My Mk6 GTI is perfect - fast (with the mods I've done), reliable, refined, comfortable, luxurious (compared to anything I've owned previously) and is great for everyday commuting as well as weekend fun. The DSG is an amazing gearbox - I split my time about 85% driving in manual mode vs 15% driving in auto.

Yet I am still drawn to the idea of an R (I'm not MrGTIandRfan for nothing)/S3/TT.... plus it seems like everybody is getting into a GTI - not surprising because they are amazing value for money as an overall package.

So, what are the advantages/disadvantages for moving to manual versions of either of the following?

-2008+ Mk5 .:R32 (yes, a 'downgrade', but have found a perfect one with a manual gearbox.. and that noise, omg)
-2010+ Mk6 .:R

-2007+ Audi TT 2.0T FWD version
-2007+ Audi S3

I will probably at least throw a chip upgrade to any of the above, so consider mod potential.