A6: 2001 vs. 2008, and 09 a4 vs. a5 & 335xi
 

I have a 2001 A6 w/quattro, AT, and Bose

I thought about trading it in for a newer A6 but after driving the 08 A6 three times, I just cant say I "Love" the car. It's gorgeous, and so executive looking from the outside, but, to drive it, to me, seems so numb. Might as well be in a Honda accord.

My 2.8 litre v6 seems to have more punch than the new 3.2. Are the new cars that much more heavier perhaps?

And the dual folding map pockets on the 2001 are more useful to me than the single one on the 2008.

Anyone else come to this same conclusion?

For this reason, I'm thinking of getting the 2009 A4 instead. I felt comfortable in it from the second I sat in it.

Initial impressions of an A5 were, gorgeous exterior, cant wait to go see it/sit in it/test drive. But when I saw it, i thought it looked cheap inside. Then i saw the a4 a few weeks later and i thought id give the a5 a second look.

Now i feel the a5's mmi works better than the a4 placement, being by the armrest instead of facing the driver under the radio, and i love that massive sunroof in the a5. And the greater choices of interiors and combinations.

I test drove a 335xi, and I'll admit i enjoyed "driving" that one, most of all, but I feel the a5 is a better value, more luxury & creature comforts, and a sexier car.

I thought about the dark blue with the brown interior. Wish I could find a picture of that.
Although the gray with the whitish platinum interior is hot, in a woody allen "Sleeper" kind of way -- very techy!

Economically, it'd be wise to hang on to your current car and drive it to the ground - finding a car comparable in fun to the older A6s is unlikely. That said, you may want to look in to a CPO 2.7T or something like that; you would get a better deal and would probably have a car that is more driver engaging than the current A6.