Audi has had great market penetration with its A4, but its upmarket A6 has never quite run with the big boys – at least as far as sales are concerned. Each competitor in the midsize luxury segment, from the creased Cadillac CTS to the buttoned-up Mercedes-Benz E-Class, brings something unique to the table – and now Audi does, too, with newly supercharged A6 3.0T.

Audi came full force to the luxury sedan table with the A6 all the way back in 1998 – okay, sure, there was a ‘94-97 version, but who remembers that warmed-over Audi 100? That model turned the market upside down with its shapely style, but it seemed the German automaker chose to focus more on, well, all of its other products instead.

The current model was introduced back in 2005, but it’s hardly a common sight in suburbia, but Audi hopes to correct that for 2009 with its new, supercharged 3.0-liter V6.

What is it?
The A6 bridges the gap between the opulent and complex A8 and the “everyman” A4. Powered by a supercharged, direct-injection V6 engine, it can hold its own against most boulevard bad-asses. Not as agile as its smaller A4 brother, it has still long impressed on an afternoon of twisties and straightline fun.

And the newly supercharged underhood audio track ain’t too shabby either, as you’ll soon discover.

What’s it up against?
According to Audi, competition for the A6 comes primarily from a pair of fellow-countrymen, namely the aforementioned Mercedes-Benz E-Class - which is all-new for 2010, and the BMW 5-Series. To that, we would add the Lexus GS 350, Infiniti M35 and the Cadillac CTS.

Any breakthroughs?
Although nearing the end of its current generation, Audi has decided to use A6’s long hood to house a new generation of power-assisted engines. Long known for their expertise with turbochargers, the Ingolstadt-based firm will continue to use its T-designation, but this time to let you know that the 3.0T engine underhood is supercharged. Confusing, yes, but at Audi “S” goes before the numbers and designates sport.

Audi says the supercharging benefits include near instantaneous throttle response but almost 25-mpg in fuel economy. So equipped, the A6 will be available with only the Tiptronic automatic transmission and automaker’s vaunted quattro all-wheel-drive.

How does it look?
A mild freshening for 2009 helps the A6, which was introduced back in 2005, age well. That’s not to say that other, more advanced looking competitive offerings exist. The by-now familiar horse collar front grille – pretty much the same unit you’ll find on an A4, A6, TT and even R8 – makes it instantly recognizable. Sharper creases have appeared on the car as time has marched on.

Other features have managed to work their way in over the years, including the odd chrome strip here and there and revised headlights with optional R8-style LED running light strips in front and taillights that appear more like those on the current S5.

Finally, our A6 was equipped with the Premium Plus package’s 18-inch wheels with all-season rubber, which nicely filled out the largish wheel openings.

And inside?
For more than a decade, Audi has schooled other makes on what state-of-the-art interior design looks and feels like. The 2009 A6 is no exception. High quality leather materials cover most of the interior, while red aircraft cockpit-styled gauge lights and dash accent lights show the way inside once the sun has gone down.

Starting with the main gauge binnacle, featuring a tachometer and temp gauge on the left, along with a speedometer and fuel level gauge on the right, both are set up to flank the by-now familiar driver information LCD panel between the two. Straight out of the VW Group parts bin, it shows ambient temperature, audio info, vehicle settings and so on.

The Audi Multi-Media Interface (MMI) returns in its latest, improved iteration. With controller knob located on the center console just south of the shifter location, it almost falls directly under the driver’s hand. Equipped with a seven-inch in-dash monitor, it has the ability to play DVDs while in a parked mode. Curiously, our test vehicle had nearly all the buttons and whistles but did not come equipped with the navigation system.

Below the monitor is a set of dual-zone automatic climate controls to keep the passenger toasty while the driver sits in his Arctic ice chamber. Separating the hot flashes from the cold spells is a center console with attractive wood accent trim. We still marvel at the different ways wood veneer can assume the profile of rounded interior shapes.

The black leather-covered driver and passenger seats on our tester, while offering good support for longer behind-wheel jaunts, are not the most bolstered chairs that Audi has offered. The rear seat offers nice legroom for back seat occupants, and has a lower hip point that older passengers may have difficulty with, but the tradeoff for this was an increase in rear seat headroom which was necessary with the low slope of the roofline. The trunk offers nearly 16 cubic feet of cargo capacity with a nice, wide opening.

But does it go?
In this most recent foray into supercharging, Audi has tried to introduce a sportier feel while increasing efficiency. The new 3.0-liter direct-injection supercharged V6,is an all-aluminum alloy powerplant offering 300-horsepower and 310 lb-ft. of torque that makes its way to the pavement by a newly devised 40-60 asymmetric rear-biased quattro system.

The six-speed automatic with Tiptronic allows for smooth tapping through the gears from stoplight to stoplight. Suspension bits feature new, larger-diameter front shock absorbers to go with the existing quad-link setup. At rear, a trapezoidal-link setup with twin gas-charged struts follows. North America will not receive the optional air suspension system.

Not surprisingly, the A6 felt more like the A4’s older, more mature brother. Less playful, having cast aside childish things, it is, if called upon, still able to carve corners with tenacity.

We were, however, bothered by the high degree of tip-in required to get things underway in the A6. Best described as throttle lag, it seemed that after applying a good amount of pressure to the loud pedal there was a delay of up to a second before the drive-by-wire system understood that we wanted to kick it. On the bright side, the A6 supercharger offers a refined mix between whine and growl that was like music to our ears. You won’t find this sort of visceral delight anywhere else in the segment.

Steering proved to be very direct, requiring just subtle inputs to make minor course-corrections. More aggressive input is so hooked up that a very slight turn of the wheel will have you off in a 90-degree angle in no time.

On the road, the A6 straddles that sweet spot on the fence between sport and luxury with a suspension that was firm when it needed to be, to keep things level inside, but not to the point where it was bone-jarring.

Not a lightweight by any stretch, the A6 tips the scales at 4,123 pounds, and according to EPA estimates achieves 18 mpg city and 26 mpg highway, with a combined average of 21 mpg.

Why you would buy it:
You are eager to show the neighbors your good taste in Teutonic transportation – and you loved those Superbowl ads.

Why you wouldn’t:
You have your eye on that Chrysler 300C with the big zero percent sign on its windshield.

2009 Audi A6 3.0T quattro base price, $50,100. As tested, $52,425.
Premium Plus package, $1,500; Destination, $825.

Words and photos by Mark Elias.

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