[nishantbhatia84]

Dual clutch GB, again? No thanks, nope, nada!
Have personally experienced, and experiencing the pain of a DCT.
Have the 2015 Ecosport AT, the car ran proper from 2015 to 2020 (80k kms), no GB issues but the jerking at 1st and 2nd is persistent and annoying as hell when in traffic - which is a given in Mumbai!
Then comes 2020 and the lockdown - means the car is barely driven for six months.
One fine day the 'Transmission Malfuction' error comes up. Get it checked, multiple issues with GB - oil seal gave up resulting in moisture ingress - had to get the entire GB overhauled and a few actuators replaced. Six figure damage to the wallet.
Now the car drives alright, but come an incline and if in a higher gear at lower RPM, the GB tends to overheat - what's weird is that it won't show the GB overheat error - but the engine overheat light comes up, and will disappear as soon as I downshift!
Whilst I am sure there would be a solution to this issue, I do not have the courage or capacity to get the GB repaired again!

So yeah, to sum it up, not getting another dual clutch EVER!!

[DeadCenter]

Can't vote but NO.

I do long drives with family and can't deal with the possibility of having a breakdown in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand, upto the 20L range, I hate all other auto boxes. They annoy the living hell out of me even if the indecisiveness is a split second.

While 75% of my driving is highway and switching to neutral is not a problem at traffic lights, every time I decide to drive to remote areas I will have that niggling doubt and I can't live with that.

Was torn between a Polo Tsi and a Figo DCT 6 years ago. Picked up a Figo TDCi Manual. 80K kms later I have not regretted it one bit. A DCT/DSG is not the only thing that can bring a smile to your face

[abhishek46]

Dual Clutch Units, especially the Dry Clutch Types, are not at all suitable for Indian Bumper to Bumper conditions.

An old school Torque convertor is best suited for our conditions.
These are not only much more reliable, these are smoother in real world conditions too.

[CoolFire]

Voted no, but would have liked to add one condition - will change my choice to yes if going for cars above 20 Lakhs or so.

Even most yes votes in this thread have been on cars above that range. The reason is that in higher priced cars the cost of repair in case of DCT failure is not too high on proportion to price of the car. Whereas, in case of a 12 Lakh car, spending 1 Lakh on that will feel very painful. The spending power also is usually lower in such car owners.

Also, generally, in case of higher price point cars extended warranty is more easily available. As mentioned by most Team-BHPians, it is a no brainer to opt for extended warranty in case of DCT cars.

[pannags]

Voted NO. My reasoning is the following:

1. Do not want to think about traffic conditions before taking the car out everytime

2. Manufacturer's historical apathy towards addressing issues and offering longer built-in warranty

3. Not enticed by fuel efficiency figures and ultra fast shifts

4. Completely hassle free AT ownership experience and the addition of paddle shifters and drive modes in recent cars

[MaheshY1]

No Way!

The tech is new. I'll give it time to achieve some more refinement.
It's complex. If something breaks down, too many parts = finding the problem is more difficult.
It's expensive. It's expensive to buy upfront and it's not too common. So parts and skilled technicians are also expensive.

However, I'll take the AMT or ACMT (auto-clutch - Hyundai/Kia). They're mechanically so simple that finding the culprit is much easier. Moreover, they're so cheap, that even if the whole thing fails, it shouldn't cost more than 25k (for ACMT) and 50k (for AMT).

I don't like the inefficient torque converters because of lots of energy wasted in fluid coupling. But, I don't mind the CVT for everyday use. The only problem is that it doesn't have gears so when I need sudden acceleration, it takes its time to switch to a different ratio to avoid slippage. So, an AMT with manual mode is more than enough for me but the ACMT is perfect for gear shifting engagement without the clutch modulation.

[narayans80]

The prime use case of buying an AT for bulk of the folk is drive in B2B. If the technology is going to commit hara-kiri in such conditions, what's really the point in parking your money on it?

Driving pleasure is all fine and dandy, until you encounter the famed mechatronics failure.

[Vid6639]

I have a DSG Kodiaq and the ZF8 3 series. The DSG is a brilliant gearbox but gets caught out so many times in the city when throttle inputs are not constant and you are frequently on and off the throttle. The box works on the higwhays beautifully.

Even though the DSG is really good and mien is the reliable DQ500, I won't be going back to the DSG especially after experiencing the ZF8 in the 3 series.

When I am looking at lower segment cars than the 3 series and primary use is within the city, it will be a torque converter or CVT only for me. A corolla replacement in the future can be a Seltos CVT or a Kushaq/Taigun 1.0L 6AT but no ways DSG for the city AT car in the house.

That said if you're looking at a good highway premium car, the DSG should not be ruled out. Only the ZF8 beats that.

[RohaNN_kWh]

Would vote YES,

Nothing compares to the slick shifts, absolute breeze on the highway and while overtaking, can't even feel it changing gears, DCT feels like an EV with no gears especially when the engine is under 3k RPM and not audible inside the cabin.

BUT, it totally depends on your usage, our 14-Year-old WagonR has done 48k on the Odometer & the Creta Turbo has done 2400 Km in 8 Months and we rarely use it in heavy traffic, although we have experienced the 40-50 Minute Stop & Go Traffic in Delhi-Gurgaon area multiple times, we haven't faced any heating in harsh Delhi summers !!

