Before I bought my Audi A4 s-tronic I thought long and hard about going automatic, or in this case semi-automatic. There are plenty of detractors, but take note of owners too. I read all sorts of reviews and forums to gain as much authoritative knowledge as possible. I discovered that yes, there have been some horror stories but there were some amazing accounts as well, including one guy at 107,000 trouble-free miles in his VW Touran, still on his original DSG gearbox.

The conclusion I came to was that, as with all mass-produced products, there are good and not so good examples, but that if you get a good one, you’ll be fine. Sure the gearbox in your Golf may be a gamble, but if it’s going well the chances are it’s been driven considerately. I don’t know to what degree your gearbox is jerky, but all VW DSGs are inclined to be jerky, it’s a common criticism. Mine has been jerky since new, usually when it has anticipated the wrong gear for what I’m trying to do, but I’ve learnt to give it time to think in certain situations. My wife has an A3 auto which has also been jerky since new, although less so than mine.

I just wouldn’t dismiss a DSG example out of hand and would want to find out a little about the history of the car, if possible.

I'd go for the new Ford Focus Automatics now they have reverted to the older more reliable torque converter type boxes. Not lightning fast but hey, who cares as they are smooth an not a mixture of b****** electromechanicals.