This premium European "lifestyle" wagon comes in almost all the same varieties as its sedan sibling, except front-wheel drive. That leaves three quattro all-wheel drive models with, respectively, a surprisingly smooth 2.0-litre, 200-hp turbo "four;" a not-so-smooth 3.2-litre, 255-hp V6; and a 4.2-litre, 340-hp V8 (yummy!). All three engines utilize Audi's direction-injection technology (FSI), and the manual or automatic transmissions are both 6-speeds. This isn't the roomiest or most versatile of wagons, and rear-seat room is tight, but the interiors are finely crafted and they drive like the good European sports sedans on which they are based. The S4's combination of AWD and a rambunctious V8 in a wagon body is as compelling as it is unique.

Style, technology, and an available V8!

Not much room for people or their stuff