A FAMILY SUPERCAR
Wagon is graced with exceptional performance, practicality and convenience
There might be a handful of readers who are still making up their mind about which 500+-horsepower, $150,000 family car to get. But chances are, if you have that budget, you will have already ordered your Audi RS 6 Avant, after decades of being deprived of gloriously overpowered Audi wagons.
Normally, I avoid describing everything you can clearly see in the photos, but this being one of my favourites, I will point out its modern, edgy contours, low-slung stance, big wheels with even sharper lines, and the spectacularly sinister contrast of the blacked-out grille against the candy-red metallic paint.
The RS 6 Avant isn't special in its 591 horsepower or sub-foursecond sprint to 100 km/h. What makes it special is its practicality. Cargo capacity is about 850 litres, and the trunk lift-over height is 60 centimetres, so it's easy to load. Maximum cargo capacity with the rear seats folded is 1,680 L, and there is the ski pass-through.
The passenger compartment is very spacious. Rear-seat passengers will have plenty of head and leg room, and be pampered
with quilted, red-stitched bucket seats. Parents with young children will appreciate the easily accessed child-seat anchors and sunshades, and older passengers will enjoy the fold-down armrest with pop-out cupholders, heated seats, climate controls and USB-C charging ports.
The driver gets a spectacular seat that's adjustable in myriad ways, and has adjustable bolsters that lock your thighs and torso in place, perfectly balancing sportiness
and long-haul comfort. The cockpit surrounding you is a digital haven, and most of it is seamlessly ergonomic, although the learning curve for the dual touch screen is slightly greater than previous editions of the knob-controlled MMI.
Interior quality is impeccable, with a mix of Alcantara on the steering wheel, door inserts and shifter, leather on the dash and seats, and unlacquered carbon fibre mixed with piano-black plastics and bright metallic trim. While it is mostly monochromatic, the red stitching throughout the cabin and the large colour touch screens, digital gauges and head-up display add a pop of colour.
From the very first rumble, the 4.0-L twin-turbo V-8's siren song lures you into a red-misted haze that's hard to rein in. The engine is rated at 591 hp and 590 poundfeet of torque, available from 2,050 rpm to 4,500 rpm, and power keeps ramping up until it peaks at 6,000 rpm.
The V-8 is hooked up to all-wheel drive via an eight-speed automatic transmission, and appears to be governed by as many computers as it takes to land a space rocket. In Comfort or Auto modes, a gentle flex of your ankle and the RS 6 Avant eases off the line effortlessly. Flick the switch for Dynamic mode, and drop the transmission into Sport mode, and you need to be hyper aware of your right foot's slightest prod. Audi's official timekeepers pronounce its acceleration to 100 km/h at 3.6 seconds, but Car & Driver pegs it at 3.1 to 60 mph (96 km/h).
The RS 6's massive front brakes are up to the job when needed. At first, they might seem to have too much bite, but after an adjustment period you learn to ease into the left pedal. Steering is actually quite light (in Comfort mode you can spin it with one finger) and very precise; more weight and quicker response is dialed in as you switch to Dynamic mode.
Once you're through the tightest part of the turn, it's back on the throttle, and here the allwheel drive shifts power to the rear wheels. A Quattro sport rear differential (part of the $2,950 Dynamic package) even shifts power between the rear wheels, to balance the dynamic forces working against the car's grip.
Its performance is monumental, but with all that weight, it's not the best car for track days. And that is my only reservation about this car: if the joy of shifting gears and unfiltered rear-drive power is what you crave, you won't find it here.
The Audi RS 6 Avant is perhaps the most beautiful family vehicle on the market, has more power and performance than you need, delivers the sound and sensory experience that combustion fans adore, and it is graced with exceptional practicality and convenience for up to four passengers. It's a supercar for the whole family.