The CC’s coasting function gets
compared with that of a new DSG Golf
Spent a weekend in a new Golf recently,
which was interesting for a few reasons. Most notably, being a new Volkswagen
fitted with a diesel engine and a DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox, it had a
coasting function. Unlike the CC’s coasting function, the Golf’s was
half-hidden behind the Eco button of the car’s drive mode settings so, unlike
the CC’s, you have to go looking for it.
The
coasting function would be better controlled if the CC had paddle shifters
Also unlike the CC, the Golf came with
steering wheel-mounted shift paddles. Early on, it became apparent that the
CC’s coasting function would be better integrated into the driving experience
if it, too, came with shift paddles, which it doesn’t. The thing is, there are
times when you don’t want to coast, and the best way to disable coasting is to
reach down and move the gear selector across to its manual position. Paddles
would be so much easier and quicker. And so the Golf proved.
The other thing I noticed was that, when
coasting in the Golf, the impression of runaway freewheeling was slightly less
apparent than it is in the CC. I did wonder if it might have something to do
with the cars’ relative kinetic energy. According to firearmexpertwitness.com
(and Sir Isaac Newton, I believe), kinetic energy equals 0.5 times mass times
velocity squared, or KE = 0.5 x m x v2. That means at 70mph the
1582kg CC has a kinetic energy of 774,440 joules, but the 1375kg Golf has just
673,107 joules. Does that mean, then, the CC should coast farther than the
Golf? I’ve no idea. I was out of my depth five sentences ago, but I was just
putting it out there for the physicists to mull over.
Volkswagen
CC GT 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Technology 170 DSG
So anyway, what is it with windscreens
these days? Never mind stone chips; it seems like windscreens are too easily
scratched. Something - I’m guessing a piece of cut diamond, or perhaps a nugget
of osmium must have been stuck under the CC’s offside wiper, where it scribed a
perfect arc across my field of vision. Brilliant. Or rather, not.
Volkswagen
CC GT - back
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Volkswagen
CC GT 2.0 TDI BlueMotion Technology 170 DSG
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Price: $45,420
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Price as tested: $48,690
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Economy: 50.8mpg
§
Faults: Intermittent (and very subtle) loss of
power
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Expenses: None
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Last seen: 20.3.13
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