And 2005.5-new have the DSG auto's....they shift awesome!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP67NuQmRko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkiOF3ubLZE
You also wanted an ALH TDI (dont blame you!). Those 4 speed auto's suck something awful
I've heard that even the '05.5 and up DSG's aren't that good for fuel economy...IIRC the reason is that the clutch packs are immersed in fluid that leads to a considerable amount of drag. That's why I think that the dry-clutch version (which I think is already being produced for higher-end vehicles but hasn't made its way down to VW's line-up yet) will make things much better. With that said, I drove an '09 DSG TDI (one of VW's demo models) and, for an automatic, it DID shift great
And you're absolutely right that I went out of my way to find an ALH...I remember finding a few nice-looking wagons that would have otherwise been perfect, but they were PD's. Even without the camshaft concerns, from what I've heard, the PD's don't do quite as well as the ALH's on fuel mileage, and I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of power for fuel economy. The ALH has as much power as I can imagine ever needing for this application, and I certainly can't complain about 45 mpg in mixed driving
hopefully, in a couple of weeks I can see how she does on a long trip without the a/c going...
I actually haven't driven an ALH slushbox, so I don't know how much power they rob...just, after reading anecdotes about their "performance" in terms of fuel mileage, I wouldn't touch one with a 10' pole...not even taking into account VW's reputation with automatics
