User 52121

Ok so this question actually isn't about a Boxster/Cayman but I think this is a good place to ask anyways since I figure the Cayman forum has probably the biggest mix of MT/PDK drivers

Looking to replace my wife's DD with a new VW GTI. I can find it with either a 6 speed or a DSG (VW equivalent to PDK).

She can drive stick and actually loves it (my wife is a car nut, she rocks ). But now she's on the fence and can't decide. I think she's leaning towards DSG just because it's "new". Also a good friend of hers has a 2010 Cayman S PDK and talks it up. I'm worried that in 6 months she'll miss driving a true stick and regret it though.


She will autocross the car a few times a year (and PDK/DSG is awesome for that) when we attend non-PCA events but otherwise no track duty... that's what my Porsche is for. It will be a DD. So "PDK/DSG is faster" doesn't really matter.

So my simple question is - anybody who was on the fence about PDK that was originally a MT person, regret going PDK after a bit?

extanker

pdk and NO REGRETS

jcastle

+1

User 52121

Ok decision/crisis averted. Thanks for the feedback!

She just ran down to a dealer that has identical, but used, GTI's in stock - one a DSG, one a 6sp, and drove them back to back.

She hated the DSG once she was able to do an immediate comparison. Said it held gears too long when she didn't want it to, and shifted too early when she didn't want it to. (She also gave the poor sales guy a hell of a ride).

So looks like we're going with a 6sp. Dealer doing a search now. Thanks again guys!

SeanAlexander

After 25 years of a strict manual-transmission sportscar diet, I bowed to immediate gratification and purchased a 2011 BMW M3 with M-DCT (M's PDK) it was miles better than any "automatic" I'd ever been forced to drive and I was initially quite enthusiastic about it. However, over the past three years I sincerely grew to regret buying an non-manual car and finally dumped it for a 2014 Cayman S 6-speed. It wasn't the performance, it was the comparative lack of involvement and control that really started to grind on me the most.

I'll never go back, not even if they make a PDK-only Cayman GT3!

stevecolletti

Had two Panamera loaners, each for a week.
I had to buy an A3 TDI in January (dual-clutch only, available) for for my new, ridiculous work commute. Dual-clutch is fine in an appliance like the TDI, though even with the diesel, I would have preferred a manual (even after 8 months).

For me, dual clutch is the best 'auto' I've driven, but it will not replace the fun and involvement of a manual, and I can't imagine owning a sports car with a dual-clutch.

william_b_noble

I have a cayman with PDK, 2014 model year. Not sure I would buy it that way again, I'm very much on the fence - I don't like the way you have to rev it to get it to move up a little hill, and I don't see much advantage in it except if my left foot is hurt and then not pressing a clutch might be a good thing. On the other hand, just driving around easy, it isn't very annoying and so it's tolerable. I still miss my 993.

911SLOW

A couple of years ago I bought a brand new Poli Gti (it doesn't come with a manual gearbox), great little car, solid build quality and a clever engine; but, I hated the DSG so much that I sold it a few months after.

cleong

Working a manual gearbox, and making the perfect heel-and-toe downshift, will soon be a lost art.

Spokayman

I agree with this sentiment.
On the other hand, double clutching to accommodate a non-synchro gearbox, hand cranking windows open and closed, changing and setting distributor points, rebuilding carburetors frequently, etc. have all gone away over time. Most changes are for the better.
That said, I too still prefer a manual although my brief time in a loaner Panamera with PDK was interesting.

ralt12

Don't think that all dual-clutch gearboxes are identical; you can't compare VW's DSG with Porsche's PDK, or the Ferrari system, or the BMW system, as the software is really what defines the performance envelope , and the "feel" of the gearbox.
I think if you're going to track the car, PDK is the only way to go. Purists may howl, but when you're hauling the car down from top speed into Daytona's Turn 1, and you're anywhere close to a Ferrari that's clipping off perfect shift after perfect shift--with zero over-revs--then you'll start to like the concept a little more. When was the last time you saw an F1 car with a true manual?? Loonnnggg time ago...
And--these things can really bang off shifts, it's amazing how fast they change gears. Having said that, in my '09, the "Normal" setting is clearly an EPA setting, and you really have to put it in "Sport" for the car to behave like a Porsche when you aren't driving it like a manual. For me, the irritating part is that it is a sequential, so my 4th to 2nd downshifts are history....unless the S90 is out and about (or those other cars...)).

ffr2370

Went from a 997.1 manual to a 981 CS PDK. I have found the PDK (in sport) performs better than the manual in almost all situations except: Hard braking to a stop in auto, like making a legal stop at a stop sign then accelerating hard away. The PDK will do its throttle blipping/downshifting thing but it cant keep up with the cars deceleration rate. As the car slows it will buck and jerk...making it hard to stop on the mark accurately. In the manual 997 (and manual mode of the PDK) you just hit the brakes till you stop and jab it into first and take off.

Other than that it's pretty awesome, I think it suits the car well. I have sticks in other cars and bikes, so I don't miss not having it in the Coxster.

Art14244

Glad I found your response Sean A. I'm looking into a 14 Cayman but have no dealers close by or I wouldn't be asking in this way. My question is about the man trans.... how is it on this car? Did you get the sport chrono feature and if so, how does that operate with the 6 spd as opposed to the PDK? Does the 6 spd rev match when downshifting? If so, can you turn that off? How are you enjoying the car so far?

william_b_noble

I drove both the manual and the PDK - for fun, I'd think the manual, for economy, PDK, for speed PDK - you choose

Dino944

I drove the 981S several times both as a Boxster and Cayman each with PDK and manuals. The PDK is really good for an automatic. I also did the Porsche Roadshow event where we drove a base 981, 981S, a Carrera S, and Carrera 4S and all were equipped with PDK. The instructors told us they recommend leaving the cars in auto, because the cars will shift at the optimum shift points, and we will be quicker in the cars that way (but we did play around with them in manual also). They said then you can focus purely on driving, the apexes,when to brake etc.

In the end, PDK is definitely going to execute shifts faster than we can with a manual. However, it just seems less involving. Yes, PDK with sport chrono is claimed to reach 60 about .5 seconds quicker than with a manual. However, life is more than just a series of sprints. For the driving our car will get the majority of the time, the 6spd seemed like it was the most entertaining. I love manually rowing through the gears on a nice winding road. Beyond that, a friend with a Ferrari F430 with the F1 paddle transmission only uses the paddles on rare occasions...so on some level it just doesn't feel as entertaining/involving as if he got a manual. Don't get me wrong its really fast...but I get the auto experience in our daily drivers.

As for 6 speed manual with sport chrono, IIRC, in normal mode it does not blip the throttle on downshifts. I believe, the car has to be in sport or sport plus, and then the car will blip the throttle on downshifts.

In the end, we ordered a 981CS with a 6 spd/mt and sport chrono. Can't wait for it to arrive.