Test driving the Audi RS 6
The Audi RS 6 has plenty of cutting-edge features, such as rear-wheel steering and adaptive suspension, and it all comes wrapped up in a practical and good-looking station wagon. With a decent dose of supercar performance, too.
Some cars are permanently angry. They look mean and dissatisfied with their lot in life, they groan and grumble and flex their wide shoulders and you just know not to mess with them.
One of the biggest offenders is a strange amalgam of practical family car mixed in with a good dose of supercar performance. It’s the Audi RS 6.
Appearances to the contrary, it only shares front doors, roof and tailgate with its less extreme sibling, the Audi A6 Avant. The guards cover 22-inch wheels and bulge a huge 80mm more than standard, while out the back are huge tailpipes that make no secret that they’ll be loud. With its much more aggressive body kit, huge brake discs and red 10-piston callipers, the Audi hunkers down like a pit bull about to attack.
The Audi RS 6 has always been slightly bonkers. Over its various iterations, it’s had a variety of engines, most memorably a twin turbo V10. The car, currently in showrooms, thumbs its nose at political correctness only marginally less by using a 4.0-litre twin turbocharged V8 that boasts 463kW and 850Nm, the most powerful production engine Audi has ever made, and capable of rocketing this large and heavy car to 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds. Strangely in a car with so much performance on hand, there is no speed sign recognition system.
Probably of only academic interest, the engine is augmented by a 48V mild-hybrid system. This allows the idle stop/start system to engage from just 22km/h as the car slows, and cylinder-on-demand technology can shut off four cylinders under light throttle. Despite this, after some spirited driving, the fuel readout was 18.6L/100km, naturally the much dearer 98 RON premium unleaded.
Press that tempting RS badge on the steering wheel and the exhaust note takes on an even more menacing growl; the suspension tightens up and the gearchange gets sharper. Reduced sound deadening in the engine bay and load area ensures you’re always aware of the exhaust note.
Being a quattro, drive goes to all four wheels, all the time, making that huge power ridiculously easy to access. And there are plenty of cutting-edge features, too, such as rear-wheel steering and adaptive suspension. All wrapped up in a practical and good-looking station wagon.
Paul also loves the sleek interior that makes for a fabulous place for a driver to sit.
Like all Audis, the interior of the RS 6 is a delightful place in which to sit. The seats are heavily bolstered and grippy and set low in the cabin for a perfect driving position. There are four climate zones, so the two outer seats get their own temperature controls. You’re cossetted by swathes of Nappa and Valcona leather and both the steering wheel and gear selector are covered in Alcantara (already losing some of its nap, no doubt due to over-enthusiasm and inevitable sweaty palms). It’s all very much what you’d expect of a car that costs only a few lattes short of a quarter of a million dollars (and quite a bit more than a quarter of a million if you tick any of the many options boxes). There can be few more practical ways of moving goods quickly. Behind the generous rear seat is 548 litres of cargo space, and that rises to a truly vast 1658 litres if you lower the seat.
We mentioned the range of options packages, which come on top of the $249,915 (plus on road costs) price tag. The Sensory Package adds $11,000, a carbon and black exterior package comes in at $8700, a matte carbon and black exterior styling package adds $11,000, even the matte grey exterior styling package that adds a few grey accents will set you back $700. Need more? The RS Design package in red or blue is $2900 or $5200 for the RS Design package plus.
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For peace of mind, the Audi RS 6 is covered by a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty and five years of complimentary roadside assist. There’s also a five-year service plan available for $4360 with services every 12 months (or 15,000km).
There isn’t a lot of choice if you want a performance wagon and don’t fancy an SUV. The most obvious competitor is the BMW M5 Touring or perhaps the Porsche Taycan Cross that’s electric only; Mercedes-Benz can only offer sedans like the E63S. But with all the thrills the RS 6 delivers, why would you be looking for an alternative?
The article originally featured in the February 2025 SALIFE magazine.
