Most 2008 Audi A6 shoppers probably won't use a second mortgage to buy one, but with a starting price of $57,000 (for the 4.2-liter V8 version) you wouldn't be out of order to consider that option. Just watch those loan terms, will ya?

Like every Audi from this century, the A6 marries sleek exterior design with sumptuous cabin accoutrements, and places it all on a stout-yet-supple achitecture driving all four wheels (the smaller, 3.1-liter V6 can be had in front-wheel drive). You'd think there's no getting around that 4,200-pound curb weight, but somehow the eggheads in Ingolstadt have imbued the A6 with a lithe manner, even when flinging it through my favorite set of twisties. I suspect the 350-horsepower V8, combined with all-wheel drive, gives it both the thrust and grip to counter that poundage.

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I don't have one topic worthy of a full Talk Back Tuesday post, but I do have a few mini topics from the past week that, when added up, almost equate to one worthy discussion...hopefully. Here goes:

In the spirit of "perfect timing" comes a new Hummer H2 book: Yes, just as oil passes $100-a-barrel and gas hits $4-a-gallon we get a new book that, according to the press release:

"With unfolded centerfold the book reaches a width of 237 cm (94.5 inches), wider than the subject of the book, the HUMMER H2, itself. HUMMER H2 - KING SIZE AMERICA! is the biggest and most exclusive car book in the world and is published in a limited edition of just 999 sequentially numbered and signed copies. On 200 gloss-laminated pages German automobile journalist Hans-Jürgen Tücherer tells a great many entertaining and amusing stories that surround this spectacular American SUV. More than 270 fascinating pictures up to 43 x 237 centimeters (17 x 94.5 inches) in size depict the HUMMER H2 in all its glorious details and from many highly unusual perspectives. HUMMER H2 - KING SIZE AMERICA! is available for 999 Euros. The German edition is on sale now. The English version will be available online at www.h2book.com starting in April 2008."

Yes, for a mere $1,500 you too can pay proper homage to your H2 with a book as obnoxious as the vehicle itself! Better reserve your copy today!!

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Awhile back I commented on what I feel is the definition of a "Great Car." In short, a great car (or truck, or SUV, or minivan) is a vehicle that can do at least two (or more) things really well. For example, the Jeep Wrangler is a very good vehicle for what it's supposed to do, but what it does well is pretty much one thing, so it isn't a great car in my opinion. Some could argue a great car has purity, so something like the Wrangler is a great car. Some could argue that, but not me.

Using this as a guideline, the 2008 Audi TT is a great car. I just drove a V6 version home and back, complete with DSG transmission, and this is a car that does many things really well.

It's rare for me to get into a specific test vehicle more than once, unless it's a long-term car (and sometimes even those cars spend 12 months here and I only drive them two or three times). But in the past four months I've driven the 2008 Audi S5 three times (this is a short-term car that we only get for two weeks at a time; the S5 is on its second trip to the Edmunds offices). The first time was in November, and I was immediately smitten with its combination of sleek body lines and Detroit-like V8 muscle.

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Like so many Audis (and, really, so many modern luxury cars) you can't think too carefully about the price tag when considering the new 2008 S5 coupe. At a starting price of $50K, and a finishing price closer to $60K once you add a few choice items like nav and adaptive headlights, this car is pricey -- plain and simple. It's 354hp V8 gives it a leg up on BMW's 335i, as does quattro all-wheel drive (it does zero-to-60 in 4.9 seconds), but those factors alone don't justify the increased coinage. Of course it's cheaper than a $75,000 BMW 650i and quicker than that two-door as well, so maybe it's a bargain?

However, to possibly understand the S5 you have to step beyond spec sheets and price points and feature content. This sleek coupe has taken Audi's gift for gorgeous to a new level, with sweeping exterior lines and passionate interior panels that belie it's Teutonic heritage. A warm and welcoming cabin, with organic shapes to match its rich materials? What a concept!

