Automobile Magazine's 2012 Automobile of the Year, the Audi A7, does not represent a dramatic change of pace for its maker. Audi has been building handsome, fast, and rewarding luxury cars for some time now. Anchored by Audi's quattro all-wheel drive, bristling with of-the-moment technologies, and surrounding its passengers with an artfully crafted interior, the A7 is exactly in keeping with the cars that this brand has been turning out. As editor-in-chief Jean Jennings said, "It's the culmination of everything Audi has promised."**

When the conversation turns to art, you'll be glad you've got a 2012 Audi Q7 in your garage. As it turns out, when the conversation turns to 5-year resale value, the 7-passenger 2012 Q7 more than holds its own, it's the best luxury SUV in that arena.

Lest you think the Audi is just another pretty face in the luxury-SUV crowd, however, consider this bit of evidence: We've interviewed Audi dealers in Alaska, a state that tends not to baby a vehicle -- and the one comment we universally heard was, "We never have enough Q7s. We can't keep 'em on the lot!"*

Audi's substantial growth in the U.S. is due in part to cars like the A5. As a refreshingly unique luxury 2-door the 2012 Audi A5 not only constitutes a viable alternative to the 3 Series but, in an era of diminishing resources, perhaps a financially prudent step-down from Bentley's Continental GT. While we're not sure Windsor Castle would approve, we know it would play well on California's 101. And buyers who consider resale value as well as purchase price might consider the 2012 Audi A5 to be the best luxury car on the market.*