Plant the throttle with the tranny in regular drive mode and the S6 is smooth, putting miles upon miles behind you with incredible and self-assured ease. Click the shifter down to sport mode and, as expected, downshifts are much more immediate while upshifts are forced to wait as the V10 unleashes its magic in the higher revs. If you’re not a fan of paddle shifters, the sport mode is the next best thing as it automatically blips the throttle and downshifts as the driver brakes into a turn, and then selects the appropriate gear for a tail-haulin’ charge into the next straightaway.

Photos courtesy of Audi