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Because you just can't drive too many "RS" models (certainly I know I can't), I spent last night with Audi's superb RS4 Cabriolet. This is the third performance Audi product I've driven in the past two weeks (after the RS4 sedan and S4 Avant), and, perhaps to no one's surprise, it's my favorite one so far. The same 420-horsepower V8 provides the same killer thrust, and the same quattro all-wheel-drive system offers the same cornering grip you'll find in the four-door.

I also finally figured out why these cars are so damn easy to heel-and-toe. Basically, the throttle is extremely responsive. Some on staff have described tip-in as overly aggressive, but I never found it objectionable in regular driving, and it makes blipping the throttle with the edge of your foot a snap while setting up your entry speed. So as with the RS4 sedan, I found the Cabrio as confident as anything I've driven on Mulholland (even if high-end sports cars and exotics would be faster under race-track conditions).

I was fully sold on the RS4 Carbriolet, then I looked up the price...

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How do you wreck the potential fun of driving Audi's S4 Avant? Drive it right after experiencing Audi's RS4 sedan. I made that mistake, and for the first 10 minutes of my commute I had to keep reminding myself, "Okay, there's not a 420-pound V8 engine under that hood. There's not a specially tweaked quattro system and highly tuned suspension underneath me. And there aren't 19-inch tires at each corner. Oh, and there's not a $70,000-plus MSRP on the window."

It really takes driving the Audi RS4 to overshadow the otherwise stellar S4 Avant. For about $20,000 less you lose 80 horsepower, meaning the S4 commands "only" 340 horsepower. But it still offers that rapid-fire, six-speed manual with perfect pedal placement for heel-and-toe downshifts. And it still rockets through corners with just a hint of body roll before the suspension sets and the quattro system bites down for a confident throttle-on exit.

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It's been eight months since I last drove an Audi RS4, but the thrill of unleashing 420 horsepower through its all-wheel drive system hasn't diminished. In fact, this 2007 Audi RS4 was even more fun. Last time I was stuck driving it in the rain, which was great for maximizing the advantages of all-wheel drive, but not for maximizing the car's total performance package.

This time it was nice and dry on Mulholland, and thus maximum dry weather Gs were achieved. So were a string of perfectly executed heel-and-toe downshifts (love the shifter and pedal placement), along with full-throttle corner exits and chest compressing braking excercises. Just to be clear -- this thing is FAST! Our own testing had it doing zero-to-60 in 4.3 seconds. Yet it's also stable, predictable and easily flung between corners.

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Rumor has it Audi is working on their own Mini competitor. Apparently they are mad as hell at seeing all the fun (and money) BMW is garnering with Mini, and they're not going to take it anymore. I think it's a good idea, and the A3 proves why. Until Audi's official Mini competitor arrives this is as close as you can get to a Mini with interlocking rings in the grille. But the Europeans do small cars well, and with gas prices and social pressures targeting any car over 250 horsepower and 170 inches long it seems the rise of the small car is inevitable (at least to a degree not seen in three decades in this country).

With the A3 you get the best of Audi (plush interior, sporty dynamics, clean and attractive styling) in a package that provides adequate passenger space and even some practical cargo capacity (almost 20 cubic feet behind the second-row seat). The starting price is not bad at $25,340, for which you get a 2.0-liter, 200 horsepower turbo four, six-speed manual and 17-inch wheels. You also get some choice luxury features like dual zone, automatic climate control, cruise control and dual power outlets in the center console. But like any German car, start adding options and the price skyrockets faster than you can say "Warum so Teuer?!"

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Mark Audi's new 2008 R8 down as "number 3" -- as in the third car to make my list of "If someone stole my GT in the middle of the night and left one of these in its place I wouldn't cry too much." The first two are the Ferrari F430 and the Porsche 911 GT3.

Audi's mid-engine exotic is simultaneously an all-new take on the automaker's vehicle offering and a faithful expression of "Audi-ism." The steering is perhaps a tad heavier at low speeds than I would ultimately want, but we're talking tiny degrees of imperfection here. The interior materials are supple and inviting, if a bit stark by U.S. standards. The tactile feel of the interior controls conveys both confidence and luxury in a manner most other automakers can only aspire to. Even with its unconventional exterior design and mid-engine layout there's a clear message before your rump even hits the superbly supportive driver's seat -- this is an Audi.

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