Smooth operator
£92,750
All 2,075kg of Audi RS6 has landed in the UK. Less a deft touchdown, you might be thinking, than a slapping belly-flop. It’s 140kg heavier than its predecessor. Mostly, Audi claims, because it’s got a lot more tech in it. Tech that, somewhat ironically, is designed to reduce the feeling of weight.
Which it does very successfully. Take rear-wheel steering, which makes the RS6 feel downright nimble, helping reduce its historical tendency to feel and act quite nose-heavy. And before you point out it’s hybrid, and that always adds weight, it’s not. The 48-volt system is the mildest of mild hybrids, recuperating brake energy, storing it in a 0.48kWh battery under the boot floor and using it to run some of the electrical systems, plus permitting cylinder shut-off, coasting at speed and stop/start below 13mph. Think fuel saver, not power provider.
Speaking of power, the new C8 RS6 uses the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 as its predecessor, but the turbos are bigger and blow a little harder (at 1.4 bar instead of 1.2). That’s increased power and torque by seven and 14 per cent respectively. That efficiency? Well, 22.6mpg isn’t much to boast about, is it?
It’s deeply fast, but so are rivals. The word you need to get familiar with is bandwidth. The new RS6 has a lot of it. Audi has pushed hard at one particular end of the air suspension envelope – it’s made the RS6 ride well. Yep, even in the UK. And on 22s. It’s not buzzy or harsh like an E63, but surprisingly mellow. You can stiffen it up, of course, but it remains well damped. Want it even sharper and more accurate? Spec the £1,300 Dynamic Ride Control. This replaces the air suspension with conventional spring/damper units, hydraulically cross-linked (like in a McLaren 720S) and makes the driving experience slightly crisper and more immediate, without damaging comfort too much. Put it this way: your family will cope whichever you choose.
There’s not much steering feel, but there’s a consistency to the RS6 that reminds me of a Porsche 911. All the controls are well calibrated, so it’s an easy car to operate smoothly. There’s not another super-estate that demands less of you or makes speed more accessible. It’s brilliantly well judged.