The A6 is now in its fourth year of production, yet it still looks like it just rolled off a show stand. Audi's trademark arcing roofline sweeps back elegantly into the rear deck area, almost suggesting a fastback appearance. Tasteful chrome accents highlight the design without being overly decorous. In short, it's beautiful.

Fortunately, it's also a terrific luxury sedan, too. Being an Audi, the A6 has a decidedly Germanic flavor (go figure), so if you're expecting cushy seats of the Buick Park Avenue variety, you will be disappointed. No, the Audi's leather buckets are firm and wonderfully supportive in all the right places. The no-nonsense dashboard has clear, legible gauges and is assembled with uncanny build quality and gorgeous materials, but the center stack has a bad case of buttonitis that makes adjusting the climate and stereo controls a hunt-and-peck affair.

Power comes from a choice of engines, including a 220-hp 3.0-liter V-6, a 250-hp 2.7-liter turbocharged V-6 and a 300-hp 4.2-liter V-8. There is also a high-performance model called the S6, which features a turbocharged version of the 4.2-liter V-8 and produces a whopping 340 horsepower. The 2.7T is available with a 6-speed manual transmission, and all are available with self-shifters of the continuously variable (3.0-liter-only) or a five-speed Tiptronic automatic varieties.