Audi A8 3.0 TDI Quattro

It's perfectly common to go on about headlights when a car gets a facelift. Usually they change shape. The A8's haven't - not much, anyway. But the A8's engineers and designers talked about them for half an hour. Then returned to the subject later. And I can see why. All A8s now get LED headlights, but that's not so unusual. What is unique are the optional adaptive ones. They work with an onboard camera and shine a pattern of light - generated by switching a bank of differently aimed LEDs - that avoids dazzling any vehicles oncoming or ahead but shines at full-beam height and intensity in other directions. For anyone who does much night driving where there aren't street lamps, it's a transformation.

But there's another reason the A8 folk spent ages telling me about the headlamps. There really wasn't a whole lot else to talk about. Visually, you'd barely even call it a facelift. More of an eyebrow pluck than an extreme makeover. That said, I'm transfixed by the new LED front indicators, a bank of them that sweeps outwards like a Mexican wave, rather than just flashing on and off.

Under the skin, though, there's a bit more action. All engines get a slight power lift - nothing worth making a fuss of, but nice to have - and better economy, too. Useful to wriggle under tax thresholds. The V6 diesel is now 258bhp. There's also a stonking, if expensive, V8 TDI at 385bhp.
The V6 TDI is really all you need, of course, and is barely clearing its throat in normal traffic. But its voice does get a bit hoarse when you lean on the performance. I had more fun in the 3.0-litre supercharged petrol, which has lovely lag-free pick-up and a sweet desire to rev. It drinks a little more, though.

Also new is all-electric power assistance for the steering, with the option of speed-dependent active-ratio variation. But I never quite knew how much turning I had to do, and kept being foxed into correcting my inputs. Feathery weighting and poor feel don't help. Otherwise, it's a fleet-footed and securely grippy car, thanks to the adaptive air suspension and quattro drive.

And it's gorgeous on the inside. No one builds more solid-feeling cabins, and the quiet good taste is a contrast to the lush bling of the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Trouble is, all Audis are like that, so you do end up thinking, "Why not just buy an A6?"

Paul Horrell

Verdict: Sportier and simpler than an S-Class. Quattro drive an asset, but ride and silence not the best in class.

Stats: 2967cc, turbodiesel V6, 4WD, 258bhp, 428lb ft, 47.9mpg, 155g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 5.9secs, 155mph, 1955kg, £65,005

Audi A3 Cabriolet

After a few miles in the new A3 Cabrio, I'm moaning to myself that it isn't as sharp and involving to steer as the rather excellent current-generation A3 hatchback. But really I ought to get over myself. The old A3 wasn't a very sharp car to drive, so when they did a cabrio version, its further dose of vagueness didn't matter. We enjoyed it for what it was - a pert and well-made little cruiser. So in appraising this one, we need to realise it's better in every way than the old one, a car we quite liked. If it doesn't drive quite as sensitively as the new hatch, well, it's still acceptable for what it is.
Remember, the new MQB-based A3 range isn't straightforward - the three-door has a shorter wheelbase than the five-door and saloon, and the saloon has more rear overhang too. The new Cabrio is another combo again: the short wheelbase but the long overhang. In other words, priority goes to torsional stiffness and boot space, but the backseats are pretty cramped. Though longer than the old Cabrio, it's up to 60kg lighter, because all A3s have a fair bit of aluminium in them now.

As usual, Audi glammed-up the jewellery. The windscreen frame is aluminium, the lights twinkly, the optional B&O speakers framed in LED swooshes. Roof up, your thermal and acoustic insulation from the rude world outside is to all intents and purposes as good as the hatch. Roof down, at motorway speed, you'll want the blocker net raised (which proscribes the rear seats) and the windows up, or it gets blustery. The rest of the time, it's fine with everything lowered. Options include warm-air neck blowers beneath the headrests. Come a cloudburst, the roof shuts itself in 18 seconds, but if the lights go green in the meantime, it'll keep closing up to 30mph - nothing new, but nice to have.

