16. The new Audi RS range is designed to please stylish drivers

Design elements (and some powerful engines) transmogrify three family-focused Audis into something altogether more purposeful.

Design, says Audi, is the number-one reason its customers buy its cars. No surprises, then, that it plays a central role in the development of all new models. And nowhere in that range is it more evident than the Audis with the RS badge on the boot. The acronym stands for Rennsport – racing sport – and these derivatives not only go very fast, but look like they’re doing so even when they’re parked.

The current Audi design DNA was introduced into the range back in 2017 with the launch of the fourthgeneration A8. All expansive surfaces and sharp edges, with the signature hexagonal “Singleframe” grille dominating the front end, Audi shrugged off any lingering criticism that, aesthetically speaking, its cars were a little too pragmatic and samey. Audi’s head of design Marc Lichte and his team have accomplished that difficult task of creating a range of vehicles that unmistakably carry common genes, but are also different enough for each to have its own character. The design language still expresses the brand’s “Vorsprung durch Technik” calling card of technological mastery, but adds to it a progressive and emotional element, the pinnacle of which are the RS derivatives. We spent a few days with three of the more family-focused models.

AUDI RS Q8: Looks like… Darth Vader’s company car. Even in standard guise, the Q8’s angularity and coupé-like roofline make for an aggressive-looking vehicle. Add to it the RS black-accented styling elements, and it’s very clear The Force gives further impetus to its big V8. Goes like… It has no right to. And not just in a straight line. If you supply sufficient horsepower, you can make any vehicle accelerate quickly, so it’s not the RS Q8’s 0–100km/h in 3.8 secs that impresses as much as the black magic Audi’s engineers seem to have imbued in the chassis. The way this beast goes around corners will make your jaw drop. 4.0 bi-turbo V8; 441kW/800Nm R2 354 500

AUDI RS 4 AVANT: Looks like… Its satnav is locating the nearest racetrack. Like its siblings, the RS 4 Avant is wider and flatter than the standard models – but there’s a pared-back leanness to this Audi that speaks to a car free of any weight-adding indulgence. Goes like… A pro athlete. Its bigger brothers may boast more horsepower, but the RS 4 Avant beats them in the dynamic handling department. It has an agility and litheness that are the envy of the others in this posse. 2.9 twin-turbo V6; 331kW/600Nm R 1 296 000

AUDI RS 6 AVANT: Looks like… A stealth missile. Flared wheel arches and a body widened on both sides by 40mm, along with a significantly flatter grille and an RS-specific bumper with rear diffuser, distinguish this A6 Avant from its lesser brethren. Goes like… Pretty much the way it looks. Driving an RS 6 Avant feels less like driving and more like low-level proximity flying through a blurred landscape. It’s the consummate intercontinental GT that covers vast distances quickly, with minimum fuss. 4.0 TFSI twin-turbo V8; 441kW/800Nm R2 070 000