By DEREK OGDEN
THOUGHTS of a muscle car conjure up a redhot coupe or sedan – certainly not a station wagon – with power to burn.
However, there are exceptions to this rule. Take the Audi RS 6 Avant, for example.
The hot German wagon has performance in the supercar class with acceleration to 100 km/h from rest in just 3.7 seconds.
A top speed of 305 km/h is claimed with the Dynamic Package Plus.
The 4.0 V8 TFSI engine’s prodigious power is put to the road via an eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission and the Audi quattro all-wheel-drive system.
As befitting a pole sitter at the pinnacle of the RS range, the RS 6 Avant comes with a high level of standard equipment, including adaptive air suspension, quattro sports differential and RS sports exhaust, plus driving aids such as head-up display; Audi parking system plus with front, rear and 360 degree view and park assist.
It all adds up to an automotive technological tour de force; alas there’s a price to pay – close to a quarter of a million dollars. That’s without on-road costs.
Does the RS 6 Avant stack up?
A heavily sculpted front with sharp-edged cut-outs characterises the RS 6 Avant, the ‘Avant’ being the Audi tag for its station wagons, while the remaining features fall into line with standard wagon styling.
Setting the Avant apart from its run-of-the-mill siblings is a titanium look finish, with accents on the single-frame grille, front spoiler and air intakes, mirror caps, window surrounds and rear diffuser.
New design 21-inch wheels are in keeping with the matt titanium.
Innovative Matrix LED headlights light the way without blinding other road users. The vehicle also points the way with safety because dynamic turning indicators front and back achieve maximum effect in low visibility.
Topping it all off are a panoramic glass sunroof and automatic tailgate with gesture control.
The RS6 wagon’s body has a reasonable drag coefficient of 0.35. Keep in mind that downforce is major part of the equation, taking precedence over slippery economical lines.
Cabin furnishings include an Audi Exclusive combination of Alcantara and Valcona leather upholstery highlighted by marcato blue honeycomb stitching with a unique carbon fibre blue twill inlay.
The luxury feel extends to the RS leather covered multi-function flat-bottom three-spoke sport steering wheel, while additional leather touches and contrasting stitching can further set this model apart.
An exacting standard of presentation is continued with the high-resolution Driver Information System (DIS) between the speedometer and tachometer readouts displaying clear map-based navigation within the driver’s field of vision.
An overboost display is also present in the DIS, and an Audi Drive Select button is situated on the multi-function steering wheel, allowing the driver to dial up the different performance modes on offer.
Driving life’s little luxuries extend to digital TV with DAB plus, Bose surround sound with 14 high performance speakers, 12-channel amplifier, with a total output of 600 Watts.
A $12,000 optional Bang & Olufsen Advance Sound System with 15 speakers (including subwoofer) and 15-channel Digital Signal Processing amplifier putting out more than 1200 watts.
With V8 turbo design convention thrown out of the window, the stonking 4.0-litre TFSI twin-turbo V8, stumping up 445 kW and 700 Nm (750 Nm on overboost), has the exhaust and turbochargers positioned inside the ‘V’, and intakes on the outside of the engine.
The greater thermal efficiency of this layout aids better fuel efficiency and lower emissions (Euro 6 compliant).
Fuel consumption is outstandingly low for such a concept, at just 9.7 litres per 100 kilometres for the Avant – however, see our notes in the Driving section of this report for some real world numbers.
As well as a full suite of active and passive safety measures, the RS 6 Avant carries Audi active lane assist and side assist, including Audi pre-sense rear parking system plus with park assist and 360 degree camera, adaptive cruise control with stop and go function and Audi pre-sense plus, including autonomous emergency braking.
What a hoot! Stunning engine performance at all times, ultra-hard acceleration with the twin large-diameter tailpipes trumpeting a wonderful exhaust note. Downshift engine blips are always fun so are included for good measure.
With Drive Select in Comfort mode, under normal conditions, the car reacted with quick response to driver pedal input, smoothing out any road surface irregularities.
Auto mode added further sharpness all round, while Dynamic improved handling at the expense of comfort and Individual, not surprisingly, made a strong case for booking some playtime on your favourite racetrack.
Under low-load conditions, cruising the highway with four of the eight cylinders ‘resting’, average fuel consumption fell below eight litres per 100 kilometres, while in city stop-start traffic consumption was nudging 20 litres per 100.
For those who need to weigh up performance against price, the Audi RS 6 Avant is not the answer.
As for the others, as Andrew Doyle, managing director of Audi Australia says, there are customers who are always looking for an edge.
For more information contact Audi Barry Bourke, 755 Princes Highway, Berwick. Phone 9707 2222.
Model range
RS 6 Avant performance 4.0 TFSI quattro tiptronic: $245,400
Dynamic Package: $4900
Dynamic Package Plus: $25,840
Carbon Styling Package: $8500