Generally, the body is rigid except over despicable bumps. Any lack of stiffness versus the hatch shows mostly as a want of feel in the steering. Otherwise, it drives neatly. The 1.8 petrol gives you warm-hatch performance without stressing the chassis and still sounds suitably hushed. The keen little 140 TFSI will probably be plenty, is the lowest company-car tax version in the range, and starts under £26k. Fine, because the diesel version is grumbly with the roof down.

Paul Horrell

The Numbers
1798cc 4cyl petrol turbo, FWD, 178bhp, 184lb ft, 48.7mpg, 133g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 7.8secs, 150mph, 1430kg, £32,420

The Verdict
Nicely crafted thing for wafting about in. Works well when the weather turns against you too. If you want sporty, go elsewhere.

Audi S6

May we present the mildly refreshed S6, Audi's sub-RS performance saloon that's been treated to a raft of mild upgrades for added oomph.

Changes to the standard A6 (left) carry across to this car, but the S6's engine has been uprated by 30bhp. That means the wonderful 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 - as used in the Bentley Continental GT, don't forget - produces 444bhp and 406lb ft of torque, put to good use by a 7spd twin-clutcher and four-wheel drive.

The chassis remains the same, and so while it's faster than before, it remains a cool, understated, thunderously fast saloon car that's mostly fuss-free. It has a hugely grippy chassis that handles its mass well, coupled with that regular Audi trope of artificial but accurate steering.

Spec the sports exhaust, and it returns a metallic rasp that's quite delightful. Naturally, it comes with an impeccably appointed interior too, now better than ever, thanks to infotainment upgrades.
It's faster and cheaper than a BMW 550i M Sport saloon, but the Beemer's more involving, yadda yadda yadda - you know the score. The Audi makes a great case for itself, though, if you want comfortable, crushing pace with a bombproof interior.

Vijay Pattni

The Numbers
3993cc, V8, 4WD, 444bhp, 406lb ft, 30.7mpg, 214g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 4.4secs, 155mph, 1895kg, £56,000

The Verdict
Crushing pace and - configured in the right way - comfortable too.

Audi A6

This is the mildly facelifted Audi A6 with a highly economical four-cylinder diesel engine and front-wheel drive. One to file under the ‘dull but worthy' file, you will no doubt agree.

You'll have to pay attention then, to spot the mild upgrades: the headlights (xenons as standard for the UK), air inlets, bumpers, side sills, rear lights and exhaust, as well as the ‘singleframe' grille, have all been subtly tweaked. There are new trim options too, changes to the MMI interface and acoustic glazing for the windscreen and front windows. As ever, the interior layout and quality remains without equal.

It's the drivetrain, though, that's of primary concern here. Audi has ditched the CVT slushbox in all FWD A6s and replaced it with the 7spd dual-clutch S tronic gearbox; the main cause behind the extra fuel economy and lower CO2, thanks in part to a coasting function.

The stop/start system has also been tweaked, which means if you opt for the entry-level 2.0-litre TDI ultra, you get an extra 3.1mpg (now 67.3mpg) with CO2 emissions dropped by 5g/km to 109g/km. Yep, that's the kind of margin here.

That 2.0-litre diesel is an affable unit, too. As with most four-cylinder diesel engines, it's grumbly when you've got your foot pinned to the floor, but offers performance of a punchy nature, and settles into a nice, quiet, relaxed canter once up to speed.

Combined with the A6's standard handling nuances - inert, accurate steering, comfortable suspension if you configure it right - it's an incredibly easy car to live with. Should you be so inclined, you could do big miles in a car like this.

Naturally, we'd advise you to opt for the bigger, 3.0-litre V6 engines on offer if you're adamant about buying diesel, because they're more powerful and quicker. The 268bhp version of this engine is the one with the most change: up 25bhp and down 16g/km of CO2, it's a stonkingly fast car. Go harder still, and you'll want the 318bhp BiTDI. It's a superb engine with Herculean reserves of power and torque.

