AUDI RS6 vs AUDI RS6 (2002) (2020)
Audi’s fast family estate has added brains and brawn to a winning formula
THE OLD CAR LOOKS SO... TAME. YOU SURE IT’S AN RS6?
Yup. Things were different back in 2002, when the ‘C5’ generation, the first RS6, was launched. With a twin-turbocharged 4.2-litre V8 co-developed with Cosworth, it really shifts. Fast even by today’s standards, with a 0–62mph time of less than five seconds. But save for those necessarily swollen wheelarches and two ovular exhausts, it could just as easily be a 2.0-litre diesel. A non-car person would never guess it was anything special. Which is precisely the root of its appeal. Subtle is classy. Subtle is cool.
THE NEW RS6 IS MANY THINGS. BUT IT ISN’T SUBTLE
Every generation of performance car looks angrier than the one it replaces. Conceptually, a family car crossed with a performance car remains a cool thing, and the new RS6 will still earn you nods of approval from those in the know. But while it’s massively less offensive than a fast SUV, like the mechanically near-identical RSQ8, the Great British Public will spot you coming from a mile away. Still cool? Absolutely. In the metal it looks awesome. But subtle? Erm, no. Not even slightly.
WHAT ELSE HAS CHANGED?
Basically nothing. There have been no giant leaps forward, the concept is the same and so is the execution, though obviously the new car is cleverer with its all-wheel steering, 48V mild-hybrid system and optional hydraulically cross-linked suspension. Neither is a hooligan – the old car is stoically AWD, and while more interactive, the new one does without the RWD Drift Mode of the normally AWD M5 and E63. The RS6, and the RS4 and RS2, were the original fast, safe, family friendly Bahnstormers. Audi might have tarted up the exterior, but it hasn’t messed with its formula.
MORE EXPENSIVE NOWADAYS THOUGH, RIGHT?
Not really, actually. When the old one arrived in 2002 it cost £58,800. This one’s an RS6 Plus from 2004, so it cost £66,675. In today’s money, that’s £103,000. Bang on, given the new RS6 costs over £90,000 before options. This particular car cost just shy of £135,000 thanks to £4,800 worth of carbon fibre trim, a £6,300 B&O stereo and carbon ceramic brakes costing £9,700.
SO WHICH ONE WOULD YOU RATHER DRIVE DAILY?
Hard to say. Driving the old car is an object lesson in how far turbocharging and automatic transmissions have come in the last few years. Blower lag and a slushy torque converter mean it feels lazy and subdued alongside the new car, which is bright and always on its toes. But it’s beautifully made and feels so much smaller and less intimidating. The C5 doesn’t feel its age, either, and remains hilariously rapid and quite entertaining. And best of all, everyone will think it’s just a regular old A6 Avant.