Audi RS6 Avant (C8) test: still the queen of station wagons

For nearly 20 years, the Audi RS6, in addition to styling the RS range, has become a real institution, the flagship of the famous car intended for “dads in a hurry”. If the first generation offered a V8 4.2 developing 450 hp, its replacement surprised its world in 2007 by taking on board the famous V10 of the group which equips the Lamborghini Gallardo in particular. Since 2012, Audi has returned to an architecture of an 8-cylinder V, with a displacement of 4.0 L this time, it is this same partially revised engine that equips the 4th generation object of our test which meets the sweet code name C8. Will it be able to seduce us as much as it has seduced generations of testers?

Natural choice

When I received from Audi France the list of RS models available for testing, I might as well tell you that I did not hesitate for long to choose the one that for me remains one of the most emblematic models to this day of the range to the rings. A bit like the 911 at Porsche, the Golf at VW, the Clio at Renault or the MX-5 roadster at Mazda, the RS6 is one of the essentials in a tester's life. Curiously, the test of the latest generation of RS6 to date that I am about to carry out is also my very first test of an “RS” model. Until then, I had only had the opportunity to try the TT S, the S3 , the S5 Sportback and of course the R8 V10 Performance.. A hell of a prize, you will say to me, but you will also understand without difficulty that not having touched the slightest RS model up to now was seriously starting to hit me on the system. I also realize that I am talking nonsense, I still had the opportunity to try the RS e-tron GT only a few weeks ago. In short, picking the RS6 in the middle of this fine list quickly turned out to be the best possible choice, a relatively natural choice.

Sweet evolution

As introduced in the preamble, the fourth generation RS6, available only as an “Avant” station wagon like its predecessor, marks an evolution of the genre rather than a revolution. Whether in terms of style, especially at the rear, or technically. The house V8 4.0 L wins a 48V micro-hybridization allowing the engine to be cut off when decelerating and thus saving a few precious grams of CO2, to the point of making the RS6 appear in the eyes of the French State as a true hybrid car which would have the positive effect in many regions of escaping the exorbitant penalty of 30,000 €, to verify all the same. The latter develops 600 hp or 40 more than the RS6 C7 in its basic version but 5 less than the Competition version. It is even surprising to note that in almost two decades of existence, the RS6 would have gained “only” 150 hp, where the BMW M5, its main rival, gained 200 over the same period or even 225 under the hood of the M5 Competition F90 and even 235 since this year with the arrival of the M5 CS. A sort of admission of abandoning the race for power?

Small tour of the owner. Compared to the previous generation, the grille of the Audi RS6 C8 is lower and wider, but still just as imposing. The optics are shorter, thinner and follow a visual identity common to the entire range. Above all, they differ from the production Audi A6 and this is a first for the model. This is reminiscent of BMW's bias about the M3 sedan taking the front of the coupe (we notice this specificity since the E90 / E92 generations). The LED signature, true characteristic of the brand with the rings, abandons the taut horizontal lines for thin parallel oblique dashes. The profile gains in musculature despite taking almost 3 cm in height. The glass surfaces remain small and above all, the bottom of the doors is largely hollowed out to reveal beautiful side skirts dressed in carbon (optional in the carbon aesthetic pack, charged € 5,600). At the rear, the two notable developments are the size of the lights, greatly increased and connected by a thin finishing strip. The most notable development concerns the diffuser, extremely prominent and which reveals the two oval tailpipes, a notable feature of the Audi RS. The results are very positive. The RS6 still gains in musculature and escapes a too vulgar configuration (thank you Audi France teams) by dressing in a Matt Navarre Blue (invoiced € 7,000) sliced ​​by the fiery red of the calipers of the RS Plus Dynamic pack and backed up by 22-inch 5-spoke cast aluminum wheels with a high-gloss polished finish. Here again,

Ambivalence at its height

This is the strength of the RS6 station wagon: its double identity. On the one hand, without exception, it includes all of the driving aids and luxurious equipment of the Audi A6: panoramic roof, 4-zone air conditioning, full city driving assistance, Bang & Olufsen 3D Advanced Sound audio system ( billed € 6,250). On the other hand, it is adorned with distinctive elements usually reserved for the most beautiful GTs in this world. Carbon finishes, steering wheel crown in Alcantara, quilted semi-bucket sport seats. The best of both worlds ? We are getting dangerously close. Best of all? Its mover physique gives pride of place to livability with legroom for rear passengers which is among the best in the category. We can fit 4 like me (1m84) and line up for hundreds of km without the slightest problem. The pinnacle in all of this? A 565 L trunk with a shape particularly suited to loading large luggage. We are in a station wagon don't forget it.

