Rumor Mill: New DSG Paddle Shift on… Sebring Diesel
Prowler-mania, Demonology; what's up with Chrysler's automotive tastes these days? What Car (indeed) reports that the foul Chrysler Sebring diesel (and we're not talking about emissions here) may be the first Chrysler product blessed with a Dual-Sequential Gearbox (DSG). As DSG is Borg Warner's name for Volkswagen's sublime paddle shifter, the magazine is hedging its bets regarding sourcing: "It is not yet clear if the dual-clutch transmission is Chrysler's own, if it has been developed with former sister company Mercedes, or if it is from another manufacturer – the Sebring's 2.0-litre diesel engine is already sourced from Volkswagen." And while they're at it, What Car says the gearbox might spread to other Chrysler products. Funny thing is, I can't think of a single Chrysler product that really deserves needs it… Viper? Do they still make that?
More by Robert Farago
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It could be the beefed up DSG that can handle the higher horsepower is too expensive to build at that price point, at least right now.
Two totally different systems between VW/Audi and Bugatti. The DSG we know and love is only featured on transverse-mounted engines as in the Rabbit/GTI/GLI/Beetle/Passat/A3/TT. None of the other Audi platforms feature it because their engines are all mounted longitudinally, despite all being front-wheel-drive. The Veyron's seven-speed DSG is a joint venture with British transmission maker Ricardo, and is ridiculously overbuilt.
Why waste a perfectly good transmission on a perfectly crappy automobile? Given that the Sebring was developed before daddy Benz and mommy Chrysler divorced, couldn't we at least get some hand-me-down C-class running gear? But nooooo. The Sebring/Avenger is a product of the time when disease-ridden uncle Mitsu still sat at the family table. Good that these DSG transmissions are becoming more generally availalble; bad news that anyone would waste the time and engineering effort to put one in this waste of a good parking space.
This whole thing is a moot point, because frankly I haven't seen a heckuva lot of new Sebrings on the road here in Memphis. Maybe we're not the target market, but if they're hoping that a new transmission and a diesel are going to make this car a hit, they need to go back to the drawing board.