Releasing the brake in the reverse or drive will mean the car starts creeping backwards or forwards respectively - this is deliberate, as it makes low-speed manoeuvring easier. Driving a car with a DSG gearbox isn’t really any different to driving most other automatics - you’ll need to put your foot on the brake to switch between neutral, park, reverse or drive. Many people choose automatic gearboxes because they make driving easier, particularly in traffic you don’t have to worry about constantly using the clutch. You may decide these are small sacrifices for the convenience of an automatic ‘box. Dual-clutch gearboxes can be heavier too and, in some cases, be slightly less fuel-efficient than manual gearboxes - this, however, will depend on the car you buy.

How you’re driving and the driving mode you’re in (if your car has different modes) will also help the gearbox work out when to change it can do so in just a few hundredths of a second.Īs with other types of automatic gearboxes, you will have to pay extra if you want a DSG over a standard manual gearbox, so it’s worth keeping that in mind if you’re on a tight budget. The clever sensors in a DSG gearbox constantly measure a range of variables, including how fast you’re going, how hard the engine is working and the position of the accelerator to work out the optimum gear and shift point. Other advances in technology have meant that single-clutch systems now have improved shifting times that can almost match dual-clutch gearboxes, too.

The reason for this is that dual-clutch automatics can be bulkier in size, so switching back to a single clutch meant the German manufacturer could fit an additional gear into the same size package to improve efficiency and fuel economy. The benefit to having a second clutch means the DSG gearbox can work out which gear you’re likely to need next and gets it ready, so that, in theory, your gearshifts are much quicker and smoother.īMW had its own DCT (dual-clutch transmission) DSG rival, but more recently decided to switch back to a traditional automatic gearbox system. This is because a DSG gearbox can, in some cases, improve fuel economy and make a car better to drive. Many cars built by the Volkswagen Group, including those from Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and SEAT make use of DSG gearboxes, and many other brands also offer this type of transmission, including Ford, Hyundai and Kia. This is a type of automatic transmission which is offered as an option, and increasingly as standard, on many cars.īut what is a DSG gearbox? As the ‘dual-clutch’ description implies, it’s a gearbox with two clutches, unlike most automatics. If you’ve been looking for a car to buy, you may have seen or heard of a dual-clutch or ‘DSG’ transmission, which stands for ‘direct-shift gearbox’. These days more cars than ever are offered with an automatic gearbox.

Dsg vs dct transmission