Audi RS 6 2021 Review

Think of the 2021 Audi RS 6 Avant as a sensible supercar. It can rip to 100km/h in 3.6 seconds and carry up to 1680 litres of luggage. But maybe not do both at the same time.

Based on the latest Audi A6 wagon that is not sold in Australia, the RS 6 stuffs a twin-turbo V8 engine under the bonnet, an all-wheel drive system under the floor and has an electronic brain packed with chassis and driver assist gizmos that help keep this spectacular show on the road.

For all that, plus a heap of luxury gear and an assertive new look rounded out by 22-inch alloy wheels that only a few years ago would have been restricted to a lairy show car, you’ll pay $217,000 plus on-road costs.

Okay, while that’s cheaper than the old model, for 99.9 per cent of us the dream of Audi RS 6 ownership just evaporated. But for those in the market for a super-potent wagon, then this is one of very few shows left in town.

In fact, the closest rival is the Alpina-tuned B5 wagon based on the V8 BMW 5 Series. These days Bimmer itself only sells the 5 Series sedan in Australia.

Go beyond wagons and there are still plenty of V8 luxury vehicles around. Audi fits the same engine to both the RS 7 hatchback and the SQ 8 SUV. Benz has various AMG 63s on sale, but no low-rise wagon version of the E 63.

At this level of spend, a lot of comfort equipment is expected and the RS 6 delivers. The big-ticket items include Valcona leather upholstery for the seats and Nappa leather for most other touch points, four-zone climate control, the full-size 12.3-inch virtual cockpit, Bang & Olufsen 3D sound, a suite of online features including Google and a remote car finder.

Handy, but less sexy, items include fully powered and ventilated front seats, heating for front and rear seats and the flat-bottom steering wheel, LED interior lighting, a power tailgate, two touch-screens stacked in the centre console forming Audi’s latest MMI nav and infotainment system and – of course – Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

There is no spare tyre. No surprise when the standard rubber measures up at 285/30ZR22. Tyre pressure monitoring and a tyre repair kit will have to suffice.

The RS 6 comes with a three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. That’s underdone these days when most brands offer at least five years. Service intervals are every 15,000km/12 months and a five-year service plan costs $3890.

The 2021 Audi RS 6 comes without the five-star ANCAP rating that applies to mainstream Audi A6 variants including the Allroad crossover wagon.

It does come with plenty of standard safety equipment including front, side and curtain airbags for both seat rows, a 360-degree camera, a head-up display and attention monitoring.

Plaudits to Audi for not only fitting autonomous emergency braking (AEB) but explaining its capabilities; it can detect and slow or stop for pedestrians and cyclists between 5km/h and 85km/h and other vehicles up to 250km/h.

An exit warning also detects passing cars and cyclists when opening doors.

Other driver assist capabilities include adaptive cruise control with a stop-and-go function that’s very handy for traffic jams, blind spot warning, active and passive parking assist, rear collision sensing, avoidance assist with active steering, and rear cross traffic, intersection crossing and turn assist.

There’s also active lane assist which gently steers the car back into the lane and vibrates the steering when the driver is judged to be wandering. Like every other car it’s fitted to it’s annoying. Thankfully, you can turn it off.

Also, standard are trick HD Matrix LED headlights that automatically mask oncoming traffic from glare and pump up the visual range with a laser light function above 70km/h. They are exceptionally good, and their shape adds visual heft to an already imposing car.

This is the fourth-generation Audi RS 6 Avant and through them all it’s fair to say it hasn’t veered from the same basic big-engined, all-paw formula.

But it is thoroughly overhauled. The latest model sits on Audi’s MLB Evo architecture and is powered by a new 4.0-litre V8 engine.

Developed with Porsche, it is all-aluminium, direct injection, double overhead camshaft with 32 valves and has two twin-scroll turbochargers mounted inside the 90-degree vee that can pump up to 1.4 bar.

The result is 441kW of power at 6000-6250rpm and 800Nm of torque between 2000-4500rpm. This puts the new RS 6 lineball with the higher-output RS 6 Performance from the old line-up.

We’ve already mentioned the 3.6sec 0-100km/h claim (achieved with the aid of new launch control). The 2021 Audi RS 6 also reaches 200km/h in 12 seconds and snarls on to 280km/h top speed. It has an 11.6L/100km fuel consumption claim on 98 RON fuel.

We actually ended up at 11.3L/100km for the week. Not trying hard enough obviously.

Or maybe it’s the result of the new 48-volt mild-hybrid system doing its thing. It regenerates up to 12kW stored in a 0.5kWh lithium-ion battery under the floor in the boot and is called into service to run functions and restart the car when it’s coasting.

