I'm just curious about this. Aside from large cars such as luxury saloons and big 4x4's, are we seeing the demise of torque converter auto's in favour of dual clutch systems?

Dual clutch reliability is better of late and the DSG in my Polo is very smooth on the go but I have noticed that at low speeds, careful application of the accelerator is required to avoid lurching off the mark. I have also noticed clutch burn smell in certain situations, which I assume will be worse with TDi engines due to the torque.

I was parked on a steep hill the other week and the car crept forward nicely when in D and meant no faffing with clutch control but still resulted in a subtle smell of clutch burn, albeit not as bad as in a manual car.

Torque converter boxes don't suffer that problem but aren't as economical. From looking around, spacious family cars like a VW Passat or compact executive cars like a BMW 3 series offer dual clutch auto boxes.

Is this the way things are going for the majority of auto's now? LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

This is a good point, my wife has been looking for a small automatic to replace her Peugeot 207 and so far the choices seem to be the CVT (ie variable pulley and belt) or the dual clutch. She drove a Kia Picanto auto with dual clutch which seemed OK and with the 7 year warranty could be a good option. I have a retired friend with a Quashqai automatic CVT who used to be a garage service manager and he has taken it back several times and complains that it's not working correctly. I have driven a Porsche 911 with PDK (a form of high speed dual clutch) which works very well but that's a different sort of car.
I quite like the way the FL2 auto just creeps forward when you release the brake and mine seems about as economical as my manuals used to be. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

There was a similar question on Honest John;

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/...recommend- MY13 HSE Lux Santorini Black Gone
MY11 HSE Santorini Black Gone
MY08 SE Blue, Gone
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VW Sirocco GTX Gone

The 'Torque Converter' type of Autobox suits the FL2 as it multiplies the amount of torque available at low speeds. Useful in a 4x4. I always feel that the FL2 could pull up tree stumps if it had to.
Once the car is moving at a reasonable pace then a clutch locks the engine to the gearbox directly and helps with economy.

Apart from the seemingly long time it takes to make up its mind what gear to choose if I floor the throttle, it suits me perfectly.

And in reality it is me that needs retraining, and not the autobox. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 79k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

The Freelander auto with the petrol engine launches itself! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

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If you want real launch control try sitting in a Porsche 911 S which has a special button for it. You hold the brakes on with your left foot and floor the accelerator, revs go to 7,000 and when you release the brake all hell breaks loose. I have only done it once on a test track and scared the pants off me.

 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

My wife finally changed her Peugeot 207 for a Suzuki Swift automatic yesterday. It's only 6 months old and less that 4k miles demonstrator. Has 6 speed auto with a torque convertor and 3 cylinder 998cc turbo petrol engine and more bells and whistles than you need like lane change assist (whatever that is), auto dipping LED headlights etc . She was convinced that it was the car for her within about 100 yds driving on the road. Certainly makes the FL2 seem a bit dated. 3 x FL1 2 manual + 1 auto
5 x FL2 4 manual + 1 auto
Now Discovery Sport P250 MHEV SE

BMW has recently dropped DCT on some M models (M5 for example) in favour of ZF torque converter, supposedly to accomodate awd. Some might say it's cheaper. driving on the right side

According to what I've read in "Honest John", Ford have ditched DSG gearboxes and gone back to Torque converter types. And VW are having all sorts of trouble with their early ones. MY13 Santorini Black SD4 HSE

This quote from an motoring article last year sums up many peoples' view of a DCT gearbox. They're not to everyone's liking. They're benefit is in manual mode in a high performance vehicle but as an auto they're nowhere near as smooth as a modern torque converter.

Ford, Honda and Fiat Chrysler all learned that the hard way when they offered DCT's on everyday cars in recent model years only to have buyers think their transmission was broken and, in Ford's case, file a class-action suit to prove it.  driving on the right side

I had a VW Tiguan loan car with the Dsg box for a few weeks and it was a nice car but as soon as I drove an Sd4 Fl2 I knew which one I preferred.

Mark 2009 FL2 TD4 SE (Sadly gone)
2007 FL2 TD4 GS (The wifes , gone after 8 great years)
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2024 Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 Tsi SEL

I always thought that DSG boxes came somewhat too late, by the time they were nearly perfected the slush box was upto 9 ratios, there just isn't enough room in a DSG to achieve that many ratios without compromising reliability. DSG removes the slush box losses from torque converter but an extra 2/3 gears more than gets that back with processor control and locking on the slush box. my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.