Obviously, this exacerbated versatility is found behind the wheel and everything is done to forget the 2150 kgs empty of the beast. Quattro all-wheel drive with Sport differential, Adaptive RS pneumatic suspensions, RS Sport chassis plus with Dynamic Ride Control and above all, 4-wheel steering supplied as standard, a first for the RS6! When driving cast, the Audi RS6 C8 is a real delight to drive. The RS Sport exhaust is discreet on demand to let the 1820 W of the B&O system express itself freely. The cozy atmosphere inside is clearly enhanced by the abundance of Alcantara, from the buttresses of the doors to the roof. Only downside in all this, the cavalry available in this situation is despite everything too important and the sensations to absent subscribers. While it is easy to adjust the acceleration to get only 10 km / h in a V8 growl as discreet as possible, the quality of damping despite the 22-inch rims and soundproofing make you want to cruising like if you were on the other side of the Rhine. Good music and let's go, a good 220 km / h to be quiet. Your rear passengers will hardly feel a difference and if Madame comfortably seated next to you, the ventilated seat positioned on “air conditioning level 1”, will not be disturbed in her sleep. However, the many stops at the pump may put a blow to your average. Another disruptive element, at least in the Paris region: other users. Fish tails all over the place, headlamp calls, hateful looks, I have hardly ever had such derogatory reactions at the wheel of a car as in this RS6. Was it my young age? Was it the fact that a legal looking RS6 on the main network was so bothering? I don't really know, but it is clear that by buying an RS6, you inevitably sign for the image that goes with it. 

Too loud all the time

On the secondary network in any case, I can assure you that peace of mind was required. With 600 hp under the hood, a 0 to 100 km / h shot in 3.6 seconds and a top speed posed at 305 km / h (thanks to the Dynamic RS Plus pack), the reverse would have been surprising or even downright disappointing. . If I am for everyone's freedom to buy the vehicle they want, a few hours spent behind the wheel of the RS6 have left me to think that signing a humility discharge during the establishment of the voucher order would not be too much. The RS6 does it all, very quickly, very efficiently, easily but also violently. Everything has been designed on board so that the first driver can take control of this car without getting out of the first corner, but keeping an eye on the speedometer to realize the speeds reached must become THE absolute reflex. It is good to remember that the time for the 100% autonomous vehicle has not yet come and that you are the only master on board no matter what. Learn for example that a manly steering wheel with the foot on the brake and cold tires inevitably results in oversteer, and that can surprise on such a template, me the first. Once the PZero are up to temperature, the sporting performances are totally crazy. The acceleration is stratospheric and propels you forward, the hood lifting briskly and the soundtrack mixing the blast of the two turbos and the growl of the V8 all valves open. 

The feeling in the direction is rather faithful to position the front axle. The assistance does not excessively harden the movement of the steering wheel as we are only too used to on machines of this size. The rear steering wheels greatly help agility without having the impression of the start of drifting of the rear axle as one can feel on a Mégane 4 RS for example. In terms of amortization, it is also faultless. The size of the rims would however suggest that at the slightest pothole, all of my vertebrae would disintegrate in a flash, but it did not happen. Any imperfection is absorbed admirably without the slightest parasitic lift in the steering or unwanted bounce. The magic of controlled damping with air suspension operates. Everything is perfectly balanced and the performances delivered are breathtaking even if in the end, the sensations are not necessarily there. The first thrusts of the V8 4.0 L biturbo obviously surprise anyone who is not used to this level of power, but you get used to it quickly and the rest becomes quite flat. The RS6 is a real Audi, it obeys the finger and the eye, delivers first-rate performance in complete safety for those who can keep a little bit of humility behind the wheel. 

A weekend, no more

I will surely sound like a spoiled assassin, but never mind, I'm taking the risk. Getting behind the wheel of this RS6 for a weekend in perfect weather was an extraordinary experience. 175 000 € in the hands (with options) and such performances available, it is definitely not every day that we are entitled to it and I assure you that I did not shy away from my pleasure. On the other hand, the reactions of other users seriously weakened my enthusiasm for driving such a machine in the Paris region, if we also put aside the fear of being carjacked at a few ill-famed red lights. The average fuel consumption of over 17.0 L / 100 kms over the weekend took care of my bank account. So obviously, if I had a family and two or three other nice toys in my garage, no doubt I would seriously consider the RS6 as a jack-of-all-trades. It remains to this day the most complete proposal in terms of uncompromising sportiness and practicality that I have been given to drive. Then a station wagon, it's still a lot more original than an SUV these days, isn't it?