► Twin-turbo V10 estate driven
► 576bhp, four-wheel-drive
► Does it still hold up?
You know how a jet plane feels when it accelerates down a runway? That inexorable, unstoppable surge as it barrels up to take-off speed. There’s a similar feeling here. Get past 2,500rpm above third gear and the car gathers speed at a frankly astonishing rate. It feels inexorable, unstoppable.
Audi RS6 Avant: the history
Audi wasn’t the first manufacturer to launch a fast executive estate with a turn of speed big enough to worry serious sports cars. BMW and Mercedes got there first with the E34 M5 Touring and W210 E55 AMG. But the original C5-gen RS6 Avant of 2002 was the most complete such car yet seen.
With 450hp from a 4.2-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine, it could slingshot from 0-62mph in just 4.8 seconds. And, thanks to quattro four-wheel-drive, it was an immensely effective all-weather cross-country express. The handling was numb and the ride borderline atrocious, but still.
The C5 RS6 became the car of choice for the sort of people who blast down to ski resorts at a moment’s notice – and London gangsters, if the film Layer Cake is to be believed. But Audi’s rivals didn’t rest on their laurels. A new generation of E55 AMG arrived with a bonkers supercharged engine, then BMW launched the epochal, V10-powered, 500hp E61 M5 Touring.
The C6-gen RS6 arrives
Audi had to respond and, after a hiatus of four years, launched a new RS6 Avant in 2008. But it didn’t merely respond. It went quite mad. The C6-gen RS6 packed a twin-turbo, 5.0-litre V10 producing some 580hp, an insane amount of power at the time. 0-62mph took a quattro-assisted 4.6 seconds with a limited top speed of 155mph, though rumour had it Audi’s testers had blown well past 200mph in prototypes.
The latest, C8-gen RS6 Avant is even madder than its ancestor, with 630hp. It’s perfectly possible to spend £150,000 on a brand new one, as well, but you can get a very fine example of the C6 RS6 for a lot less than £30,000. But should you? Does the C6 RS6 still hold up 16 years after it was launched?
We borrowed what’s possibly the best example in the country from Audi UK’s heritage fleet. It’s done less than 20,000 miles from new, it’s in absolute immaculate condition. It’s as close to a brand-new C6 RS6 as you’re likely to find.
First impressions
The C6-gen A6 wasn’t much of a looker, but there was a smooth sophistication to its styling. For the RS6, it was pumped up with boxy wheelarch extensions, beefier bumpers and a bigger front grille. Saying it looked like a body builder in a tailored suit is clichéd, but it’s not inaccurate. The exterior was matched with a very smart, luxurious interior.
It’s amusing that a car that looked comically steroidal in the late-Noughties is now rather restrained. And while the on-board tech is decidedly old-school there’s a lot to be said for everything being controlled by buttons logically laid out across the dashboard. It’s still hugely spacious and practical, the sculpted seats remain fabulously comfortable, it’s still a high-quality, well-made thing.
The engine
Fire it up. That twin-turbo V10 engine sounds like a vacuum cleaner. It’s not unpleasant but the exhaust doesn’t cut through to the interior and all you can really hear is the vast volume of gas being sucked through the turbochargers.
Get going. Bimbling around town, it’s surprisingly easy-going. It trickles along on a light throttle, the six-speed automatic gearbox shifts smoothly, it’s quiet and comfy. It’s big though, especially in the narrow streets where I live. I had to stop and breath in to let traffic through. And good lord, the steering’s heavy.
Out onto open roads and, yes, the C6 RS6 is extremely fast. The current version may be over a second quicker to 62mph, but any time under five seconds is not to be sniffed at. But it’s the in-gear acceleration that really makes an impression. It’s so immensely strong. Plant your tight foot at, say 40mph, and the way it gathers speed astonishes. It’s an absolute weapon for overtaking.
Driving impressions
It’s a weapon coming off roundabouts, too. The quattro four-wheel-drive system splits power 40:60 front to rear so the car feels absolutely secure and stable powering through turns – no doubt its 2,000kg weight adds to the sense of stability. But the steering tells you absolutely nothing.
Narrow country lanes are not this car’s forte. You can’t get away from its sheer size and weight, the ride is gritty on rough surfaces, the suspension bucks over bumps and the heavy steering starts to wear you out. Of course, it’s hugely fast between corners – and round them when you have a good sightline – but all too soon you’re back on the thankfully excellent brakes.
It’s another cliché, but the C6 RS6 is genuinely at its best on the archetypal fast, flowing, smooth A-road, where you can maximise its immense ability to gain and maintain momentum. The heavy steering can still grate, and the stiff ride, but the wonderful seats more than compensate.
Verdict
We asked if the C6-gen Audi RS6 Avant still holds up. The handling doesn’t, but the late-Noughties were a time before manufactures figured out how to mitigate a car’s size and weight with incredibly clever electronically controlled suspension. But in its styling, comfort, practicality and speed, the C6 RS6 still feels very contemporary.
