dmkozak

Yes, there are none available for sale in the current VWAG model line ups. But, that doesn't mean there aren't any at all.

OTOH, there are plenty of 2.0T tip (Torsen)quattro models available from VWAG.

VWAG started the 3.2 DSG (Haldex) Quattro with the TT. This allowed VWAG to monitor how well these three components would work in the real world. The market was smaller. The customer base more sophisticated. The general care/maintenance the cars would receive would be higher/better than the care/maintenance received by lower priced or more generally available models. From this limited base, VWAG added the VW Mk. V R32 and the A3 3.2 to the shells available with this engine/tranny/drivetrain combo. If this works with the 3.2, there's no reason to believe it won't work with the 2.0T. Just imagine current Mk. V R32 and/or A3 test mules with a 2.0T in place of the 3.2.

April

there is the $1750 price bump for awd. That puts a regular A3 is an even higher price bracket. Now if it comes stick only, that's about 20% of all A3 sales, with the remaining 80% being DSG. I see an expensive niche market forming.

You're right of course, the 2.0T comes in Torsen cars with conventional automatic gearboxes, but nothing else thus far. Even the newly announced TT does not offer this driveline matrix.

If we see anything along the lines of the S3, it's a couple of years away. The new TT is likely not to land here until '07, and we shall have to see if they offer any new driveline combos between now and then - and keep in mind that the TT has track of 1572mm while the A3 has a track of 1531mm. There may end up being packaging constraints.

jal6231

<img src="http://www.parkplaceltd.com/webinventory/images/6012/6012-1m.jpg"><ul><li><a href="http://www.parkplaceltd.com/pages/files/vehicle.aspx?id=5357">1998 A3</a></li></ul>