The year 2018 marks 15 years of the smooth and efficient DSG gearbox. This dual-clutch automatic transmission has been one of the greatest things to come out of the Volkswagen factory. This gearbox is capable of not only providing the best driving experience but can also provide great fuel economy, best of both worlds eh? Short for Direkt-Schalt-Getriebe (German for Direct Shift Gearbox), this transmission was first seen in 2003 on the R32 Golf hatchback. This gearbox was responsible for the rise in the demand for an automatic transmission in smaller cars and was followed by a wave of manufacturers equipping hatchbacks with automatic transmission options.
Although automatics were available in smaller cars before the DSG arrived, it was not preferred by customers for a couple of reasons. A traditional torque converter could not deliver great fuel economy while the DSG returns more by shifting into higher gear when required. Using two separate clutches, one for your even gears and one for your odd gears, gears would shift in few hundredths of a second, much faster than any other gearbox offering a very good driving experience. Backing up this claim is the popularity of this gearbox which has a very high installation rate across all models. As a matter of fact, cars like the Tiguan SUV and Passat sedan are only offered with DSG gearboxes in India.
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Fifteen years after the first DSG was installed, this unit has evolved and continues to get better every time. Currently offered are 6-speed and 7-speed DSG gearboxes depending upon the torque output of the car. For cars generating up to 250 Nm, you get the “DQ200-7”, the ”DQ260-6” and “DQ400-6” which can handle up to 400 Nm. The ”DQ381-7” and ”DQ500-7” can handle torque figures of up to 420 Nm and 550 Nm respectively. The DSG also offers compatibility with hybrid drivetrains and is seen on cars like the Golf GTE and the Passat GTE, wherein the gearbox has been designed to decouple itself to improve coating ability of the car. With a strong 15 years in the past and many more to come, there is no doubt that the DSG is the gearbox of the future. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
