[Dazzler]

Now I know we've had one or two with a faulty DCT, but after 2 years with my SR and recently buying Trish a Kona with the same transmission I reckon they are great.

About half the video reviews I've seen criticise the behaviour of the DCT at low speeds in traffic although overall they still like them. But apart from the fact that the SR is a little slow in first gear to get going I've had very little reason to fault it during the first 60,000 kilometres. We haven't had any jerkiness or clunking.

Before anyone says I live in Tasmania with very little stop start traffic, I have driven through Adelaide Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane in my SR without any problems.

If anything Trish's Kona DCT seems even better calibrated than mine being a bit quicker to get up to speed in the lower gears.

The other benefit of the DCT which has been proven both in testing and by me with the SR is that the DCT is generally easier to match the ADR economy figures with than a torque converter auto.

[nzenigma]

As you know,  I think some long term owners will be bleating about DCT maintenance  costs.

That said, my GD DCT is a nice sporty drive, with little torque loss. So if you want an auto box that is as power efficient as a manual box, DCT is the way to go.

Down here we have become auto dependent. In Europe, the trend remains plenty of diesels with the majority of cars having manual transmissions.

Over there I did 5000km with a responsive petrol turbo and 6 speed manual.  Irrespective of Alan's doomsday trumpeting  , it was a well coordinated drive train and I did not miss the auto at all.
 In fact, when you find you are in the same lane as some German approaching at over 300kph, you dont want an ECU pausing to deliberate on the next useful gear.