It also wore a $2,750 Black Optic package, which swaps out the silver grille, badge, front spoiler, and diffuser trim for bits wearing gloss black. The Sportback we drove was subtly sinister, styling-wise, compared to the Avant, thanks in part to Glacier White paint and a black interior with darkened carbon fiber trim. After driving the RS7, we wished the RS6 were so equipped, so don’t hesitate to tick that box if you’re in the market. Adding a bit more aural drama is a $1,000 sport exhaust system, with modes that range from sedate to snarling. But once the snails start spinning, every passenger is in for a wild ride until the driver has had their fill of fun. Once you’ve hit the throttle, there’s some turbo lag, even with the Audi Drive Select set to Dynamic mode. Like the Avant, it boasts superlative grip out of corners thanks to Quattro and an Audi Sport rear differential, with ferocious power a mere twitch of the toe away. The cozy rear seats aren’t a match for the RS6 – headroom is down 2.4 inches – but the payoff is an intimate interior that seems tailor-made for the RS7’s slightly more aggressive mission brief. That said, the RS7 feels somewhat sportier than the mechanically and functionally identical RS6. Mercifully, the company spared us the silly “four-door coupe” nomenclature of some competitors. In Audi parlance, the RS7 is a Sportback, with four passenger doors, a sloping roofline, and a cargo hatch in back. And with 30.0 cubic feet of luggage volume behind the rear seats and space for four adults – our 6-foot-tall judges had no trouble getting comfy in back – the RS6 is a compelling daily driver. Sporting the new A6 family’s redesigned and tech-forward interior, the unusual upholstery/trim combination works brilliantly. As contributor Miles Branman said, it’s as though Audi spent a summer in Italy and came home keen on the artful flair of the Mediterranean. Inside, the Avant appealed to our flashier tastes, with signature RS seats draped in luscious Cognac extended leather contrasted against carbon fiber trim. The box-flare tributes combine with huge 22-inch wheels and a surprisingly fast rake for the rear hatch, giving the RS6 a low and planted stance. Body side surfacing and flared front and rear fenders turn it into a distinct homage to the first Audi Quattro, which dominated its class in the World Rally Championship in 19. Our tester wore a rather dour Sebring Black Crystal paint job, but even in such a muted shade, its details shone brightly. While we wouldn’t call the RS6 Avant nimble (it’s a staggering 83.5 inches wide and weighs 4,960 pounds), there are few vehicles that can gobble up long, twisty stretches of pavement as well, even at high speeds and over varying road surfaces.Īn Audi through and through, the RS6 is a delight to behold. Its eight-speed automatic cracks off wonderful shifts, and although understeer is present, it’s relatively easy to counteract by easing up on the throttle and relaxing your grip on the steering wheel. Thanks to Quattro all-wheel drive and an RS-specific torque-vectoring rear differential, the RS6 puts all of its mighty power down with zero drama, even on rough and gravel-strewn pavement. And the latest RS6 Avant carries on the legacy of its forebears (we’re looking at you, 1994 Audi RS2) in stylish and speedy form. Whether in traditional Avant, rugged Allroad, or outrageous Audi Sport form, the company knows how to build a tasteful family hauler. There’s just something so wonderful about a station wagon wearing four rings on the front. Which fast family Audi is right for you, then? Luckily, we’ve got a twisty road and a warm afternoon to find out. Journalistic ballyhoo about station wagons notwithstanding, are they even that different from one another? Each packs the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 making 590 horsepower and 591 pound-feet, all of them route power to all four wheels via an eight-speed gearbox, and Audi claims a nearly identical 0-60-mph time for each. Well, Audi is finally throwing us a rather delicious bone with the 2021 RS6 Avant, a twin-turbocharged station wagon.īut it’s far from the only quick family transportation device – even within Audi’s own stable, the RS7 Sportback and RS Q8 force a rather difficult decision on customers. It’s one reason why my colleagues and I look across the pond with wistfulness as our European friends have unfettered access to everything from the BMW 5 Series Touring to the Hyundai i30. It’s a hackneyed trope, but as much as American consumers don’t like station wagons, American enthusiasts love them.
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