Audi Sport claims a fuel saving of up to 0.8L/100km. Cylinder on demand, which can shut down four cylinders on light loads, carries over.

Corralling this mega-powerplant is an eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission with manual shifting via the lever or paddles, and an all-wheel drive system that runs 40:60 front/rear but can divert torque up to 70 per cent front and 85 per cent rear. It does not have a drift mode as per the BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E 63 S.

Variable-ratio and all-wheel steering, air suspension and a sport diff are standard. Optionally fitted to our test car replacing the air springs is dynamic ride control (DRC), which is a cross-axle hydraulic damping system adjustable in three stages.

The braking system is steel or optional ceramic, with the front discs measuring 420mm and 440mm respectively. Front callipers have 10 pistons. A sports exhaust completes the go-fast ensemble.

The RS 6’s behaviour is tuneable via Audi drive select, which impacts the behaviour of everything from suspension to drivetrain to exhaust. The RS 6 adds two specific modes – RS 1 and RS 2 – to further hone its sporting intent.

The RS 6 measures up at 4995mm long, 1951mm wide, 1487mm high, has a 2930mm wheelbase and a base kerb weight claimed at 2075kg. Audi also says it can tow 2.5 tonnes. It would make any Jayco look stylish!

Luggage capacity is 565 litres with all seats in place. Fold down the 40/20/40-split second row and that expands to the aforementioned (and impressive) 1680 litres.

Punting the previous-generation Audi RS 6 along a winding road was a lesson in patience. It carried so much weight over the nose there was no point rushing at a corner.

It was all about slow and steady entry followed by a bucket-full of throttle on the exit, letting the engine and its all-wheel drive system do their thing.

After a while the heaviness of it all told on the brakes and the driver. It became a bit fatiguing.

The latest 2021 Audi RS 6 doesn’t exactly slip along like a nymph, but it is more poised than its predecessor. It still feels heavy and pretty big. No doubt the DRC helps control things, while massive Pirelli P Zeros are doing a lot of critical work, but it is certainly better balanced and refined than previously.

Maybe too refined in one way, because that wonderful engine is too muted even when all the various louder buttons are pressed. You can hear it and it sounds pretty darn good, but it never quite delivers the soundtrack its elegant malevolence deserves.

The upside of that damping is subdued road noise, even with the enormous boots this car wears. Well, subdued at least in comparison with something like a Porsche 911.

Engine performance is both mountainous and civilised. Sure, there’s a tiny bit of lag down low and the auto isn’t quite a sharp as a dual-clutch, but the civility of the set-up means the RS 6 can pootle around serenely while barely hinting at its capability.

With the modes dialled into comfort or auto (where the car provides the settings based on how it thinks you are driving), this car is absolutely fine as a daily urban commuter.

It doesn’t even sit stupidly low, which means you don’t drive around freaking out about scraping the front-end. Mind you, the thought of dinging those massive alloys is enough to prompt a cold sweat.

As drive modes are tightened, the RS 6 evolves rather than changes character. It’s just that bit more focused; the ride is sharper, it rolls less and the steering is heavier and a bit less appealing.

That’s where ‘individual’ mode comes in. You can give the engine the full angries while keeping the chassis that little bit chill.

The brakes really are something special: enormously powerful yet sensitive to pedal pressure. They inspire confidence.

The result of all this is a capable and rounded car. It’s not deeply intimate in its driving experience, but it is enjoyably cohesive thanks to some subtle and clearly expert tuning of its many parts.

The drive experience is supported by a high quality cabin environment. The front seats are huge and heavily bolstered and all the infotainment interactions work well.

As it should, it starts simple and gets more complex the further you drill down into the menus. Some fingerprints smearing the screens is about the only detraction.

The rear seat is spacious and comfortable for two, but not friendly for the middle seat passenger. There is adequate storage all the way around and, of course, heaps of space in the boot.

The 2021 Audi RS 6 Avant is the sort of car you can convince yourself is a sensible purchase. Well, maybe it is compared to an Audi R8, but it’s not an argument that stacks up to detailed examination.

If you want a high-quality, well-built wagon with good road manners and a bit of performance, buy a turbocharged Mazda6 and save about $160,000.

Okay, that’s an extreme example and no-one is going to shop that way.

But what it highlights is how extreme the Audi RS 6 really is. Yep, there’s some sense and civility draped over it, but at heart it’s still pretty nuts.

How much does the 2021 Audi RS 6 Avant cost?
Price: $216,000 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 turbo-petrol
Output: 441kW/800Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 11.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 268g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested