CONVENTIONAL wisdom suggests that if you specify an automatic gearbox, you will get stung on carbon dioxide emissions, which in turn will push up your tax bill come the introduction of the emissions-based system in April.

Well, Audi has blown that argument out of the water with its latest self-shifting option, the Multitronic gearbox. Not only does this gearbox offer automatic shifts, but it does not suffer any emissions penalty or reduction in fuel consumption.

It almost sounds too good to be true, so we decided to put this new piece of electronic trickery to the test in the shape of revised Audi A6 in 2.5 TDI SE form.