Sports mode - Now for the good stuff: The Audi A4 Tiptronic has a "sports mode" setting that can be engaged with the shift stick. This was not surfaced in the Passat's controls. (Why would you want that in a "family car"? :wink: ) However, someone on this forum previously posted how to engage it with a VAG-COM, at least on certain models of the Tiptronic. I've only tested it on my own (April 2002 build), and it does work. Not sure what other years are applicable. (See below for details on engaging it.)
Once engaged with the VAG-COM, the setting is there to stay, until you hook back up with a VAG-COM and disengage it.
After engaging it and going for a test drive, I noticed a definite and pleasant improvement in shifting behavior. The car would downshift more easily (for instance, accelerating on a freeway entrance ramp), and overall the car was much more enjoyable to drive in a sporting mode.
My gas mileage didn't seem to suffer. (I've got a 1.8t.) When you start driving aggressively, you are already going to do serious damage to your mileage from turbo boost, so earlier shifting doesn't particularly make a big difference from what I saw. Highway driving at a consistent speed still brought in good mileage.
As a sanity check, yesterday I decided to disengage "sports mode", and return to "regular".
Took a test drive and Whoa! What happened to the car I was driving before? I was back to the sluggish response and conservative manners of the stock mode. And it was quite distinct and boring. Back to "sports mode" for me.