Trim Levels: A6 3.0, A6 3.0 quattro, A6 2.7T, A6 4.2, RS 6 [sedan];
A6 3.0 Avant, S6 Avant [wagon]
MSRP range: $35,700-$82,700

Notes: Audi's midlevel sedan gained a fire-breathing limited-edition performance model for mid-2003, in the "person" of the RS 6. This sedan was the first product from Audi's Quattro division to reach American shores. While quattro is often taken to refer to Audi's all-wheel drive system, it also is the name of Audi's performance arm. Quattro is Audi's equivalent to BMW's M and Mercedes-Benz's AMG divisons. The RS 6 came with a twin-turbo derivative of Audi's 4.2L engine. Pumped up to 450 horsepower, and blessed with a wide peak torque band, the sedan offered phenomenal performance, which would have been solely the province of supercars only ten years before. Massive Brembo brakes, with 8-piston calipers at the front, helped bring the two-ton monster to a stop. All of this performance came at a steep price: an RS 6 buyer paid at $34,900 premium (plus tax, including $1300 for gas-guzzling) over the next-lower sedan trim level, the A6 4.2.

Series: 1998-2004

PERFORMANCE