The Audi DSG transmission is a really slick toy. There's no clutch pedal. Instead, you've got paddle shifters behind the steering wheel (that turn with the wheel -- could make shifting be confusing while in a tight turn). You can also shift using the gear selector on the floor (comparable to the "tiptronic" style automatic transmissions).

Shifting is smooth. You just press the button and you're in the next gear. No fuss, no muss, no lifting your foot off the gas. I can see this being fantastic for autocross; if you're in a very slow turn, you just blip it into first and you've got power on your way out. Shifting a normal manual transmission into first can be difficult because there are no synchros. As a result, most autoX drivers don't bother with first gear. Now it's available to you again. For normal daily driving, you can leave the car in "automatic" mode, but you have none of the "slushbox" feel of typical automatic transmissions. You punch it and it goes right now.

I'm told that the BMW seqential manual gearbox shifts faster, but I haven't tried one. It's only available on the Z4 or M3. I may need to suck it up and test drive an M3, but then I'd be going back for more years of incompetent BMW warranty service. Oh, the pain.

(And, Tony, unless you've souped up your engine as much as your stereo, I don't think I'd really be interested in trading cars... )