Audi A6: As close to R8 power as you might get

For 2008, the Audi A6 gets the company’s "S" line exterior treatment as standard equipment. This package includes a trapezoidal grille with the S line badge, S line front and rear bumpers and 18-inch five-spoke aluminum alloy wheels. Those equipped with Quattro all-wheel drive have the option of seven-spoke 19-inch wheels (that’ll be $1,200, please).

The 4.2-liter Quattro sedan has a 350-horsepower V-8, a close relative to the 420-hp engine found in the R8 supercar. And it’s just about as state-of-the-art as a V-8 can currently get. With 325 pounds-feet of torque on tap, the car has equal parts power, composure, comfort and excitement. The Sports suspension (a $500 dollar option) is still not that stiff. People might even look around in vain for a button that scrolls through different damping settings; it’s best described as wallow-free rather than sports-car–stiff. Zero-to-60 mph comes up in just under 5.8 seconds (top speed is limited electronically to 130 mph).

The smooth-acting six-speed automatic transmission is so well geared that the engine is barely turning 2000rpm at 65 mph. Couple that to an aerodynamically efficient shape and fuel consumption on the freeway can be as impressive as 26 mpg. Audi gives claimed city/highway fuel consumption figures of 16 and 23 mpg respectively.

The 4.2 model (base price $56,300) features a high level of standard equipment within its undoubtedly classy cabin, including leather upholstery, heated front seats and a cool Bose audio system, though voice-activated navigation is a further $1,600. With the Mercedes-Benz E-Class due for replacement and the BMW 5 Series not being everyone’s cup of stylistic tea, the A6 is the pick of premium mid-sized German sedans right now.

-- Colin Ryan