MOTORING turned on, find it quite difficult to prang it. The interior is a little understated, but then
issues a tuneful, multi-tonal bellow. You might well be rolling your eyes now as l
this car has no need to show off. The layout is
mention, yet again, the noise. I love V8 engine
perfect, with the crispness of the LCD display
noise when they get it just right. It is just right.
in front of your nose and the fold-out 8-inch
The bellow starts with a sinister growl, but
display above your left hand; the architecture
open the taps and the tune that emanates
has the hi-res highlights required to keep the
from the back end makes Pavarotti sound like
Audi RS6’s interior fresh as a daisy. A desirable
he’s tone deaf. Then, pull off the gas and the
driving position is not hard to find, thanks to
downshift creates a pop and bang that really is
standard electric adjustment, and enthusiastic
quite addictive.
owners will find enough range to neatly countersink themselves behind the dials. If you need more bolstering for those rather-too-rapid corners, there is an array of assorted buttons to snuggle you in further. Imagine sitting at the lights next to a Porsche 911 GT2. He and his testosterone-filled sports car screaming, “Look at me, look at me!” Then there is you, in your 5-metre-long, 2.1 tonne estate car sobbing, “What has happened to my life?” as the kids are screaming in the back and the dog is drooling over the dash. Green appears and the 911 disappears into your dust, leaving Mr Porky with such a total look of disbelief that you, or in this case I, just laughed until I could no longer see for tears. It really is
Competition? Well, yes there is some with the BMW M5 Touring, the Jaguar XFR-S and the mighty Mercedes E63 AMG Estate, and these are not cars to be sniffed at as they all do much of what the RS6 does. The BMW is splendid, but, for me, it tries a little too hard. The Jaguar is wonderful, but the build quality cannot quite match the Germans. The Mercedes is a very close thing, with a 6.3-litre 518bhp power plant. This car cannot possibly be ignored, and if a gun were put to my head and l had to choose, the only thing that separates them is the fuel consumption and the all-wheel drive. The Merc’s 6.3 motor is thirsty as hell, with an advertised 22.1mpg, but a real-life 15.4mpg.
that special. And that much fun, as, unless you
The RS6 is not a lot better, but with a stated
know what you are looking for, this appears like
29.4, and in real life closer to 23.0, it is more
a standard A6 estate.
fuel-efficient, and, of course, you get four-
The accelerator pedal is calibrated with
manufacturer who consistently produce their
gentle enough to allow an easy, wafting step-
cars with FWD? I don’t really understand this.
off, and the urgency under foot builds steadily
You rarely know it’s there until you need it, and
as you dig deeper. Only when you get into the
when you need it, you are one of the only cars
last inch-and-a-half, before the carpet halts
still moving. Odd.
when the exhaust finally clears its throat and
Engine: 4.0 TFSI Quattro Performance: 0-62mph 3.8 secs Power: 552bhp Top Speed: 155mph limited Economy: 29.1mpg Price from: £79,085 As tested: £86,540
wheel drive. Why is it that Audi are the only
expert judgement. The first inch of travel is
further travel, does the car really bare its teeth,
Technical stuff:
The RS6 is a titanic monster of a car, and l want one. Now.
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