Mark Gillies, manager of product and technology communications for VW says, “The future looks good for DSG, because it combines the ease and convenience of an automatic transmission with the fun-to-drive element of a manual and because it doesn’t have an energy-sapping torque converter, it usually gets better gas mileage than a conventional automatic.” For what it’s worth, VW’s DSG box is one of the best transmissions in the business. This is easily one of the worst transmissions found on any modern-day car, to be frank. As of 2019, though, Ford has never truly solved this problem and has faced class action lawsuits over the defective transmission. “ are continually working to refine and improve the dual clutch transmission, so that when it changes gears the sensation won’t be any different from a traditional hydraulic step-gear transmission,” he said, acknowledging past criticisms. ![]() Richard Truett an automotive engineering reporter that used to work at Ford explained what the future holds for the brands DCT. DCTs are significantly smoother than single clutch units, prompting a switch by companies like Ferrari and BMW. Those minor quibbles about DCTs, however, are nothing compared to the issues that have plagued single clutch sequential gearboxes. Some drivers call VW’s dual clutch solution jerky too, especially in slow speeds. These issues aren’t just present on Ford’s DCT. Additionally, there was some slowness in the selection of the next gear, especially when trying to accelerate at lower speeds. Drivers found that the shifting is not as smooth as they expected. The technology seems to suggest that DCTs are a great idea for high-performance cars, where precision gear-changes are necessary, but how do DCTs act on your regular passenger car?įord’s version of the DCT, called Powershift, has been available on the Fiesta, and Focus for a little while now, and has encountered a few snags. Other car companies have jumped on board with the DCT technology, offering it as an option on many cars. One of the first passenger car to have a DCT was the 2003 Volkswagen Golf R32. The DCT in the end is an ideal candidate for a driver who wants to have an engaging manual like driving experience when they want it, and a comfortable automatic transmission for more mundane driving. Many DCTs can operate in two modes, a fully automatic mode, so the car’s computer chooses when to changes gears for you, or a manual mode, which lets you select gears via buttons, steering wheel paddles, or by moving the gear stick. SEE ALSO: Are CVT Transmissions Reliable? DCTs were once the gold standard in performance transmissions, but with automatics now getting faster, they are beginning crop back up. These days, though, new advancements in automatic transmission software and design have made them much, much faster and quicker shifting. Previously, regular automatic gearboxes took much longer to shift than a DCT. To compare, the average person’s time to shift a manual transmission ranges between half a second to a full second. The whole gear change takes just milliseconds to complete and is much quicker than a manual transmission. No need for disengaging and engaging the clutch. It works like this: as you’re driving along, the car has already selected the next gear, so when it’s needed, it just does a quick change. What this means is that there’s less interruption of power when shifting gears. DCTs are a lot like manual transmissions, except they have two clutches, and no pedal to control them. ![]() Dual Clutch Transmissions have been around for quite a while, especially in high-powered performance cars, but the technology has been steadily making its way into more everyday driver consumer cars. Luckily, progress has been made in the world of automatic transmissions that can help alleviate those woes.Ī recent trend in transmissions is the Dual-Clutch Transmission, or DCT. Still, an automatic transmission can leave any driving enthusiast unsatisfied. With a traditional automatic transmission, drivers have been able to experience a fairly comfortable, yet less engaging experience. They require familiarity and a level of perfection to get just right. Let’s face it, manual transmissions aren’t for everyone. SEE ALSO: Manual Transmission Supra Still Being ConsideredĪ major factor in answering those three questions has to do with the right transmission. However, from the car driver’s perspective, there are just three main questions: How comfortable is the driving experience? How fun is it to drive? How good is the car on fuel? Questions about cargo room, technology, options, luxuries and other various elements will come up more than a few times while shopping for a new car. In the quest to find a new car, there are a lot of questions that need to be asked.
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