I follow 2 things in heavy traffic situations :

- Shift to N when u don't see the car moving again for at least 30 seconds. (Using Auto Hold)

- Keep a 5 Feet distance between the car in front.

[paras211]

I have a 2012 Jetta with 3 6 lakh kms. Gb changed at 80k kms from an accident. No issues yet

[Desi Dybuk]

I voted for NO!

Everybody here has talked about the perils of driving a DCT/DSG in typical Indian city bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Now, some may say that the tech is now much improved from the old VW/Skoda DSGs. While the advantages of the DCT & DSG are well known, the fear of transmission failure at year 5 or 6 when out of warranty & staring at 6 figure repair costs, can any middle class Indian afford this scare? I bet that in another 2-3 years, we are going to start hearing stories of DCTs in Hyundai & Kia failing since they would have completed 4-5 years of run in brutal Indian traffic conditions.

However, it'll be a while before those in the know begin to trust these dual clutch transmissions. The manufacturers have no one but themselves to blame for scaring customers away. Their lackadaisical attitude towards customising these for Indian conditions (DQ200 comes to mind) & merciless denial of support for out-of-warranty cars when the transmissions failed prematurely means that trust is broken on this tech. By comparison, look at how Tata & other EV manufacturers in India are instilling trust in EV technology by giving warranty of battery & motor for 8 years.

And besides, with the advent of the EV era, most of these companies wouldn't be investing in improving the technology as these mechanical transmissions will be out of circulation in few years. So, DCT/DSG is probably at the peak of their design improvements & companies will be in 'maintenance' mode with these high-tech transmissions.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Voted yes!

Touching wood before I type the message.

I got a GT TSI which had a DSG 7.5 years ago. Hasn't failed yet over 82 k kms.

Few things which I religiously do

1. Neutral at stops
2. Manual in creep traffic
3. Using S mode at least once a week

Will I choose again? Yes. It won't deter me from buying one (though will stick to the VW domain).
Will I choose an inferior car to my needs because of DSG? Possibly not. The overall experience should definitely be better.

[car_crazy1400]

I voted No. I did buy a Kia Seltos GTX plus Diesel last year as it had a TC gearbox. Even though I wanted the turbo petrol model. However as the usage is only in the city and the diesel auto is great in city and works smoothly, this, combined with the reports of DCT heating up in traffic, led me to buy the torque converter gearbox.

[arindambasu13]

No - I would not . Personally, I still have not moved on to autoboxes. Both my Honda City and Ecosport are proper old school pleasurable manual transmissions, and I like them that way. That said, there is no denying the convenience of an automatic and our next set of cars would definitely be autobox variants. However, DCT gearboxes have not been around for enough time with impeccable reliability for me to vote for them. What I have heard about in plenty is DCT overheating and performance issues in Indian traffic conditions.

With that in mind, I will refrain from a DCT and restrict myself to a more traditional torque converter/ CVT box, unless I am sure that the DCT in question has performed reliably and flawlessly in typical Indian conditions across a substantial time period. Reliability and fuss free ownership are important to me, which automatically rules out many DCT variants available in India today.

[svmvale]

Unable to Vote. But its a resounding YES.

I have a 2017 VW Vento TDi AT with the DQ200 gearbox. Just got the 90000kms service done. Got the gearbox oil replaced too.

My close friend, has two Vento TDi ATs, done 1,05,000 kms in each. One is sold. Second one also had a complete overhaul with my car and he is retaining it.

I absolutely love the quick shifts of the DSG. My driving has marginal bumper to bumper traffic. Fuel economy is very good. I drive with a gentle right foot and i average 17 kmpl always. Long distance highway drives, it increases.

And as suggested before, In long queues at signals more than a min, i shift to Neutral and wait.

In order to protect the gearbox, i have also replaced the oil in DSG at 90000kms service. Though it was not part of VW recommendation. Need to protect the state of the art brilliant machinery.

I intend to hold onto my Vento AT for another 80000 kms. Fingers crossed on reliability. Hope it doesn't fail. If it does, shall repair it by paying for it if i have to. Its been an absolute pleasure to drive.

Problem with VW DQ200 is, it can handle peak torque of 250Nm. VW 1.5TDi and 2.0TSI, product 250Nm of torque. In bumper to bumper traffic, the car keeps hitting the peaking torque frequently and thereby causing the failure.

Dad and cousin have CRETA CRDi TC AT, yes shifts are smooth but i always feel the engine is revving a bit too much. Mileage is bad. Both get 13kmpl.

Honda City CVTs rubber band effect is too pronounced and revvs too much on the highway. Decent for stop and go traffic. But again fuel economy sucks. Haven't driven the CVTs of Toyota though.

This was the recommendation i made to my friend recently,

Type of Automatic:
VAG have vastly improved their DSG gearboxes.
DSG has the smoothest drive. I have VW Vento DSG AT. Mine has done 90000km. Very happy. Its be glitch free experience.

If 80% is city drive, better to choose a CVT / Torque Converter rather than DSG.

Need to choose type of AT, based on the application.

My dad has first gen Creta diesel AT (torque converter) - for his city use serves the purpose. In 5yrs+, he has done about 60000kms. No complaints. He is very happy. I don't like to drive it. But yea, he is very happy.

Wish people continue to adopt this technology and giving the auto majors to improve on its reliability.