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The VW Taos’ Dual-Clutch Transmission Was So Jerky, Owners Thought It Was Broken

2025 VW Taos front three-quarter shot in green.
2025 VW Taos front three-quarter shot in green.

When Volkswagen first introduced the Taos, the company offered two transmission options: an eight-speed automatic on front-wheel-drive models and a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission (VW calls it DSG) for 4Motion all-wheel-drive models. Yet, for 2025 VW is dropping the DSG, giving all versions of the Taos the same eight-speed auto. The reason? Some owners of DSG-equipped vehicles apparently thought their cars were breaking while shifting.

During a media event, according to Carscoops, VW representatives said that the DSG’s perceived lack of refinement put customers off.

“There is a bit of hesitation [in response to driver inputs] on a DSG, and American customers, unless they’re performance customers, don’t like that,” a VW spokesperson reportedly said. “They think their car is breaking, it’s not being responsive.”

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Dual-clutch transmissions can sometimes feel jerkier than traditional torque-converter autos, as they’re typically designed to be sharper, with more punctuated shifts. However, typical SUV and crossover customers aren’t interested in sharp and sporty; they want smooth and comfortable shifting. The less noticeable, the better. And that’s what they’re used to, as the vast majority of compact crossovers use either traditional automatics or continuously variable transmissions—or sometimes both. CVTs don’t even have gears, making the switch from one of those to a DSG even harsher.

2025 Volkswagen Taos. <em>Volkswagen</em>
2025 Volkswagen Taos. Volkswagen

According to Motor Authority, Volkswagen also said that the original idea behind using a DSG in the Taos was to offer customers who were used to smaller, sportier VWs, like the GTI, a similar experience. However, I doubt many GTI owners will find much appealing about the Taos, regardless of transmission.

This news comes shortly after a BMW X1 customer brought a class-action lawsuit against the automaker for the behavior of the small SUV’s own dual-clutch transmission. The suit alleges that the X1’s transmission is so unresponsive that it’s actually dangerous. Having experienced the jerkiness of the X1’s dual-clutch myself, I can see their point. It can hesitate to engage from a stop, making pulling out of an intersection uncertain, as you’ll put your foot down and nothing will happen for a moment until the transmission suddenly engages in a jarring way. While I can’t speak to what the Taos’ DSG was like to drive, it seems Volkswagen has heard enough complaints to make a change.

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