Audi RS6 Avant Review 2024

The RS6 is a car that will be bought by a wide range of people, assuming you’ve got the deep pockets required to pay for it. Prices start at around £112,500 and rise up to £130,000, and that's before you’ve added any options. 

If you have a sports or supercar in your garage, and expect that kind of power in your family wheels, then the RS6 is probably right for you, or at least be one of the three performance estates you’re considering. Rivals are relatively scant, with performance SUVs more prevalent, but Alpina, BMW and Mercedes-AMG do offer direct rivals with the B5 Bi-Turbo Touring (based on the BMW 5 Series), M5 Touring, and the E63S Estate, respectively.  

Of these,the RS6 is arguably the most sensible, crazy as that might sound, the Mercedes-AMG being a more wild drive, while the Alpina is a very niche choice in an already niche marketplace, however good it might be. The M5, however, gives the RS6 a very close run for its money. There’s a good chance you’ve owned an RS4 before considering the RS6, or, indeed, the S6, the RS6’s slightly less outrageous understudy in the Audi line-up. 

Like the RS4 below it in Audi’s madcap, rapid estate car line-up, the RS6 is offered in three trim levels. There’s the standard RS6 Avant performance, the RS6 Carbon Black and range-topping RS6 Carbon Vorsprung. 

All are powered by the same 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 petrol engine, which, in a bid to improve economy features a 48 Volt Mild Hybrid System – essentially an extended stop-start system that allows the RS6 to coast and scavenge back energy when possible. They all feature an eight-speed automatic transmission and drive all four wheels via Audi’s quattro system, and, unlike some previous RS6s, it’s only offered in Avant guise. 

The RS6 Avant comes hugely specified, the Carbon Black model adding black detailing for a more menacing look inside and out. The Vorsprung has a specification list befitting its flagship status, gaining things like RS Sports Suspension with Dynamic Ride Control, the best audio equipment and all of Audi’s available driver assistance systems.  A standard RS6, with the Comfort and Sound Pack, and the RS Sports exhaust system is all you really need.  

The performance estate marketplace is relatively small. BMW only offered its M5 Touring estate from the second half of 2024, while tuning firm Alpina does make the B5 Bi-Turbo Touring AWD, which has a 4.4-litre turbocharged V8, 3.7 second 0-62mph time and 200mph top speed, allied to a 1700 litre maximum boot capacity. 

Mercedes-AMG has the E63 S 4Matic+, which, again, has a twin turbo V8, with 612PS, a 3.5 second 0-62mph time and 186mph top speed. It’s also got the biggest boot here, at 1820 litres maximum capacity. Porsche’s Panamera Sport Turismo is worth considering, too, if you’re sold on the estate car vibe, without necessarily wanting the huge luggage capacity, though it’s not as small inside as you might imagine. 

You can dig around the deepest recesses of the RS6’s interior, and you’ll just not find anywhere where Audi has cut corners, or saved a few Euros on its build costs on out of sight materials inside. That’s hugely commendable, and the reason why the firm has such an incredible reputation for interior quality, even among its upmarket, premium rivals. 

All the materials exude quality, the finishes tactile, the design and layout all pleasing, too. Being the top model in the range there’s some additional personalisation possible, you can ask Audi to paint your RS6 almost any colour you like, for a sizeable premium, while the interior can be finished in a choice of fine leathers, with extended leather covering the dash and more if you want it. 

We know from experience, too, that the RS6’s interior will wear incredibly well, those materials not just looking and feeling good now, but certain to in the future, too. 

At this level you’d expect the very best, and Audi throws pretty much everything at the RS6. It’s gone touchscreen mad, there being two in the centre dash, the upper 10.1-inch one containing info and entertainment functions and connectivity, the lower 8.6-inch one taking care of the heating and ventilation for all four zones. 

As smart as the lower screen looks, having to prod and slide it to do something as simple as change the temperature a degree or two is overly fiddly. That obsession with touch screens is not unique to Audi, and while they’ve certainly got their place in car interiors, we wish Audi had stuck with conventional, simple and easy to operate knobs and buttons for the ventilation and heating functions. 

