Audi S6

– Detroit, MIchigan

My colleague Steve is correct that the Audi RS7 is face-meltingly good, an incredible demonstration of all the four-ringed brand’s best performance-car knowledge. Yet I submit that using it for my daily commute is like using a nail gun to assemble Ikea furniture: excessive and, perhaps, dangerous. Don’t get me wrong, I love horsepower and adore the RS7, but it’s worth remembering that another fast Audi, the S6, remains one of the benchmarks for the fast, luxurious uber-sedan.

Pros

Smooth, powerful V8. Oh, sure, it’s down a Mazda Miata’s-worth of horsepower compared to that RS7, but the S6 is no slouch. Its engine’s twin turbochargers wake up early to deliver a huge wave of torque (from just 1,400 rpm) that you can ride right up to redline. The seven-speed dual-clutch transmission snaps of upshifts quicker than you can blink. The powertrain rockets the S6 through every gap in traffic and away from every stop with an ease that belies its rapidness – like, 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds rapid. It’s a great step up from the acceleration offered by the A6 3.0T Competition I drove last year.

Great chassis composure. The specially tuned air suspension has huge bandwidth between its Comfort and Dynamic settings. You’ll swear every road is pothole-free in the former mode; you’ll be sure you’re in a smaller, lighter sports car from the handling poise the S6 exhibits in Dynamic. Nothing unsettles this car, no matter how hard or sloppily you drive. Mid-corner ad...