2012 Audi A6 Premium Quattro

Pros: Google integration is fantastic. The online searching capabilities show how in-car navigation is supposed to work. Suspension and overall performance is solid from the supercharged V6, and the gas mileage is probably better than you'd expect.

Cons: The outside aesthetics are boring. Kind of picky, but the trunk latch feels like something that should be on a Ford Focus. Some of the materials are prone to fingerprints and smudges. Brake dust is worse than it should be.

Summary: Overall, the A6 is a very solid car. The performance is responsive, the suspension and traction control systems are top-notch, and car tech is the best I've used yet. The Google integration makes life very easy. Once setup, voice search is very easy and accurate. Press the button and say 'Online Destinations Italian Restaurants', and the results pop up in a few seconds. A few surprises: the headlights are amazing, the rear-seat pass through with the included ski bag is a neat feature, the interior lighting is vey nice, and the Bluetooth integration was easy and straight forward. The best part of the car for me is how easy everything is to control. Much better than iDrive, MyLincoln Touch, or pretty much any other system. A few years from now, all other control systems will take their queues from Audi.

There are few minor flaws though. The exterior is not exactly awe-inspiring. The built-in remote doesn't work with my gate or my garage door opener, so this is kinda useless to me. I do wish it was easier to make firmware changes. I don't want to have to buy VCDS to make simple changes - this should be easier to do. Kinda picky, but the trunk latch feels cheap. I do wish I could change the red interior lighting scheme to something a little softer at times. The red is very cool, but it would be great to see how it would look in green, purple, or something else. One of the worst parts of this car is the brake dust. It gets everywhere - the wheels, the body, etc... It really is annoying how much brake dust the car creates. Basically for me, I want more control over the electronics without having to buy additional components. The things you can do with VCDS are great - why isn't this part of the firmware already? Maybe an 'Advanced' menu or something? Why have the options and not be able to access them easily?