There’s Audi’s 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit in front of you, which like the centre screen can display navigation and RS specific screens. The standard Bang & Olufsenaudio is great, but earlier customers for this RS6 had to pay for the Comfort and Sound pack to have this. Audi’s Connect system allows you to have Amazon’s Alexa along with you for the ride, should you want big data listening to you in the car… 

You can, of course, connect your smartphone via your preferred service, Apple CarPlay or Android Auto being standard, while that Audi Connect offers all sorts of App downloads and services you didn’t know you’d need, or wanted, and might not bother paying the subscription for once its three free years run out.   

It might have Ferrari and Porsche chasing, and bettering, pace, but if that’s all you want with an Audi badge on it then you could always have an R8 instead. The RS6 does all that, but with space and practicality, by the bucketload, which is why you’ll have bought it. 

The cabin feels spacious, even with those big, heavily bolstered sports seats up front. That’s true in the rear, where, unlike the RS6’s smaller RS4 relation, it’s actually quite accommodating for adults, even if they’re at the taller end of the height spectrum. That’s for four adults. Five will squeeze in in a push, with foot room a bit lacking in the centre rear seat, likewise, the seat itself a bit of an afterthought. 

Estate cars are all about the usefulness of the boot space though, and the RS6 isn’t short of it. Leave the seats in position and there’s space for 565-litres of luggage, Audi claiming that accounts for 14 carry-on cases, which might make check-in at the airport interesting. Fold all the rear seats forward and you’ll add 1115-litres of space on top of that, which by our calculations would allow you a further 27 carry-on bags, should that unlikely airport run scenario ever arise. The rear seats fold in a 40/20/40 split, too, for longer loads combined with passengers when needed. You can also open the boot without your hands, the RS6’s tailgate being powered. 

It’s massive, then, if not quite as commodious as the Mercedes-AMG E63 S 4Matic+ estate, though a good bit more than the 1390-litres of the Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo with its seats down. 

There’s decent oddment storage throughout the interior, too, with a good-sized glovebox and door bins, as well as a pair of cupholders between the front seats. 

Being part of a bigger estate car range, Audi can sell you all manner of boot liners, dividers, ski bags, and trays, while the roof bars can be fitted with bike racks and sports equipment carriers, as well as a roof box, just in case you find a few more carry-on bags that need transporting. There’s the availability of a tow bar optionally, too, though it's more likely an RS6 owner would use it to tow a classic racing car rather than a caravan. ISOFIX child seat mounts feature on the rear outer seats, as well as the front passenger one.  

There’s only one engine in the RS6 line-up, but it’s a cracker. Power comes from a 4.0-litre twin turbo V8, which produces 630PS at 6,000rpm - up from 600PS at launch, that high revving power underpinned by a huge peak 850Nm (again, improved from 800Nm) torque figure providing plenty of twist from 2,000rpm, and hanging around until 4,500rpm. That’s enough to give the RS6 the ability to sprint to 62mph in 3.4 seconds, which given the RS6 weighs in at over two tonnes is impressive indeed. Before the engine revisions, 0-62mph took a yawning 3.6 seconds...

That powerhouse of an engine is smooth and eager, its low rev torque giving it real flexibility. The eight-speed automatic transmission helps, of course, though it’s not quite in the same league as some rivals for speediness, as it’s a conventional torque convertor unit compared to some rival’s DSG twin clutch designs. 

That does mean it’s smoother a slower speeds, which isn’t a bad thing. The eight-speed transmission drives the quattro four-wheel drive system through a central differential, this usually distributing the drive with a 40:60 torque split front to rear, but it can push as much as 85% of the drive rearwards if necessary. 

For all its outrageous performance the RS6 isn’t completely oblivious to the environment, indeed, to that V8 Audi has fitted a 48 Volt mild hybrid system. It’s not a plug-in system, or one used to drive the car, but one that scavenges back otherwise wasted energy to assist. It’s effectively an enhanced stop-start system, which allows the RS6 to coast at speed, the V8 engine also fitted with cylinder-on-demand technology, which shuts down four of the eight cylinders under lighter throttle loadings.  

