First drive: new Audi S6

What's that?

A car for the discerning hitmen lurking amongst you. Audi has very recently freshened up the entire A6 family, from the humble, frugal and mightily efficient 2.0-litre TDI ‘Ultra' right up to this bombastic, assassin-spec S6.

And if ever there was a car to escape from Interpol or discreetly power through picturesque European cities from one hit to the next, this surely has to be it.

Why?

Though it looks like a smart-suited motorway trundler, underneath lies an absolute corker of an engine capable of embarrassing much more exotic machinery. It's the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 from the last S6 - an engine related to the one found in the Bentley Continental GT, don't forget - here treated to an increase of just under 30bhp over the old S6, to take overall power to 444bhp, and a whopping 405lb ft of torque.

Audi's engineers have, using branches of witchery familiar to Salem, tweaked the engine calibration and ECU to squeeze out this extra power, while shaving 7g/km from the S6's CO2 output (now at 219g/km). It also features ‘cylinder on demand' technology, which shuts down half the engine when cruising or coasting, and active engine mounts.

And when I want to evade capture from the authorities?

The engine switches to full-fat V8. It feeds Audi's permanent four-wheel-drive through a seven-speed s-tronic dual-clutch gearbox, torque vectoring and a sport differential. There's air suspension and, on our test car, an optional sports exhaust.

What this all equates to is a 0-62mph time of just 4.4 seconds - down from 4.6s in the last S6 - and a limited top speed of 155mph. It's quicker than a BMW 550i M Sport to 62mph, by two tenths of a second. It's fast.

What's it like to drive?

No other changes to the chassis or drivetrain, so the S6 feels exactly as before. Inert, accurate steering that's quick and precise but... well, you know. The chassis too is hugely grippy, it handles its mass well during spirited helmsmanship, and the air suspension is generally comfortable.

Dynamic mode makes it fussy - a bit too fidgety and firm - but you can set the suspension to Comfort and everything else to Dynamic. Feels like the best compromise. Of note were the optional ceramic brakes, which were fantastic - progressive and powerful.

It's indecently fast, while that sports exhaust makes the twin-turbo V8 sounds lovely; a meaty, metallic-edged noise that only intrudes when you're really on it. Otherwise the S6 remains sedate, smooth and entirely unruffled.

Anything else of note?

Yep. Some LED headlights with a slimmer design, acoustic glazing for the windscreen and front windows, four-zone electronic climate control with a digital dash, resculpted bumpers with new air inlets, and the new single-frame grille. There's also a few excellent infotainment upgrades inside - like having proper mapping positioned in between the instrument dials.

If the S6 isn't your cup of tea, Audi offers the facelifted A6 with a range of more sensible engines, from a base 187bhp 2.0-litre diesel (punchy, efficient, a tad grumbly on acceleration but emits just 109g/km of CO2), right up to a more powerful 3.0-litre BiTDI engine. It used to produce 309bhp. It now produces 317bhp.

The 268bhp single-turbo version of this 3.0-litre is a whopping engine too, but you'll want the BiTDI. It's superb.

Oh, and the S tronic twin-clutch 'box replaces all multitronic CVT transmissions in all FWD variants of the new A6.

I want the S6. How much is it?

It's yours for £56,000. Considering you get a Bentley engine, discreet looks, crushing pace, decent - if uninvolving - ability, and a first-class cabin, it's a lot of car.