Top Gear described it as “black tar heroin for petrolheads who don’t want to be banished to eternal damnation and hum-drum kid-friendly crossovers”.
Here’s why motor enthusiasts are creaming their jeans over Audi’s new RS6 Avant.
Station wagons aren’t typically considered the epitome of cool, but Audi’s new RS6 Avant breaks all the rules –
resulting in a high-performance vehicle that’s dramatic and uncompromising in both style and functionality.
Based on the Audi A6 Allroad wagon, the hot-rod version wears RS-specific bodywork and gets exclusive go-fast goodies… not to mention intoxicating engine sounds.
Recently, Dollar Dog took the team for a test drive and discovered just what $200+K gets you for your money.
This ain’t your Grandpa’s wagon. Buckle up.
THE BOD
Featuring a widened body and broadly flared wheel arches, Audi’s Avant triumph instantly lures the eye to its impressive RS design. Available in eight different exterior paint finishes and a choice of matte aluminium, black or carbon styling packages, the body of this beast boasts a sleek and sporty silhouette.
Every inch feels aerodynamic in a way that makes you want to run your hands over it, in sharp juxtaposition with the meaty front singleframe grille, which all-but grunts with masculinity.
THE POWER PLANT
Audi promises “love at first drive” to RS6 Avant handlers, and they certainly deliver. This model is wellendowed,
with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 twin-turbo TFSI engine generating 600 horsepower and 800 Nm of torque. Combined with a revolutionary 48-volt mild-hybrid system to improves efficiency and power, the RS6 Avant makes deliciously vicious sounds while working smarter on the road.
Peeking under the hood of this purring wildcat is like peeling a dress off a beautiful woman. You may be expecting great things, but the view will still take your breath away.
THE RIDE
Audi’s test results show the RS6 Avant will rocket from zero to 100 kph in just 3.6 seconds. Its top speed is 250
km/h at standard, but you’ll get it up to 280 km/h if you’re willing to splash out on the pricey carbon-ceramic
front and rear brakes add-on feature. Whipping around the track on our test drive, we found the quattro
permanent all-wheel drive and RS sport suspension made clinging onto the road a breeze, even at top speeds.
Dollar Dog can be pretty lead-footed, but the RS6 Avant stood up to a little punishment when put through
its paces and with the pedal to the metal.
The paddle-shifted automatic transmission and Dynamic Ride Control proved exceptional in terms of handling, with the ride holding the road beautifully when we dared the odd sharp bends (and lived to tell the tail).
INTERIOR COMFORT
This vehicle may have a decidedly athletic feel, but it doesn’t skimp on luxury when it comes to the interior
– making this ride the ultimate chick magnet. Seriously – based on our test drive, the ladies are destined
to love this car as much as you do. From RS embossing on the steering wheel, seats and door sill trims to the
sleek, three-dimensional instrument panel complete with massive fully digital gauge cluster, the RS6 Avant’s
sophisticated interior design and cutting-edge technology are sure to put some lead in your pencil.
Whether you’re traveling with the lads, your family, or a wagon-load of ladies you’ve picked up at the club,
you’ll find the 1,680 litres of luggage capacity (with rear seats folded down) ample for all your gear.
SAFETY HIGHLIGHTS
Who cares, right? Well, the team at Audi sure do – after all, they have a reputation for having some of the
smartest safety features available.
The RS6 Avant offers some standard driver-assistance technology, with adaptive cruise control and lanekeeping assist both available. Forward-collision warning and automated emergency braking is
built in standard, and for a little extra you’ll also have the added benefit of night vision (with large animal and
pedestrian detection) and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.
We can’t say any of this came in handy while we were revving the shit out of it. But if you’re going to invest
in a $200K+ car that can get up to 280kp/h, you’re probably going to want to get your money’s worth on
that top speed now and then… and if you’re gonna do that, those safety features are probably going to come
in handy.
FINAL THOUGHT
If this car had a pussy we’d fuck it. Don’t judge. You would too.