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2014 Audi A7 TDI

If you're a frequent reader of car reviews (my money says you are), you've no doubt come across prose about how a car "checks all the right boxes." It's a common phrase - I'm guilty of using it myself. And I'm about to use it again.
You see, I've just spent a week with the 2014 Audi A7 TDI, shown here against the backdrop of sunny SoCal, even though my stint was spent slopping through this absolutely wonderful winter we've been having in Detroit. If you're one of our podcast listeners, you've already heard me wax poetic about the A7 TDI, and the more I reflect on this diesel darling, the more I firmly believe that this car absolutely, without a doubt, checks all the right boxes.
Well, almost all of them, anyway.

Audi entices enthusiasts with manual option for the 2017 A4

When we first drove the 2016 Audi A4, newly redesigned although cosmetically very similar to its predecessor, much was improved but there was no hint of a manual transmission option. For the 2016 model year, you could have any gearbox you wanted as long as it was a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. For some reason, despite low take rates for manual gearboxes across the board, Audi is stepping up for enthusiasts and offering a six-speed manual. Equally auspicious is the fact that this manual won't be resigned to some non-enthusiast variant, like the front-wheel drive model. The six-speed will be exclusively offered in the Quattro all-wheel drive version with the 252-horsepower version of the 2.0-liter TFSI engine, rather than the 190-hp Ultra variant which utilizes the Miller cycle and is more fuel-economy oriented. There's also an available Sport Plus package that's exclusive to the manual model that adds some previously S4-exclusive bits to the mix, which is further catnip to Audi gearheads. Those S4-derived parts are dynamic steering and sport adaptive suspension, which drops the ride height a bit, too. The rest of the Sport Plus package includes a sporty flat-bottomed steering wheel, 18-inch split-spoke wheels, available Daytona Grey paint, sport seats, and some brushed aluminum interior trim. Best of all, the manual is a no-cost option, and so prices for each trim are the same across the line. In the entry-level Premium trim, the 2017 A4 manual will start at $40,350 and goes on sale this fall. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Audi A4: First Drive View 33 Photos Audi Performance Sedan quattro

Audi Nanuk Concept likes Parcour, puts four rings on it

Without a doubt, one of the coolest (and weirdest) debuts from this year's Geneva Motor Show had to be the Italdesign Giugiaro Parcour concept. And ever since the off-road performance coupe with Lamborgini guts made its debut, we've sort of been smitten with it. We figured this neat two-door would be a one-and-done show car, but to our delight, the folks at Italdesign worked with Audi to create this, the Nanuk Quattro Concept, which makes its debut here at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Unlike the original Parcour, the Nanuk ditches the high-revving Lambo-sourced 5.2-liter V10 in favor of a twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter diesel V10. That's a beast of an engine, and with 544 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque on hand, it means the 4,189-pound, all-wheel-drive Audi can scoot to 62 miles per hour in under four seconds. Of course, being a diesel, it's surprisingly efficient, and we're told the Nanuk can achieve up to 30 miles per gallon.
As much as we sort of hate the term, the Audi Nanuk is a proper coupe-crossover if we've ever seen one, and utilizes the automaker's next-generation adaptive air suspension (the Parcour had a different pushrod arrangement) that offers a range of almost three inches of height adjustment. There's also an integral steering setup, meaning the rear wheels can turn up to nine degrees in the opposite direction of the front rollers, improving maneuverability.