Why doesn’t my car have paddle shifters?

I’ve just taken delivery of a new Skoda Karoq 1.5 TSI Edition with a DSG automatic gearbox and was very disappointed to discover that the car doesn’t have steering wheel paddles for manual gearchanges.

I’ve been told that even though my car has the DSG gearbox, steering wheel paddles aren’t standard equipment; they have to be specified when ordering the car from the factory as an optional extra.

I bought the car from the dealer’s stock, and it seems the option wasn’t ticked when the car was ordered. Is it correct that paddle shifters are optional, and is there anything I can do, such as getting them retrofitted to the car? Terry Johnstone

WHAT CAR? SAYS…

The dealer is correct: steering wheel paddles are optional on the Karoq and a number of other Volkswagen Group models. Without them, you can still change gears manually by nudging the gear selector, but this isn’t as intuitive as being able to use the steering wheel paddles.

Although paddle shifters are a nice option to have, we don’t think they’re essential on the Karoq. Your car’s 1.5-litre petrol engine is our pick of the range because, thanks to its strong low-down pulling power, it deals with heavy loads and fast, open roads with ease. The DSG automatic gearbox has a negligible effect on its performance.

It might be possible to have paddle shifters retrofitted to your car, but it’s likely to be an expensive job. If you’re really set on having them, you could ask the dealer for a quote and push for a discount on the basis that their absence wasn’t pointed out to you before you bought the car.

That said, we always recommend that buyers double check in advance that their new car has all the equipment they require. It’s well worth looking at the car in person in the dealership to make sure.