There's much to recommend, and it's a beautifully appointed car. Yet it still lacks the driver sparkle offered by the BMW 5-Series.

Vijay Pattni

The Numbers
1968cc 4cyl, FWD, 188bhp, 295lb ft, 67.3mpg, 109g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 8.2secs, 144mph. 1660kg, £33,485

The Verdict
The A6 is a classy, understated saloon. It's confident but lacks sparkle.

Audi A3 e-tron driven

How's this for a line-up? Audi offers the A3 as a 2dr cabrio, 3dr or 5dr hatch, or 4dr saloon, as a manual or auto, front- or all-wheel drive, petrol or diesel. And now this: the plug-in hybrid e-tron, ironically only available as a 5dr Sportback with front drive and an S tronic 'box.

Want yet more choice? Try the myriad driving modes offered by this petrol-electric e-tron, which melds a 148bhp 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine with a 99bhp electric motor, shoehorned into the gearbox itself. Total system power is a VW Golf GTI-nudging 204bhp and 258lb ft, a good deal of which is on demand instantly, thanks to the electric motor.

Electric-only mode offers up 31 miles or 80mph in theory, though it hates bitter winter weather. Our fully charged test car was travelling about 11-12 miles on e-power alone. You maximise urban range with Hybrid Hold mode, which saves the batteries for when you're shuffling in traffic, while best-of-both-worlds Hybrid mode combines the two power sources, and Hybrid Charge mode uses the engine to charge up the battery on the move. Or you can plug it in for around four hours.

Too complicated? Actually, no. This is a brilliantly engineered machine, which could genuinely bring electrification into the lives of plenty of regular A3 drivers without too much compromise. Unlike cousin Golf GTE, the e-tron isn't trying to be an eco-GTI - it's just an accomplished family hatch that, if driven in a manner than plays to its strengths (in town), costs next to nothing to run. Open-road runs mean about 50mpg.

Ask for max power, and it's not quite hypercar-style torque-fill - the 1.4 turbo motor is on the thrashy side and with 125kg of batteries on board, there's more pitch and heave during direction changes and braking than in other A3s. There's also a touch of interference from the brakes, due to the need to generate extra leccy when slowing, but it's better than Lexus's efforts.
It's pricey at S3 money, but if you've shied away from the BMW i3 for being too radical, and too range-hamstrung, the A3 e-tron offers a neat alternative.

Ollie Kew

The Numbers
1995cc, 4cyl, AWD, 237bhp, 369lb ft, 53.3mpg, 139g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 6.3secs, 149mph, 1721kg, £34,510

The Verdict
About as good as petrol hybrid hatches get right now.

Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10 Plus Quattro 2dr S Tronic

