Thoughts on why no DCT for the Z....

Augustus

I traded in an Audi A3 with the DSG for my Z, had several great years with the A3. Mine was even part of a "questionable" batch where Audi bumped the warranty up to 10yrs/100k miles after I bought it.

The A3 was great overall, but the DSG was simply amazing. Same unit that's in the TT, GTI, Tiguan, etc. I never experienced any shuddering, clunks, or hesitation with it, at any speeds. Around town, in "D" it acted just like a fast automatic; shifts were smooth, quick, and nearly imperceptible. Put it in "S", and it would downshift & revmatch with a vengeance, magically hold the proper gear through corners and bang off shifts so fast the tachometer could barely keep up. But never jerky, just unbelievably quick & smooth. Paddle shifters granted 100% manual control. Loved it.

I only experienced two oddities in the 45k miles I owned the car. Every now and then, on a slight incline in like a stop-and-go situation, if you were feathering the throttle, you'd feel/hear the DSG slipping the clutch a bit as the computer was trying to figure out whether you intended to idle or go. And three or four times, upon selecting reverse, it would not go into gear and just flash the "R" in the gear selection indicator. Flipping to neutral or park then back to R always fixed it.

The only drawback IMHO was maintenance. At least on the A3, the DSG requires a $400-$600 service every 35k miles.

So why doesn't Nissan have one in the Z? I think it's most likely a durability vs cost issue. VAG does the most with DSG's of any manufacturer, and in terms of VW & Audi, they don't put them in any application much over 200hp. AFAIK, just the 2.0T & 2.0 TDI applications. While I suspect there's a comfortable cushion above 200hp, I bet that's about all the transmission is designed to handle. A4 2.0T's with 211hp|258 ft/lbs get CVT's, manuals, or a regular automatic. Lambo's and Ferrari's have DSG's, but that's obviously in an entirely different league of transmission, as the GT-R's is. I've read that they're working on a DSG for the R8; still a supercar. Ford's just now coming out with their first in the new Focus - again, a relatively low-hp/torque application. And I've heard not-so-great things about theirs from the media.

The GT-R's is Nissan's first attempt at one. Assuming it "works out" in terms of development costs and durability, it's likely that they'll take the lessons they've learned and apply it to future cars. Based on my experience with my A3, I'd buy a Z with a DSG without hesitation if it worked as VAG's did. It would make an incredible car even better. I very much enjoy shifting my Z myself, but that DSG really was about the best of both worlds; connectedness & control of a manual with the convenience of an automatic.

Though Nissan's focus seems to be more on CVT's (Maxima, Altima, etc). Imagine a Z with a CVT.

kenchan

that will be the end of the Z.

cc370z

It's was the tranny itself. If I remember correctly the total bill was around $9-9.5k.

vividracing

That'd be terrible.

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Doug&Michelle

So the DCT's that can handle the power (BMW M3, GTR, and so on) are a completely different animal thus way more expensive....correct? Again, I don't really want to see one in the Z because then I'll wish I had that!

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kenchan

yah, but the biggest problem with most AT's is the sloshy torque converter (disconnected throttle input) but from wat i've read, that's only on 1st gear as others electronically lockup on the Z's AT.

in that case i think you're not missing out on much?

alcheng

The 7AT on the Z is not a DCT, but so far I'll say 90%+ people who has tried or drive/own it praise the gearbox very much, fast and crisp.

The acceleration time is also comparable to 6MT, so why would NISSAN bother to put in a DCT while the regular 7AT is capable to do such a good job.

And if it is the case, it will be even less wise to put in the DCT since the price of the Z will have to be higher thus hurt the already low sales number.

CAD$0.02

kenchan

Cmike2780

A DCT would probably mean an end to the 6spd manual. Top tier manufacturer are starting to offer DCT type only. In Nissan's eyes, the Auto is perfectly fine...the consensus has been that it's pretty good actually.

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alcheng

I'll be completely depressed if that happen, CLUTCH!!! I WANT CLUTCH!!!

kenchan

lol, this is like when im driving my AT car and suddenly by mistake slam on the brake with my left foot thinking it's the clutch.

alcheng

I'm a tad better, having my left foot stamp on the foot-rest when starting my AT car.

kenchan

hahaha.


those WIDE brake pedals throw me off.

alcheng

Seriously, one time I almost heel-toe with it....

b1adesofcha0s

The reason the Z doesn't have DCT is because Nissan doesn't want to do a major change mid-way through the 370Z's life cycle. Just look at the 2013 refresh as an example of that. I think we will see DCT in the next gen Z, whenever that comes. It didn't come with DCT to start with because Nissan wanted to keep it further away from the GT-R at first. After years of experience with the GT-R's DCT, I hope the next gen Z gets the same one at a lower cost or gets some sort of watered down version. Either way, it will probably be better than the current 7AT.

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