Audi A8

Happily there are no 'Ultra' economies or temperamental dual-clutch boxes here: every US A8 has the 8-speed classic ZF (Tiptronic) and permanent mechanical Quattro with a Torsen — the toughest drivetrain pairing. In the stock the A8 is all quattro.

There are two engines. The '55 TFSI' (3.0 V6 Turbo, 335 hp) is the common one — smooth, but with the same 48-volt trap: the failure-prone Continental starter-generator (BAS) that cuts the car out while driving. The '60 TFSI' (4.0 V8 Twin- Turbo, 453 hp) is brutal luxury with a factory problem in the oil-feed strainers to the turbos — it leads to oil starvation and both turbochargers failing at once; it needs a preventive valve and filter change right after import.

The body (Audi Space Frame) is aluminium, magnesium and carbon. If a heavy structural hit is missed in the photos, the D5's aluminium frame cannot be straightened conventionally here — it needs costly argon welding and specific jigs. The standard air suspension is expensive when damaged, and the top Predictive Active Suspension (it scans the road with cameras and lifts each wheel with electric motors) is financial death to repair after a front-end crash.