Fanatec CSL DD Pro
Earlier this year, Fanatec surprised the sim racing world with a very good April 1 joke: a Fanatec Direct Drive wheelbase for only ?349.99. This was - we thought - too good to be true. Not much later, the CSL DD was officially announced by Fanatec. Now, several months later, the first signals, reviews and experiences are extremely positive. Time to put this CSL DD through its paces! Direct - watuh -Drive? Well, before we really go into depth, first some background information about what makes this new system so unique.
What is a Fanatec Direct Drive?
In recent months, Fanatec has been introducing one innovation after another to the market: The Bentley GT3, the revolutionary CSL Load Cell pedals and the BMW M4 GT3 are some examples of this. Fanatec's new flagship product is the CSL DD (Direct Drive). Or, as they call it themselves, The New StandarDD.
This new CSL wheelbase with Direct Drive technology means that there is a motor in the wheelbase that transfers power directly to your steering wheel. This, compared to traditional belt or gear drive, provides a super realistic road and racing experience. And so for the first time in their CSL line! The result? A more affordable alternative compared to its - much more expensive - brothers from the Podium line: the DD1 and DD2. This makes the Direct Drive technology available to a much broader target group. Fanatec thus jumps into an extremely interesting market for starting and semi-professional sim racers.
Fanatec CSL DD: The new standard DD
Plug and Play
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The design of the Fanatec CSL DD
What immediately stands out about the new CSL DD is its extremely compact design. Especially when compared to its bigger brothers. The new compact design is many times smaller and lighter in size and weight. Personally, I like this smaller size, although it also makes the product look a bit "fragile" and well run. The DD1 and DD2 look much more solid and reliable. Although I think this is mainly due to the larger size. But, these are also 3 to 4 times more expensive. So this comparison is not entirely fair ?
Perhaps this small and compact size will take some getting used to and I will think differently in a while. The housing of the CSL DD consists of aluminum milled profile, which directly provides cooling for the engine. This makes for a fresh and cool appearance.
Fanatec Bundle
The CSL DD Wheelbase is available with the standard 5Nm power supply from Fanatec for only ?349,95 excl. shipping. With this you get a very fine, extremely robust and smooth Direct Drive wheelbase that you will absolutely not regret! The CSL DD with Boost Kit 180 bundle is available for ?479.95 excluding shipping. The CSL DD Boost Kit 180 is also available separately for ?149.95 excluding shipping. This boosts the standard 90W variant by 5Nm to 180W (8Nm).
Fanatec CSL DD: our conslusion
We are extremely excited about the new CSL DD. So is it the ultimate Direct Drive system? No, it isn't. It is a marked improvement over the belt-driven CSL V1. The CSL DD, especially in combination with the Boostkit 180, is a very competitive wheelbase that given its hugely competitive price jumps into a gap in the market where other manufacturers are not (yet) present. With this, Fanatec makes sim racing even more accessible to a wider audience! It is a very good wheelbase and entry-level product to enter the Fanatec ecosystem. Fanatec puts out a competitive and extremely good product.
What surprises me most about the CSL DD, aside from its minimal size, is that it is extremely responsive and detailed. It is absolutely a joy to drive and makes for tremendous fun!
Although it is a Direct Drive system, the standard 5Nm variant is just a little short of power to compete with the DD1, DD2 or Simucube. Do you already have such a system? Then the CSL DD is not for you, as it cannot keep up with its big brothers in terms of performance. Do you own an older CSL, CSW, T300 or belt-driven Logitech G29, then upgrading to is absolutely worth the effort and money! The New StandarDD? As far as we're concerned, a resounding "Yes!
