I have a 2.0TDi w/ DSG & I wouldn't go back to a manual out of choice. I had a petrol FR w/ DSG before that, but some scrotes decided they liked it too.
I had never considered an automatic until I test drove the FR. I was struck by how quickly and easily it changed up or down, especially on fast overtakes. I remember writing in another forum that I was able to take advantage of overtaking opportunities by simply stamping my foot down, keeping both hands on the wheel and letting the gearbox worry about changing up and down. I liked it so much that I decided to trade in my 'old' car which was less than two years old.
After it was stolen, I had an 8-yo Astra (manual) as a runaround, but my left leg must have atrophied because a manual change felt so primitive. So I bought this diesel, partly for insurance reasons, and partly because I felt the FR had a big "Rob Me"
sticker on the back.
However (and I know I may be drummed out of this forum for saying this), 140bhp is enough power for me. I can still overtake quickly when the need arises; slipping the lever into 'S' sees to that, and I can still cruise at 70+ (I'm not saying plus what) on the motorway.
Sure there are negatives. One has to learn to drive properly; there's no using engine braking through a bend, you have to slow down to the right speed with the brake. And it can get wrong-footed at roundabouts and give ways by being in too high a gear for a quick pull away and then dropping down too far. But once you've learned these foibles, its a great bit of kit, and a lot less likely to land you in trouble than a manual; you can't over-rev it, and you can't stall.
There have been some reports of jerky changes, and I should know, I have one. At low throttle when it's warm, it can feel like it's engaging the clutch too quickly, like a learner driver. I'm taking it into a dealer shortly, but research has suggested that it could be a faulty mechatronic unit. On your test drive make sure it's fully up to temperature (at least half an hour's driving) and test it in stop-start traffic. Take your foot of the brake without pressing the accelerator, and also drift to a stop with little or no brake; it should move up and down the gears smoothly.
Someday, all cars will have seamless changing gearboxes, and manuals will go the way of non-servo'ed brakes and wind-down windows.
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