|  The
German automaker Audi produces a stunning array of precisely mannered sedans and
wagons sized from small to medium and large, plus curvaceous sports coupes and
convertibles.
Audi's complete line for 2004 comprises alphanumeric designations for sedans of
compact, mid-size and large-car classes, with engines of four and six and eight
cylinders -- thus the tags as A4, A6 and A8. In addition, the avant label in Audi
vernacular denotes a station wagon format, FrontTrak means front-wheel-drive (FWD)
and quattro signifies all-wheel-drive (AWD) with a permanently engaged device
that distributes the engine's power to all wheels. Yet
there are variations, like Audi's too-cute TT coupe and roadster convertible,
or the allroad quattro, a crossover vehicle that merges a sports sedan with a
sport-utility wagon to form an AWD estate wagon off the A6 avant but with a broader
wheel track and variable-height pneumatic suspension. New
for 2004 is Audi's A8L flagship
sedan. Consider it a kinetic work of automotive art, chiseled from aluminum
with a space frame structure stretched to extravagant length and an elegant cabin
decorated in glossy hardwoods and supple leathers and filled with limousine luxuries.
It also scores world-class marks for the strength of a V8 powertrain and sophisticated
electronics aboard governing all aspects of the vehicle's movement plus communications,
navigation, comfort, even entertainment. New
too is the S4, a souped-up sports sedan derived from the A4 quattro series with
a 4.2-liter V8 pushing 340 hp through a six-speed manual stick or optional six-speed
Tiptronic automatic transmission. A variation of that powerful engine drops into
the allroad quattro wagon to make a new model, the allroad quattro 4.2. It scores
300 hp when teamed to a five-speed Tiptronic automatic and stocks Audi's side
curtain-style air bags labeled Sideguard. And TT quattro cars offer another powerplant
choice this year with a 250 hp version tied to a clutch-less transmission dubbed
the Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG). | 