Four-Wheeled Mission Statement: The 2019 Audi Q3 S Line quattro

The 2019 Audi Q3 S Line quattro.

The small luxury crossover SUV is a tricky proposition. If you're in the car business, you pretty much have to sell one because all your competitors do. Think BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA, Range Rover Evoque, Lexus NX, Cadillac XT4, Lincoln Corsair and Jaguar E-Pace.

So you have to show up. Trouble is, to be a success, you also have to stand out. And that's tricky because small luxury SUVs are all pretty similar---four doors, a tailgate, what would have been called a station wagon in another age, just with less room in the wayback.

Brilliance on Four Wheels: The 2017 Audi A4 Sedan 2.0T quattro S tronic

The 2017 Audi A4 Sedan 2.0t.

Our Publisher and Executive Editor said it four years and some months ago, when last TireKicker reviewed an Audi A4: "The worst part of a successful car is keeping the ball rolling...doing the freshening needed to keep the car relevant without losing the thread and screwing it all up."  Michael's assessment at the time was that Audi had succeeded---that the 2013 A4 was, in his words, "simply tremendous".

That meant meeting or exceeding a very high bar this time around.  And more.

In A Perfect World, The 2014 Audi A6 2.0t quattro Tiptronic Would Be In Your Garage

The 2014 Audi A6.

The difficult part in reviewing the 2014 Audi A6 is not to gush.  This is a car that is so clearly engineered and designed, not built and styled.  Every detail on the A6, and most Audis for that matter, has been clearly thought out.