I am a massive fan of the DSG box and they're so versatile.
The boxes on more sedate cars such as the Jetta's are really laid-back and imitate a traditional automatic very well, while having all the advantages of a twin-clutch transmission (albeit some without the paddle shifters).
It's not just about the faster gear changes, but transmission loss in general. A standard automatic transmission is based on a torque converter, which is hugely inefficient.
By comparison my R36 isn't quite as 'smooth' when asked to operate in "Auto" mode, due to the aggressive shift-map, but the changes are ludicrously quick and produce lovely pop from the exhaust.
Great thing is, it is just a shift-map. You can have the DSG remapped to turn it into whatever you want. Mines had the launch control rpm elevated, and auto up-shifting and down-shifting disabled to turn it into a "true manual" as well as clutch pressure increased for greater torque handling.
My favourite bits of the DSG are...
> Paddle shift: The 12 year old in me likes to feel like an F1 driver :toung:
> Near instant changes: Remember, when you pull the paddle the gear has already changed. It's just a clutch swap taking place.
> Car balance: As the transmission stays constantly loaded you can actually pull for an up-shift during a long bend without upsetting the balance of the car allowing you to make use of every last horsepower.
The only observation I would make is, DSG makes the car feel slower than it really is. My friends (now sold, he drove my DSG and bought a DSG Golf GTi) Subaru WRX STi (Prodrive) was 320bhp but felt hugely quicker than the R36 (but wasn't). I think its the lack of 'interruption' to the power, so you don't get thrust into your seat between each change. The continual delivery of power, sedates the experience somewhat.
The DSG as a technology fascinates me. The mysterious "mechatronics" unit is so complicated not even VW dealers touch it, its simply replaced if faulty. Which brings me to my final point... it'll be expensive as hell to fix one out of warranty...