2014 Audi 3.0t Prestige on 2040-cars

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Translogic 169: Racing against Audi's autonomous RS7

Translogic host Jonathon Buckley heads back to the Ascari Race Resort in Spain for an encounter with a track rival unlike any other. Watch as "Bucko" challenges "Bobby," Audi's autonomous Audi RS7 racecar to see who is quicker around the course. It's a classic tale of "man versus machine" in this episode of Translogic. Follow Translogic on Twitter and Facebook. Click here to subscribe to Translogic in iTunes. Click here to learn more about our host, Jonathon Buckley. Audi Autonomous Vehicles Racing Vehicles Translogic Videos

2016 Audi S6 and S7 First Drive

Audi paired the S6 and S7 for the purposes of this test in Southern California, but these are rather disparate cars. A three-box sedan, even a sporty one like this S6, is for a specific kind of customer. A sleek, four-door hatchback like the S7, on the other hand, is for a different kind of person. These two people might not be as different as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but at the very least the S7 is the S6's lothario neighbor – the one who's always got a glass of scotch in one hand and a chambermaid in the other. A day spent in the canyons around Los Angeles proves there's a big difference between these cars. First, though, let's discuss their similarities. The S6 and the S7 get the same design overhaul we detailed in our piece on the 2016 Audi A6, namely the edge work done on the grille, bumpers, headlights, and taillights. Additionally, they get Audi's new MMI system – the brand's next step in infotainment. A day spent in the canyons proves there's a big difference between these cars. Changes exclusive to these S models include flat-bottomed steering wheels with model badges at the base of the center spoke, and aluminum-finish shift paddles. The pedals and footrest get the aluminum look as well. There's also a new shift lever, and a revised design for the Quattro badge. New seat and surface treatments join the options list, such as Beaufort Walnut inlays and Valcona leather seats in Cedar Brown. The S7 has a new Arras Red interior option as part of its design selection palette, but the striking addition there is the carbon fiber inlay it comes with, which is interwoven with a red thread. You lean in really, really close and see that scarlet yarn, and the cockpit immediately feels more special. It's the kind of beautiful subtlety you expect from Audi, and the result is a scrumptious cabin. The twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V8 gets 30 more horses, topping out at 450 horsepower. Torque remains the same at 406-pound-feet, but fuel economy increases ever so slightly to 18 miles per gallon in the city, 27 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined. The S6 makes a meal of curves, but it does give away a hint of the effort. It seems that a fair number of buyers wanted S vehicles without the whole suite of go-fast bits; they liked having the "S" on their chests, they didn't need all of the superpowers. Thus, Audi took the Quattro sport differential and dynamic steering off the standard menu, and bundled it with the sport exhaust to create the now-optional Sport Package.

40+ cars that barely avoid the gas guzzler tax

The Gas Guzzler schedule, with mpg ratings and charges that haven't changed since 1991, lays out which fuel-swillers owe what to Uncle Sam.
I started thinking about the "Gas Guzzler Tax" - considerably less well known as The Energy Tax Act of 1978 - when I was driving Dodge's new Challenger SRT Hellcat last week. Unsurprisingly for a car that can burn 1.5 gallons of gas per minute at max tilt, theoretically able to empty a full tank of premium in about 13 minutes, the Hellcat will be subject to the Gas Guzzler Tax schedule when it goes on sale.