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Audi's new compact series amounts to a five-door car with hatchback styling under the descriptive label of Sportback. Latest treatment is A3 3.2 Quattro S-line with all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction, but there's also a front-wheel-drive (FWD) edition labeled A3 2.0T FrontTrak.

The A3 2.0T FrontTrak Sportback stocks a 2.0-liter four-in-line engine with turbo-charger and inter-cooler plus Audi's remarkable FSI (fuel straight injection) technology applied with output pushing to 200 hp. The A3 3.2 Quattro S-line with a 3.2-liter V6 aboard hops to 250 hp as translated strictly through Audi's six-speed DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) automatic.

Audi's new compact series amounts to a five-door car with hatchback styling under the descriptive label of Sportback.

Latest treatment is A3 3.2 Quattro S-line with all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction, but there's also a front-wheel-drive (FWD) edition labeled A3 2.0T FrontTrak. The A3 2.0T FrontTrak Sportback stocks a 2.0-liter four-in-line engine with turbo-charger and inter-cooler plus Audi's remarkable FSI (fuel straight injection) technology applied with output pushing to 200 hp. The A3 3.2 Quattro S-line with a 3.2-liter V6 aboard hops to 250 hp as translated strictly through Audi's six-speed DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) automatic.

In the grand tradition of German cars, Audi is always pushing the envelope for style, ride and technology, almost always resulting in a very good product. The 2006 Audi A6 is no exception, adding a more aggressive grille and improving on an already luxurious interior. The addition of the Avant wagon this year will expand its popularity.

The only hang-up on the A6 is the same hang-up many newer luxury cars have: trying to minimize dials for a cleaner dash, they’ve increased the difficulty of operation. It is noteworthy to mention that BMW’s iDrive is much, much more complicated than Audi’s Multi Media Interface (MMI), which is included in all A6 models and combines many of the car’s controls into one. After a few at-rest practice lessons, it becomes easier to operate, but honestly, simple controls are not only safer but also more convenient. That having been said, it’s one of the few drawbacks in an, otherwise, highly recommended vehicle.

Audi offers three versions this year: The 255-horsepower 3.2-liter V6 sedan, the 335-pony 4.2-liter V8 sedan, and the Avant wagon (also with a 3.2-liter engine.) Returning is Audi’s trademark Quattro all-wheel-drive system, optional on the 3.2-liter sedan, but standard on the 4.2, and the Avant.

It’s a car (and brand) that’s often overlooked in a red-hot market where Lexus and BMW tower over the rest. Audi doesn’t do a very good job of promoting itself to the general public, but it should — after all, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class is more expensive and offers a less refined interior than the A6.

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Audi scores again with its 2006 A4. With a spacious, luxuriously-appointed interior, sophisticated exterior lines, and a host of safety features, the A4 far exceeds its brother vehicle, the Volkswagen Passat — and every other car in its class.

The two model choices — the common 2.0-liter Turbo and 3.2-liter V6, (not to mention the fabulous but more expensive, BMW M3-like S4) — can all include Audi's famous Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Indeed, there is so little wrong with this car, we would highly recommend it to anyone from the sporty young adult to the comfort-minded senior citizen.

Driving down Interstate 30 the other day, I had the kind of insightful thought that occasionally comes after miles and miles of concrete lull me into a state of mind-numbing boredom.

"Most car designers have got to be potheads."

Sure, you can discount this as the creation of a brain turned to mush, as all brains seem to become on the Interstate. But when you think about it, it's hard to believe many of today's cars were influenced by anything other than a whiff of marijuana and a blaring Pink Floyd album. They make absolutely no sense.

Take a look at the new, boxy things like the Scion xB, and I dare you to find any design inspiration that runs deeper than a Cheech and Chong script. The concept simply can't come from a normal, healthy brain.

"Dude, wouldn't it be cool to make a car that looks like a Kleenex box?" one designer must have asked.

"Yeah man, that'd be ... like ... so awesome," the other answered, right before taking another hit in his mom's basement.

You see more examples all over the automotive world, from minivans with rear spoilers to pickup trucks with convertible tops and sports cars with front ends that look like a cockroach mated with the Brave Little Toaster.

Even on more normal cars, like an average family sedan, at some point in the creative process a designer must have said, "You know what would look great on this thing? Plastic strips tacked all over the sides. And maybe some wavy stuff around the taillights. Yeah, that'd be cool."

Middle-size sedans from Audi were revamped in 2005 with larger dimensions for the structure and sensuous shapes on the sheetmetal. For 2006, 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 A6 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.