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That has nothing to do with VW DSG box then. It should be drivable nonetheless but probably a bit slow.
and please use their services
Auto Car drivers, lag - is it just me?
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That has nothing to do with VW DSG box then. It should be drivable nonetheless but probably a bit slow.
Mikesphotaes
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I notice this on the Merc before it warms up.
dejongj
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Which box do you have? I have the 7G and other than turbo lag (and the bloody eco stop/start thingy) the gearbox is fine.
dejongj
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Heavy car (relatively to the small engine) with old school gearbox. Or ahem, hold on a minute. You don't have the CVT with electronic artificial gears do you?
If you have a CVT (one of my favourite type of automatics before I was introduced to the VW DSG) then you need to have a very different driving style. It can be quite unnatural as it is all about maintaining and setting the RPM. A little bit like a boat engine, the gearing will automatically adapt to that. The unnatural part of it is that sometimes you can hear the engine scream, but it is ok. If you pull off your foot then you RPM will drop and you slow down rapidly. Just keep you foot steady until you reach your desired speed. Then you only have to provide micro adjustments to maintain a steady speed. That gearbox together with the 3.5 V6 in our Murano was brilliant. Such great fun when the lights turn green and Porsche's and the likes and other gearboxes have to shift gears and you just keep going.
Yup it all makes sense now if you have a CVT. Good old Dutch invention. We used to race them backwards as the gearbox can go as backwards as it can go forwards.
Mikesphotaes
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No idea but it is 7 speed, 350D but certainly caught me out at the roundabout a few hundred yards down the road from my house!
Absolutely fine when warmed up though.
The turbo lag is another matter, read a book time when in Economy mode!
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I thought that was the Italians?
But on topic, my V6 ( normally aspirated) auto is as responsive as I need it to be,
and there is nothing really to be gained by using it "tiptronicly"
dejongj
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Yes should the same 7G. I found it is related to the stop/start thingy. I bet if you press the ECO button and switch it off it won't do that. I've had all sorts of updates to try and rectify it. Consider we got our GL class as a replacement for the Prius I still suspect that bloody Prius is haunting us with the ECO crap on the Mercedes.
Apologies for the passionate language
dejongj
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I bet they mean Jatco
lol in that case I give up as that is just an old fashioned traditional gearbox with torque converter. With a relatively heavy car, old school auto gearbox and smallish engine I'm surprised it seems to be so lively at times.
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Leonardo De Vinci (Italian) conceptualised it. It was put into use by an American in mills in the late 1800's and Daimler Benz (German) were the first to use it in a car also in the late 1800's. DAF (Dutch) introduced the Variomatic, their version of the CVT in 1958.
welshwizard645
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My Saab 9-5 Aero auto is a bit slow off the mark, unless I have it S (superslurp mode). So anything gets a good head start on me off the line, but by the time I've travelled 200 yards I am well ahead of the other cars because of the phenomenal mid-range acceleration of the B235R.. OH's Golf is also a bit slow off the mark but it is quite elderly now.
dejongj
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http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US3720113
Leonardo De Vinci (Italian) conceptualised it. It was put into use by an American in mills in the late 1800's and Daimler Benz (German) were the first to use it in a car also in the late 1800's. DAF (Dutch) introduced the Variomatic, their version of the CVT in 1958.
Looks like they missed a trick then
lostsoulal2
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I recall driving a mid to late 1960's Daf 33 in East London with the "Variomatic" aka CVT system when there was an almighty bang and saw various bits of the drive belt / covers strewn all over the road behind us
, but the car was still driving on the one remaining belt - it did pull slightly to one side when accelerating...............!I went to the local car breakers, purchased 2 belts and underbody covers, removed the rear seat, a service hatch, installed the belts and away I went again - a simple system and a very basic but fun little car.
I have driven a number of autos; the worst of all was probably a Corsa petrol. This was round about 2011 model, but eneverthe less it was very “jerky” and you could feel it revving to get to the next speed. I got used to it, but it would not be a preference!
The B200, I was considering investigating one of them. What year do you have? Wholeheartedly recommended?
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My b200 is a 63 plate. We are very pleased with it it has a large boot and large interior. I am over 6 foot and I am happy in the rear. We average over 50 mpg if that's any help. Last year we drove to Spain and we averaged 52 mpg and the car was fully loaded there and back
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I had a Merc C200 Auto as a hire car yesterday..
Took me a while to work out whether it was a diesel or petrol - at speed the engine whine makes the Austin Metro City's A-plus engine seem very refined.
It was an auto - and I had to check the user manual even before starting the car - because the transmission 'stick' is a stalk behind the steering wheel. Took me a while to find it....
Took a while (well. never really got the hang of it) to realise how to operate the damn thing, and when you wanted to set off never could tell whether it was actually in gear or the parking brake was off. Then you lost 2-3 seconds.....
Small inside, very cramped and obvious bits where the accountants have to be satisfied....
Took me a while to work out whether it was a diesel or petrol - at speed the engine whine makes the Austin Metro City's A-plus engine seem very refined.
It was an auto - and I had to check the user manual even before starting the car - because the transmission 'stick' is a stalk behind the steering wheel. Took me a while to find it....
Took a while (well. never really got the hang of it) to realise how to operate the damn thing, and when you wanted to set off never could tell whether it was actually in gear or the parking brake was off. Then you lost 2-3 seconds.....
