Audi’s biggest and baddest wagon has shown its newly refreshed face over the last three years. Updated throughout, the current Audi RS6 Avant hit North America for the first time ever and is still able to show its strengths, even among the best super- and hypercars in the world. It also sets the stage for a future showdown with the new BMW M5 Touring which is rumored to come to the United States in 2024.
The latest iteration of the acknowledged Audi RS6 Avant platform arrived on my German doorstep. Codenamed the C8, I was thrown the key to a ‘superwagon’ dressed in Ipanema Brown for a two-week loan which encompassed more than 3500 kms across the best roads in Europe. More on that later.
Packed to the max with goodies and features combined into a vehicle that is often characterized as the ultimate daily-driver. Key ingredients are the abundance of performance, all-weather abilities, comfort, space and that German sporty estate design that so many of us adore and love. No controversial grills or weird design choices. Based on the 8th generation A6, the new RS6 shares just three body components – the front doors, the roof, and the tailgate – with its A6 Avant counterpart.
Photo by instagram.com/msck64
Audi shifted their design closer to supercars like the R8, and the sharp-edged design philosophy found on a Lamborghini. It is visible! Under the hood, we find a familiar sight. Audi’s twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8 engine is shared with other models within the model line-up and produces a lovely 591 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 590lb-ft of torque between 2,000 and 4,500.
For those would like to use the RS6’s full performance from standstill can hit the chequered flag button on the steering wheel. Just hold the brakes and smash the throttle, and you’ll activate launch control, allowing the RS6 Avant to catapult you in 3.6 seconds to 62 mph (100 km/h) and to 124 mph (200 km/h) in 12 seconds flat. Top speed is limited to 155 mph (250 km/h) as per usual. You can raise it either to 174 mph (280 km/h) or 190 mph (305 km/h), which comes at a cost.
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