S40, V50 diesels will get DSG tranny
Any doubt that Volvo, and its parent company Ford, intends to bring a dual-clutch transmission to market has been dispelled. Various sources have confirmed that Volvo plans to offer a DSG in the diesel versions of it S40 and V50 vehicles, beginning in late 2007.Initially, only the Swedish marque's oil burners will come equipped with a six-speed DSG, with other models benefiting from the new(ish) technology over the coming years. In an article in Automotive News, sources confirmed that the Ford Focus and C-Max people mover, along with other small vehicles, would be fitted with the dual-clutch tranny, currently under development with Getrag.
In addition to a 10-percent boost in fuel economy, Volvo and Ford vehicles equipped with a DSG will profit from smoother, quicker shifts and a certain amount of street-cred, that up until now, only VW and Audi have had a lock on.
[Source: Automotive News -- Sub. Req.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MikeInNC 10:53AM (12/18/2006)
The real question here is, whether or not, Volvo will bring their stellar diesel models to the US now that all their German rivals have committed to do so. Volvo....PLEASE!!!!!
Reply
M. 11:05AM (12/18/2006)
To which engines will this gearbox be mated? The two litre I4 (of PSA fame) might be perfect for this gearbox. But when mated to the large I5 (of Volvo fame) the setup won't fit into the engine bay anymore...
#1 MikeInNC: Which stellar engines do you mean: the small 1.6l I4 (109hp) is a bit underpowered but very economical -- a good cruiser -- the larger 2.0l I4 (136hp) is a very good combination between power and economy. The 2.4l I5 (163 and 185hp) is a bit rough, but quite powerful. Although its louder and heavier than the I4 I kinda like this engine.
However the limits of the I5 are soon to be reached. I personally would prefere that they drop the I5 and instead use the new Bi-Turbo I4 (2.2l, 170hp) and the V6 (210hp). But they cannot do that because since ten years Volvo is associated with not-so-smooth running I5 engines.
Reply
CH 12:07PM (12/18/2006)
#2 "But when mated to the large I5 (of Volvo fame) the setup won't fit into the engine bay anymore..."
---------------------
So the DCT is bigger than the automatic transmission currently available with the 5-cyl diesels?
Reply
M. 12:27PM (12/18/2006)
OK, I just took a look at "prices and options". The I5 with Geartronic fits the small engine bays of the S40. So the DSG will probably too.
Reply
Mirko 5:31PM (12/18/2006)
Cool. I want a C30 with the 180hp diesel, but it's only available with the autobox now. This will help.
Reply