AUDI A6...Continued

The lighting engineers, obviously schooled at the finestplanetariums, injected the interior with an assortment of lighting features.All passengers are treated to gentle footwell lighting and practicalpuddle lamps, which illuminate the ground when the doors are open. Redlights illuminate all the gauges, buttons, knobs and ashtrays, as wellas providing gentle ambient lighting while driving after dark. The vanitymirrors light up only when you slide open the covered mirror, and achoice of map lights are also offered up front. The sculptured interiorroofline hides the rear reading lamps, so backseat passengers can readwithout disturbing the driver.

Options: Our test car came loaded with luxury options, including leather upholstery ($1500), pearlescent white clearcoat paint ($600) and a 250-watt BoseĻ 8-speaker stereo system with subwoofer and 6-disc CD changer. The Cold Weather Package, a $750 option, added front heated seats, a heated steering wheel and a collapsible ski bag built into the trunk and extends -- when needed -- through the rear seat armrest. Although our car didn't have it, true skiers and winter sport enthusiasts may prefer to equip their A6 with Audi's Quattro All-Wheel Drive System for a reasonable $1650.

In addition, our car was equipped with the Convenience Package, a $1500 option that included a slide and tilt sunroof, multi-driver memory seats and auto- dimming mirrors. The Warm Weather package, which melts another $1500 from your wallet, includes insulated break-resistant glass, a nifty electric rear window sunshade and a most unique solar sunroof which powers interior blowers and brings fresh air into the car when parked in the sun with the key in the ignition.

Cargo Space: The trunk size, another big surprise, opened up to a huge 17.2 cubic feet of usable space. In comparison, other cars in this same class aren't even close with BMW's 5-series offering 11.0 cubic feet and Mercedes elegant E320 with 15.3 cubic feet.

Driving Impressions And A Final Word: The ride and handling proved to be just as refined as the rest of the car. A silky smooth drivetrain makes this one of the finest front-wheel drive cars on the road today. Precise cornering and controlled handling along with a very quiet ride added to the positive driving experience.

Exceptional fit and finish, superior ride, an elegant design and a well-appointed cabin on par with the finest European luxury cars make the Audi A6, in my opinion, one of the 10 best cars in the world.