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"         Foreshadowing the new Audi A6&amp;#039;s appearance was the A8L 6.0 and, before that, the Nuvolari concept car shown at the 2003 Geneva auto show. The Nuvolari is a handsome coupe whose large trapezoidal grille is now seen on this car and the 12-cylinder A8L. The crisp, energetic lines of the Nuvolari are also carried over to the A6, giving the car an aggressiveness it was previously missing.   The grille isn&amp;#039;t a great departure from the previous generation&amp;#039;s; the new look just ties the upper and lower grille openings together with a single chrome strip. The trapezoidal theme is also carried into the familiar four-circle Audi crest, so much so that it&amp;#039;s on the center of the steering wheel on both the A8L and the new A6. This look is the new face of Audi.   Beneath the styling is a new car. Not a complete, start-from-scratch model, but an evolution and improvement. Audi kept the exterior dimensions about the same, yet expanded the track and stretched the wheelbase a full 3.0 in. improving the weight balance and increasing passenger space. Weight is also down about 150 lb., thanks in part to a wider use of aluminum.   Chassis rigidity is increased by 34 percent. It&amp;#039;s hard to verify chassis rigidity claims, but the car feels extremely solid. Most notable is the lack of a vibration through the steering wheel when driving over Italian cobblestones. The suspension did pass on that information, though, with a soft rumble of the seat.   When the 2005 A6 goes on sale here this fall, the plethora of engines and drivetrains will be gone. A longitudinally mounted V-8 or V-6 is the only choice. All cars will be supplied with Quattro all-wheel drive and a 6-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission from the S4. Elsewhere in the world, front-wheel-drive models, manual transmissions and diesels will be available.   Of the two engines for the U.S., the big hitter is the 4.2-liter V-8 from the S4, which produces a potent 335 bhp and 311 lb.-ft. of torque. The V-6 3.1-liter (Audi calls it a 3.2, but displacement is 3123 cc) could be described as the V-8 minus two cylinders, but that wouldn&amp;#039;t do it justice.   Direct injection of fuel has been added, which allows for a compression ratio of 12.5:1 and a power output of 255 bhp with 244 lb.-ft. of torque. That&amp;#039;s 5 more horsepower than the twin-turbo 2.7-liter engine previously available, but 10 bhp less than the S-line version.   Audi calls its direct injection technology FSI, for Fuel Stratified Injection. Because our fuel isn&amp;#039;t clean enough (meaning too much sulfur), we can&amp;#039;t run a lean mixture, and so the FSI isn&amp;#039;t working to full potential. Yet it&amp;#039;s still making more horsepower and getting better fuel economy than a conventional system. It&amp;#039;s just a matter of time before our fuel is clean enough to reap the full benefits of FSI.   The V-6 model is good but the V-8 is better, as it has a quicker steering rack for the precise carving of corners. The RS6 seemed to have a lot of influence on the new A6. And it&amp;#039;s all for the better. Most notable is how stable the chassis feels in mid corner. Suspension is taut and there is little noticeable rubber-bushing squirm at high g-loads. This new A6 is a genuine sports sedan that brings the luxury of the A8 into a smaller package.   There are various new features on this A6, the majority coming from the A8. Most notable are the 4-spoke steering wheel, electronic parking brake and Multi Media Interface system. Optional items include Advanced Key and adaptive air suspension, which can raise or lower the vehicle.   The A6 will be Audi&amp;#039;s first car to feature dynamic headlamps. These lights aim in the direction of travel, helping the driver see around corners and bends in the road. There are so many features on this car, it&amp;#039;s a wonder the price isn&amp;#039;t going to be in the $50,000 range. Oh, wait, it is, for the V-8 \u2014 and mid $40s for the V-6. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a10082/2005-audi-a6/>