Volkswagen explained why it deprived the Taos crossover of the “robot” DSG. A spokesman for the German brand admitted that there is some hesitation in the preselective transmission and American buyers [who don't value performance] don't like the feature. A Volkswagen specialist stressed that some drivers in the United States consider a working robotic transmission to be broken due to the lack of response. Therefore, the DSG had to be abandoned completely.
Volkswagen touts the Taos 7-speed automatic as a crossover with quick, smooth and efficient shifting. However, buyers do not find DSG to be such. And the German brand had to listen and give owners the same experience they are used to in conventional SUVs. Specially for the US, an 8-speed torque converter automatic transmission is fitted to all trim levels.
Volkswagen promotes its selective “robots“ since the beginning of this century, but they have always had problems and it has proved impossible to get rid of the "jokes" when driving in traffic jams. This is one of the reasons why in the US a DSG gearbox is only available on the tuned Golf GTI and Golf R - all other Volkswagens are equipped with classic automatic transmissions! Overseas, they are still not used to the features of the “robots”, although in the main market of China, almost all Volkswagens are available with DSG.
It is curious that the transition of the Volkswagen Taos to an 8-speed automatic transmission coincided with a collective lawsuit by Americans against the BMW X1: the Bavarian crossover was criticized precisely for the sluggishness and rudeness of the “robot“. However, BMW is unlikely to be able to change the gearbox: all compact models, on the contrary, are deprived of classic automatic transmissions as part of unification.