Auto News 5

It's rare to have an Audi without Quattro pass through our garage. As all-wheel drive has become synonymous with the brand, it seems a front-wheel example of any Audi is an oddity. I happened to take this front-wheel-drive A3 TDI home on the night of Michigan's biggest winter storm. With a set of Michelin winter tires on, though, I hardly noticed that I had only two wheels to power through the slippery spots. Aside from the torquey engine occasionally spinning the front wheels, the A3 was composed and stable through thick city slush and at highway speeds.inline_mediumwraptextright27080960/green/reviews/1003_2010_audi_a3_tdi_fwd_s_tronic_premium1003_01_z+2010_audi_a4_tDI_fWD_s-Tronic_premium+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

I’ve spent a lot of time behind the wheel of a V-8 Audi R8 coupe, so getting into the all-new, 2011 Audi R8 V-10 Spyder roadster created a flood of both familiar and totally new impressions. Gone is the iconic “side blade” that could be had in contrasting color or carbon fiber on the coupe; in its place is a new composite-plastic fender. But the cabin is just as gorgeous as ever, and the mix of colors and materials that are available to line the cabin are rich and enticing. Our first test car was done up in the official launch color, Teak Brown, which beautifully complemented sumptuous tan leather seats with coordinating brown stitching. The instrument panel and dash were covered in black leather with tan stitching that matched the seats. The overall effect was mesmerizing not just to me and my codriver but also to dozens of onlookers in Nice, France, where we arrived this morning to be among the very first group of journalists to drive the ragtop R8 along the beaches and on the thrilling mountain roads above the French Riviera.

Months in fleet: four
Miles to date: 12,370inline_mediumwraptextright28290352/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1003_2010_audi_q5_february_update1003_05_z+2010_audi_q5_3_2+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Though Audi still believes hybrid vehicles are merely a stopover on the way to full-electrification, the company is somewhat reluctantly building several hybrid models that it hopes will lead the way to full-electric vehicles in the future. One of the first results of this plan is the upcoming Audi A8 Hybrid.inline_mediumwraptextright32453100/green/news/1003_audi_a8_hybridaudi-a8-hybrid-front-three-quarters-static-passenger.jpgTrue

Switzerland's latest limited-volume production car made its world debut in Geneva (where else?), reviving a storied name that once adorned some of the world's most expensive cars. Striving not to break that tradition, the new car lists for 700,000 Euro ($949,300 by today's exchange rate). At first glance, that seems excessive, considering that it is largely based on the Audi R8 5.2, which tops out at 163,210 Euro ($221,300) in Germany.inline_mediumwraptextright28273573/features/news/1003_hispano_suiza_supercarhispano-suiza-side-view-passenger.jpgTrue