R8 V10 Plus eh? Not a modest name. Nope. The first Audi R8 was a V8, but when they added the V10 engine, it took more than half the sales. Then when they added the Plus version, it became the biggest seller of all. So for the new R8, there’s no V8, nor a manual box. You can have an R8 V10 at a generous 540bhp, and the Plus version at a positively bountiful 610bhp. It has no cause for modesty. You say ‘new’. How new? The whole bodyshell for a start. It still has a largely aluminium spaceframe and all-aluminium panels. But the whole lower-central section of the tub, and the sills, and the lower B-posts, are carbonfibre. Stiffer, lighter, better. I suspect that carbon section will really help when they come to make the convertible. Kerb weight is 1555kg, which is pretty slinky when you think there are 10 cylinders and four driven wheels. Where does the power come from? It’s a naturally-aspirated 5.2-litre V10 that revs to 8700, by which point it’s howling its nuts off like the Grand Prix engines of a cherished and simpler era. No turbos? Nope. It follows that it lacks the easy distain of a high-boost mid-rev punch. Instead you’ve got to concentrate to draw the best from it. You’ll often be stroking a turbocharged supercar along pretty briskly using only 3-4000rpm. But in this one you take up residence in the fives. And then, somewhere between 6000 and 6500, something magical happens, a sudden quickening of its pulse, a crazed resolve to arrive at the moment when the clock strikes red at 8700. And throughout, the response to the right pedal has that gorgeously exact and instantaneous quality you just never get with a turbo motor. So you’re changing gears a lot. Is the shift OK? It’s a brilliant ally. They’ve gone over the software of the seven-speed twin-clutch box and it’s now eyeblink-rapid and supernaturally smooth, with tiny latency after you pull the paddle. And yet the box also manages to be extremely smooth in comfort or auto mode, burbling blamelessly through town. I’m assuming the Quattro chassis can cope. But is it fun? Everything feels sharper and more alert compared with the old R8. Here’s some reasons why. The springs are firmer, and the centre diff isn’t a passive one but is electronically controlled. So it’s a very rear-drive car on the way into corners (for agility) and then sends urge to the front on the way out (for security). But those shares are more rearward in the sportier driving modes. There’s also an optional active steering system, fitted to our tester, which varies the ratio according to zillions of parameters. Again, the way it does that depends on the driving mode you’ve selected. And the dampers are programmable too (they were on the old car, mind). There’s even a set of additional ‘performance’ modes which lock the steering into a fixed very direct – maybe too direct – ratio. These alter behaviour according to the weather you dial in on the knob: snow, wet, dry. Or maybe turning the knob actually alters the weather. Wouldn’t be surprised, this car is so clever. Anyway, in the sanity modes the R8 is ultra-secure, if a mite dull. But the great thing, in spite of all that electrickery, it feels natural. The stoutly unflappable brakes, big carbon-ceramics, only add to the sense of security. So you get confident and wind the various systems’ wicks up. Plunge into a corner and it taps you on the shoulder, telling you the grip is expiring by gently understeering, clearly felt through the wheel. Then you get the V10 to do its thing and the car just squats and lunges away. It’s all about small slip angles, but you feel and almost taste them in gorgeous detail. I’m hearing it’s a supercar. But don’t Audi say it’s an everyday one? They do. But then, that usability that was a USP with the first R8 has been eroded a bit. McLaren’s mid-engined cars are easy to get into and out of, and to see out of, have a straight-ahead driving position, ride well in their comfort modes, and have surprising luggage space. The R8 isn’t quite as supple as the Woking rival, and it also wracks your nerves by putting fat blind spots over your shoulders. But it still benchmarks those other things. And there’s more. As an all-weather all-conditions machine the R8 pulls out some huge advantages. Quattro really is something to have on your side when 610bhp meets wet bitumen. And Audi keeps on getting better at headlights. The R8 has multi-beam adaptive LEDs as standard, but optionally comes with blazing laser main beams that all but double the range of night sight. I trust Audi came up with something pretty special for the cabin? The theme is much like the old car. You’re bounded by a big 3-d horseshoe that wraps from the driver’s door, up behind the instrument pod, then down towards your other knee. It’s supposed to feel like the cockpit of a single-seater. That’s a fat exaggeration, but its still a nice piece of architecture. And you sit low and deep in the car. That makes dropping down into the seat a special experience every time. The steering wheel is festooned with buttons and controls, but they’re much easier to fathom than a racer’s, fortunately. Pity it has a palm-hostile rim section. The rest of the wow factors are adapted from other Audis and none the worse for it. You get a widescreen ultra-configurable hi-res ‘virtual cockpit’ screen that replaces both the instruments and the central nav display. The TT climate knobs pop up again here. And it’s got high-speed web connection and a built-in hotspot. So your passenger can go on their tablet while you try to make them sick with the cornering forces. But it looks like a big TT… Don’t be daft. OK it shares the family character in its lines and face. But it has the proportions and presence of a real supercar. When one passes you, you won’t miss it. Or be able to ignore it.