especially the guys in their BMWs with double the torque) and try to stick at the 120 kph going speed.
Tough choice.
At the very heart of this entire debate, the entitled believing it is their right to disobey the law and those that want to enjoy the drive. I suppose, there are some who feel so intimated that they end up crawling up the pass in the yellow lane as well.
 
ToxicBunny said:
Well he would be good for a laugh, especially when he completes screws the gearbox and the manufacturer tells him to get bent when he lodges a warranty claim.
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I also do clutchless up and down shifting... On my bike. :cool:
Have owned and used it in that manner since 2010. Zero issues.
 
The way to do this is to drive the VW at the speed limit up the pass and then see how the DSG is handling the situation.
 
It is the Golf 7.5 that came out in 2017 or so. I do agree though that the turbocharged torque range makes it more pleasant than the screaming Honda engine. Maybe that also makes it easier for the DSG to select an appropriate gear.

My wife's Renault Captur 1.2 88kW/190nM (also turbocharged) dual-clutch auto also easily climbs that pass.

In the end there is the maintenance argument I guess, which can be significant when something breaks. But if I optimised life by spending as little money as possible, then I would go camp in Jonkershoek and mug mountain bikers. :)
 
Geoff.D said:
The way to do this is to drive the VW at the speed limit up the pass and then see how the DSG is handling the situation.
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I have driven the pass every day for 5 years now, so that is usually the situation I try to achieve.
 
Strange said:
It is the Golf 7.5 that came out in 2017 or so. I do agree though that the turbocharged torque range makes it more pleasant than the screaming Honda engine. Maybe that also makes it easier for the DSG to select an appropriate gear.

My wife's Renault Captur 1.2 88kW/190nM (also turbocharged) dual-clutch auto also easily climbs that pass.

In the end there is the maintenance argument I guess, which can be significant when something breaks. But if I optimised life by spending as little money as possible, then I would go camp in Jonkershoek and mug mountain bikers. :)
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Yes, it is. Whether it is you as the driver making the selection, or the computer chip, the physics is the same. It is all about having enough power and torque available -- the more there is the more flexibility the driver or the chip has.
 
Ja even though I can do the same, I choose NOT to try and change gears without using the clutch (plan c). Nothing to brag about at parties or braais.
 
Geoff.D said:
The way to do this is to drive the VW at the speed limit up the pass and then see how the DSG is handling the situation.
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I had a jetta Tsi with that same engine, 6 speed manual, those cars are much stronger than their power figures suggest. That car barely felt helshoogte. Current dsg diesel barely notices that pass as well.
 
Craig said:
I had a jetta Tsi with that same engine, 6 speed manual, those cars are much stronger than their power figures suggest. That car barely felt helshoogte. Current dsg diesel barely notices that pass as well.
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The 16 valve? Yes a magic motor car that one!
 
Geoff.D said:
Not really a fair comparison you are making here.


The VW:
Golf 7 1.4, with 103kW 250Nm at/from 1500 rpm. More than enough to drive a decent well designed DSG. You should not notice the vehicle having any difficulty on helshoogte.


The Honda Civic:

104 kW @ 6 500 rpm
Torque 174 N.m @ 4 300 rpm
Note the different peaks and the gap between max power and maximum torque peak.

Half the torque. Would need to NOT try and optimise torque on a pass like Helshoogte and rather stay in a lower gear and lower speed, hopefully in the Left lane.

That is the difference between a driver understanding what the car can do and using skill to optimise performance in a given situation.
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VTEC only kicks in at 6000rpm that's the sweet spot for any honda, VTEC all the time!!
 
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