I'm much happier with the TT engine. The power is there when you want it and reasonable fuel economy is there when you don't (>20mpg). It's different alright, but in a very good way.
My build path:
NA w/ NA auto - junk busted tranny, yuck
NA w/ TT auto - much better tranny, gave the auto a try but didn't like it at all in this car
NA w/ 5spd - The 5spd made me smile, but left me longing for a better power/weight ratio
TT w/ 5spd - Now I'm happy.
________________________________________ NA to TT, starting from the ground up...
Snow... the new anti-Z. TT.net tested and proven to remove even the most stubborn Z-related posts.