This morning I managed to make a good preview of a Giulietta TCT, with many thanks to the friendly salesman who let me have a go for a while (I had been to see Giulietta some time ago and we met then). When I entered the dealership he was going to get petrol, so we combined business with pleasure (if they were all a little like him Alfa would sell lots more and there would be less prejudice against them)!
I must state a few things:
- The car was brand new, 15 km when we got in
- This was the sports package with 17" wheels
- The car has start and stop active
- I've driven many km in cars with DGS of varied types and eras
- I never hold back
- I did not have a chance to learn anything on the topic of consumption
Let's start with him driving and I as passenger, in search of gas station ... Totally reserved, pace very quiet, air-conditioning off and windows down, no D-mode. The car is very comfortable, the change seems to satisfy the driver's foot well, smooth gear changes at low and medium rpm, no tearing or shaking, good speed gear engagement.
After petrol (with 50 € spent, we have exactly half the tank filled, sadly ..) we started a test a little 'deeper', with DNA in D and the engine power required. Well, the gearshift transforms, the gears go up and pass quickly and well, are held up to about 6000 rpm. When it enters the gear you can really feel the "push" and the rasp of the exhaust (in both uphill and climbing), confirmed the smoothness and speed.
Finally it's my turn to drive, and here the first impressions are all confirmed. Clearly we need to create the feeling with the automatic, it takes a few miles to figure out how to "instruct" it because to change or not when and how we want, and the only instrument I used was the right foot (of course I felt from that point of view ill at ease compared with DSG I drove up and down).
I try N mode just to be able to say that I did so. here the change is sly, keeping it at bay with a low change speed, but is ready to throw it into the higher gear just as it feels a bit more aggression. You get to sixth well before 80 km/h (50mph), so for a climb you have to give a little more than what you would of the petrol, the engine still has pulling power, even if it is not always quite ready (all this refers to N only).
But, the piece de resistance; after a few km of N, I move into D and start to pull the neck of the engine and transmission, and well, it is flawless! It does not tear at the start (although there could be more "badness"; the DSG is best at this juncture) and then stretches all of the gears without changing up to the next until an altitude of 6000, accompanied with the classic bang, and everything is fast and precise, even released early enough in scale, and if it requires power when he is already sixth, it is no effort to drop one or two gears and start at a good pace.
I also tried the paddles behind the steering wheel, there's a little lag in N, less in D less (but it still seems a little less immediate than the DSG).
Is not confused by changes or increasing gears with the throttle closed (to stop changing up in order to extend or increase the smoothness).
In conclusion I would say that the work of refinement of this box is very evident (I had not tried Mito but from what I read, this was imperfect and very far from the VW DSG), personally I award almost full marks to the TCT (although the DSG is still slightly better in situations of starting and its responsiveness in manual use).
It's a great double-clutch, light, calm and comfortable if you change up, and featuring aggressiveness when pushed, with no obvious defects or deficiencies, it goes really well with Giulietta!
source
največ povpreček 8,9l.