It’s inevitable the RS6 is going to be a bit louder than its A6 Avant relations, after all, that’s kind of the point. The 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 is heard, then, in a good way, it pleasing with its melodious V8 wuffle, it shrieking as you wring it out and crackling and popping on the overrun. To hear it at its best, you did need to add £1450 to its list price and specify the RS Sports Exhaust system, that more tuneful tailpipe coming as standard with Vorsprung specification. However, this is now fitted to all new RS6 Avants from the factory.

Take it on a longer cruise and it all settles down, the RS6’s V8 working quietly in the background, riding the ample torque in the upper ratios to swallow miles as effortlessly as its boot does loads. There’s the odd bit of tyre slap and road noise on poorer road surfaces, but for a car that’s got so much performance potential, and so much tyre on the road it’s genuinely impressive how Audi has managed to improve on its dynamic ability, without depriving it of its touring and comfort credentials.  

The A6 has been independently crash tested by Euro NCAP, and it scored a maximum five star score. That’s hardly a surprise, and with the RS6 sharing the same structure and equipment, it would score the same, if not better than its A6 relations, the RS6 potentially safer because it’s got greater stopping power. 

The standard safety equipment list is extensive, with the RS6 Avant and Carbon Black models have Pre sense city, Cruise control with a speed limiter, forward camera with dynamic road sign display, lane departure warning, passenger presence detection, ISOFIX anchors on the outermost rear seats and front passenger seat – with airbag cut off – a tyre pressure monitoring system, Emergency call service, Lane Departure Warning, a first aid kit with warning triangle, front driver and passenger airbags, front side airbags and head airbags.

However, rear side airbags are an option and you also have to pay extra for the Tour Pack to get lane assist with warning and high beam assist. There's also the City Assist Pack that brings Front Cross Traffic Assist, while the Technology Pack Pro further adds night vision capability.

The Vorsprung gains all Audi’s most advanced safety equipment, including a head-up display, Adaptive Cruise Assist, Emergency Assist, 360 degree cameras, Audi Side Assist, Pre sense rear and cross traffic assist front – these extras available by specifying a combination of the Tour and City Assist packs. 

If you wanted the maximum potential stopping power you can option your RS6 with carbon ceramic disc brakes, too, though at over £9,000 they were an expensive add on, and not really necessary unless your commute takes in a track day. Now, Audi does not list these supercar-style brakes as an option.

Top whack, that’s what you can expect to pay when it comes to insurance, which is hardly surprising. It’s probable you’ve other cars, with equal, if not better performance, so you’re unlikely to find the insurance costs a shock.

You can buy an extended warranty, adding a fourth/fifth year if you like. Servicing will be expensive, those huge tyres won’t be cheap, nor will other consumables like brake pads and fluids. That said, it’ll be cheaper than a Porsche 911 which its performance rivals, you keep telling yourself that in justification and you’ll be just fine. 

It’s a £100,000+ car with a 630PS 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 petrol engine, so the government isn’t going to do anything but put you in the top tax band to pay for it. VED for the first five years attracts a premium, and buying it on the company won’t be cheap, either, with CO2 of 279g/km.  

The RS6 comes, like its smaller RS4 relation, in three trim levels. The line-up is started with the RS6 Avant, which has the 'performance' tag no attached to denote its raised speed limit of 174mph. It comes with everything you really need, though we’d add rear side airbags and the Technology Pack Pro to its specification.. 

Above it is the Carbon Black, which does as its name suggests, there’s some carbon (black, unsurprisingly) and some additional black elements inside and out for a stealthier look to your RS6. It also gains Y-spoke alloy wheels over that ‘ordinary’ RS6’s 22-inch ones.

The Carbon Vorsprung gets both of those as standard, indeed, go onto Audi’s online configurator and you’ll do well to find anything to add to its specification. It’s absolutely fully-loaded, with things like a panoramic sunroof, heated seats front and back, and the RS Sports Suspension with Dynamic Ride Control.