Without tradition and extensive technological background it is completely impossible to undertake the manufacturing of a car like the RS 6 Avant. And the Ingolstadt brand knows a lot about tradition.
And this family member, with the famous surname RS, has it all. Everything that is expected from a high-end family vehicle from Audi, everything that is technologically expected from a car worth more than 150,000 euros and all the features – and more – that the owner expects to find in an RS Avant.
The German brand likes high-performance family cars and develops them to the point of exaggeration, as it has historically demonstrated. The most veterans will remember with nostalgia the first model in the saga: the 1993 RS2 with 315 HP and the red brake calipers signed by Porsche. Today, a collector’s vehicle.
Thus, the tradition continues and Audi continues to amaze its fans with cars that seem illogical. And we say illogical because their combined features are infrequent, to say the least, exceptional: family body almost five meters long, spacious and well-kept interior with high-quality materials, large luggage rack, trademark quattro traction, carbon-ceramic brakes that are practically competition-grade and a lot of electronics, in the form of control systems, so that everything happens with maximum security.
The dimensions of the RS 6 Avant are as inconspicuous as its features. Not only the length, but also the width. The trunk, like a good family car, has a capacity of 565 liters, and by folding the rear seat the loading length increases to two meters. The electric tailgate opens or closes with a gesture of your foot, without having to touch the car.
But the engine is missing, of course. The best, however, about this extraordinary and spacious family. Audi maintains the powerful V8 engine of the previous version, but duly updated. It is a 4.0 V, an endangered species, but infinitely delicate when it comes to delivering power.
The sound, hoarse and serious, is a delight for lovers of this type of “fat” engines. Especially, with RS mode activated. It allows you to accelerate to 100 km/h in just 3.6 seconds. That is, in one breath. But, above all, what impresses most is the ability to push in any circumstance. Not in vain, it has a torque of 800 Nm. Like a truck.
In addition to being very powerful, this V8 incorporates a 48 V light hybridization system that allows it to display the ECO label and recover more energy than a conventional alternator. And, to reduce consumption, this engine incorporates a function that deactivates half of the cylinders (2, 3, 5 and 8) when it detects that so much power is not necessary. At certain times, the engine even shuts off completely, for a maximum of 40 seconds. This happens when the driver takes his foot off the accelerator, between 55 and 160 km/h.
Audi offers as an option a package, called RS Dynamic Plus, that allows a higher top speed (305 km/h) and that includes the active rear differential and four-wheel steering, standard elements in the performance version. 630 hp.
The suspension of the RS 6 Avant has many aluminum parts and is pneumatic, electronically controlled. The effectiveness of this type of suspension, both in terms of performance and comfort, is extraordinary. Depending on the program chosen, the car behaves like a comfortable family car or like a rigid and precise sports car.
The driver has six driving programs at his disposal, two of them programmable (RS1 and RS2) that are activated from a button on the steering wheel and that modify the operation of the stability control and the sound of the double oval exhaust outlet. .
The huge wheels of this unit are 22 inches, optional, and the carbon-ceramic brakes with blue calipers mean a weight saving of 34 kg. By the way, these brakes are inexhaustible, no matter how much we try to abuse them. Of course, we will have to pay an additional 11,000 euros. And the tires are Hankook ventus S1 evo, measuring 285/30 ZR22.
Once behind the wheel, the driver has the feeling of being seated, more than in a regular family car, in a luxury sedan, with very tasteful sports details. The seats surround the body perfectly, preventing lateral movements when cornering.
And the multiple electrical adjustments make finding a perfect driving position a matter of just a few seconds.
The RS 6 Avant has a steering wheel with a sporty design and perfect feel, but the flattened shape of the lower part reduces some agility in quick movements. And the shift paddles could be a little bigger.
Inside and in the driving position, there are many sporty and quality details that stand out. The MMI touch response touch screen, which includes an RS display, is one of them. This display allows you to control some car functions such as the temperature of all engine parameters, G forces, tire pressure or temperature.
In addition, the Audi virtual cockpit also adds some exclusive graphics, as well as some functions such as the optimal shift moment indicator with a light.
The sound is spectacular and the V8 engine pushes very hard in any situation. The set is accompanied by the eight-speed tiptronic transmission, fast and comfortable to use, and the fantastic all-wheel drive that materially glues the car to the asphalt.
We add, in this case, an excellent Bang sound system
In short, a sports family with impeccable design and loaded with technology. Expensive, yes, but capable of performing on the road in a unique and extraordinary way. Audi surpasses itself with each generation of the RS 6 Avant.
