I don't know about the A8 being a practical consideration in the US as a diesel car, but if the 2.0L PD TDI was available in the Golf/Jetta with a 6-speed, that's what I would want. The Passat TDI is tiptronic-only! What were they thinking?!? Taka driving a Beetle that gets worse gas mileage than my co-worker's Camaro SS w/ 5.7L, 320HP V-8