German automaker Audi produces a glamorous array of precisely mannered sedans and wagons, plus curvaceous sports coupes and convertibles. Audi uses alphanumeric designations for cars of compact, mid-size and full-size classes, with engines of four and six and eight cylinders -- thus the tags of A4, A6 and A8. In 2006, Audi builds a new generation of A4 cars and rolls out a new smaller class with the A3 Sportback five-door hatch.

Compact cars from Audi emerge in new format for '06 as sleek four-door sedans and five-door wagons (called Avant) or drop-top variations (Cabriolet) with FrontTrak front-wheel-drive (FWD) traction or Quattro all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. Souped-up sports models derived from A4 Quattro wear the badge of S4. A 2.0-liter four-pack in A4, with turbo-charger and inter-cooler plus Audi's fuel straight injection technology, nets 200 horsepower.

Base model A4 2.0T FrontTrak carries the 2.0-liter turbo FSI plant with a manual six-speed transmission, but Audi also offers a Multitronic continuously-variable transmission (CVT). A4 in luxury mode with V6 power is the A4 3.2 Quattro worth 255 hp. And A4 3.2 CVT FrontTrak joins A4 V6 Quattro models. New S4 Quattro performance variations -- for sedan, wagon and convertible -- score a big V8 pumping 340 hp with either the manual six-speed or automatic six Tiptronic.

Mid-size sedans from Audi were revamp-ed in '05 with larger dimensions for the structure and sensuous shapes on the sheetmetal. For '06, the series gains a new five-door wagon model - A6 Avant 3.2 Tiptronic Quattro - plus the A6 3.2 CVT FrontTrak sedan. Base powertrain for the series is Audi's aluminum 3.2-liter V6 that sparks with 255 hp and ties to a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission.

Even more muscle goes to the A6 4.2 sedan, which provides an aluminum 4.2-liter V8 rated at 335 hp. A6's cabin gets two sport buckets in front and a broad bench in back with lavish appointments including leather seats and deluxe audio gear. The S-line, a sporty trim package, works on A6 3.2 and A6 4.2 sedans with special badges on grille, door sills and bumpers. And fine wood trim is now standard for all models.

Audi's large-car A8 series -- cast on a unitized aluminum structure, then fitted with sophisticated mechanical systems and extravagant luxuries -- comes in two lengths. A8L rides on a stretched wheelbase with generous legroom for riders in the rear quarters. A8 also appears with wheelbase pared slightly and five inches trimmed from the overall length. Both A8 and A8L stock Audi's aluminum 4.2-liter V8 pumping 335 hp through a ZF six-speed electronic automatic transmission with Tiptronic manual shift mode. Both also contain Audi's Quattro AWD equipment as well as computerized anti-lock brake system (ABS) and electronic stabilization program (ESP).

Then there's the A8L 6.0, Audi's top car, with a W-shaped 12-cylinder engine displacing 6.0 liters and producing 450 hp through a six-speed Tiptronic automatic. New equipment on all A8 cars in 2006 ranges from adaptive front headlamps to Rainsensor and the Audi Parking System with a graphic display. (CONTINUE...)