There is something of a revolving door for how German luxury sedans score in our Ratings. Audi’s A6 midsized sedan topped our luxury sedan Ratings as late as 2001, but since then, other Teutonic rivals have stolen its thunder. First the 2001-2003 BMW 530i became our top-scoring car ever. Then the previous-generation (2003-2009) Mercedes-Benz E-Class surpassed later redesigns of the 5 Series and A6. But now it’s Audi’s time to shine, again moving to the top of the prestige sedan Ratings.

Why did this A6 impress us so much? Like those older (and still-missed) 5 Series and E-Class models, the Audi excels at reconciling mutually exclusive qualities. It’s both seriously fast and surprisingly efficient. It combines luxury, with a quiet cabin and the best ride of any recent Audi. It also has very athletic handling. High-tech features abound but are accompanied by complicated controls, the car’s main shortcoming.

For more, check out our Road Test video for the A6.