Small inside, very cramped and obvious bits where the accountants have to be satisfied....
dejongj
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Probably too late now
the parking brake will come off automatically when you start driving. I'd say it is pretty refined when you can't feel the cloink when changing gears to get into drive.
kingo15
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Our a220 am going merchant is the same. Well started off ok but got worse. Even using the flappy paddle wasn't great. After 3 visits to merchant and a few loud voices in their posh customer waiting area. They did a software update.
Fingers crossed, touch wood all appears to be good.
Fingers crossed, touch wood all appears to be good.
ancient_mariner
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I've driven a few auto hire cars at various times, and I wonder if it's all to do with set up in the European models. So a Volvo (V70 IIRC) was great but a Ford focus very laggy (and ridiculous with a 3L V6: foot down at 50mph, nothing.... nothing.... oh look, 90mph).
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Only modern auto I have driven was an 380PS Aston Martin V8 around Silverstone, it may have been because it is a big car and on a wide track, but it didn't feel that quick, no matter how hard I tried, My 250PS Focus feels faster, but then I haven't driven that round Silverstone to get a direct comparison. Had I been able to have more time in the car I'd have used the paddles to change gear manually. The Aston's brakes were quite impressive though, didn't fade and I suspect the instructor found they worked a lot better than he had thought as he found time to say brake two or three times before I finally did for each bend.
dejongj
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V6 Focus???? Really, never heard of one. Could be heavy for a focus.
Only modern auto I have driven was an 380PS Aston Martin V8 around Silverstone, it may have been because it is a big car and on a wide track, but it didn't feel that quick, no matter how hard I tried, My 250PS Focus feels faster, but then I haven't driven that round Silverstone to get a direct comparison. Had I been able to have more time in the car I'd have used the paddles to change gear manually. The Aston's brakes were quite impressive though, didn't fade and I suspect the instructor found they worked a lot better than he had thought as he found time to say brake two or three times before I finally did for each bend.
I think it is just illusion. My Golf R seems faster at every speed but it actually isn't. When I compare it to our GL it is amazing how comparable it is but just a totally different experience. I prefer the latter myself. I guess I'm just not a fan of hot hatches despite having one of the hottest and best handling ones around.
ancient_mariner
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This was in Canada, 2006. Not a well balanced car.
dejongj
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Wow yes I can image, jointed to a typical awful auto box
ancient_mariner
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Last time we went in 2014 we had a Fiat 500L with 5 speed auto, and that was fine - no idea if it was DSG or not though.
dejongj
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Not sure what they do over there or in the 500L. The abarth I test drove had a MTA - Manual Transmission Automatic. Once getting used to it, I actually quite liked it. Advantage of a manual but without a clutch.
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I was aware that Ford did a V8 RWD conversion kit for the Mk1 Focus, wasn't aware they did a V6.
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Are you sure it was a Focus? 2006 would have been the Mk2 and North America / Canada went down their own route with the Focus, so not the same as the European Focus, but it only came with one engine and that was a 4 cylinder 2.0L. Mk 1 never had a V6 neither. Current Mk3's are same as Europe engines. I've googled V6 Focus and the only reference I can find is someone's own conversion using the engine from a Ford Fusion SVT.
ancient_mariner
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Well, it was 10 years ago, but I recall it being a 3L V6 - funny the things one remembers, but it was intrusively 'screamier' than a 4 cylinder engine and when the engine finally remembered where the wheels were then it picked up speed really quickly. It was a mid-sized Ford, smaller than the Taunus/Mondeo and with slightly different styling from the Eu versions.
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Ford had two different 3.0 V6 engines in the mid 2000's neither of which was fitted to the Focus. The Vulcan 3.0 V6 was available in the 1st generation Fusion, The Duratec 3.0V6 which was the same engine fitted to the European Mondeo ST220 and a derivative used in the Jag X-Type, was fitted to the Taurus, about the size of the Mondeo ST220 / Jaguar X_Type and the Ford 500 which is a large saloon, bigger than the current Mondeo.
ancient_mariner
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Maybe it was a fusion - TBH it was a bland Ford box, and since so many of them start with an F, Focus was the only one that came to mind.
dejongj
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I seem to recall that they did a Focus but looked nothing like a focus. I wonder whether it was a hangover from that mazda cooperation.
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No it was still based on the Mk1 Focus chassis but with redesigned interior and exterior.
Where as Europe and other countries got a new chassis for the Mk2 Focus, 3 years earlier.
ancient_mariner
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It's possible. This was 10 years ago, one night someone kicked in the roof of the Volvo that we'd hired originally and the Ford was what they offered as a replacement for our last few days - either that or be stuck in Prince Albert (stop sniggering at the back). It was red, awkward to park & reverse, had a screamy engine, was horribly unpredictable to drive because of the auto lag and the aircon worked OK. Those are really the key things I remember about it.
ancient_mariner
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No it was still based on the Mk1 Focus chassis but with redesigned interior and exterior.
Where as Europe and other countries got a new chassis for the Mk2 Focus, 3 years earlier.
That could be it - it was a saloon too like that, and not a hatch.
lostsoulal2
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Wonder if it could have been the Ford (Mercury) Cougar?? That certainly had a 2.5-litre 24-valve Duratec V6 engine as an option.