| Dual Clutch GearboxThe dual-clutch gearbox DSG represents a major innovation in gearbox development from Volkswagen. The fully automatic 6-speed gearbox is capable of changing gear with no interruption in power flow. The gear changes are so exceptionally smooth that the car's occupants hardly notice them. The dual-clutch gearbox contains two wet clutches with two drive shafts. Clutch 1 engages 1st, 3rd, 5th and reverse gears and clutch 2 engages 2nd, 4th and 6th gears. When a gear change is made, the next gear is already pre-selected but not yet engaged. It takes just three to four hundredths of a second for one clutch to engage while the other is released. In this way, the change of gear is imperceptible to the driver and is achieved without any interruption in the power flow. Depending on the driver's driving style, the intelligent control electronics allow fuel savings of up to 10 percent compared to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The driver can operate the DSG manually or let the gearbox change gear automatically. In the automatic mode, the driver has a choice between a well-balanced comfort setting and a higher-performance sport setting. Manual gear changes are made either with shift paddles or buttons on the steering wheel or with the gear lever.
The new 7-speed DSG represents the next stage in the development of dual-clutch technology. The 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox allows Volkswagen to present two world firsts. On the one hand, the first 7-speed gearbox for transverse front installation and on the other hand, the first dual-clutch gearbox with a "dry" dual clutch.
The gearbox is designed for engine torques of up to 250 Nm and is for use in the compact class and, another international first, in vehicles of the small car segment.
As a feature of the gearbox design, the dry dual clutch has major consequences for the overall engineering concept. Compared to the Volkswagen 6-speed dual-clutch gearbox available today, it improves efficiency even further by a large degree and thus achieves a major contribution to lowering fuel consumption and emissions in new vehicle concepts. |
