– Detroit, Michigan

If, like Ricky Bobby, you just want to go fast, Audi will gladly sell you the 450-horsepower S6. For those of us who appreciate the standard A6 but still want a little more excitement, there’s the new A6 3.0T Competition. Think of it as the S6 Lite, taking the already great 3.0T Prestige model and adding sport suspension, a torque-vectoring rear differential, blacked-out mirrors and exterior trim, bolstered seats, 20-inch wheels with summer tires, a flat-bottom steering wheel, and red brake calipers. Oh, and another seven horsepower under the hood. Frankly, this trim pack is far more about looks than performance, but that’s okay. It’s a great way to get more style and a little more fun out of the A6 without delving into the pricier, thirstier world of the S6.

Pros

• It’s a champ on every road. Even though this tester wears winter tires rather than the factory-spec summers (temperatures held steady in the mid-30s, Fahrenheit, during my test), it whips around bends with aplomb. Thanks in part to its sport suspension, the A6 has a flat, neutral handling dynamic that inspires tons of confidence – even on winter rubber in cold climes. The Quattro all-wheel-drive and sport rear differential expertly mete power to the road without a hint of wheelspin. And light but very direct steering makes pushing the car around even more enjoyable.
• It’s a good value. That might sound like a relative term, but the Competition is only $6,000 more expensive than an A6 3.0T Pre...