That’s one imply soccer-match machine.
Andrew Krok/Roadshow
Having a good friend who owns a station wagon is like having a good friend who’s a vegan or who owns a rescue canine: You’re by no means going to listen to the top of it. The period of crossovers has given these low-slug longroofs new life amongst a small however vocal subset of automotive followers who need you to get up and understand that not all people wants a sun-blotting SUV. The 2021 Audi RS6 Avant is handled like a demigod on this circle, and for good purpose: It combines ample storage and sufficient torque to have an effect on plate tectonics in a package deal that makes for one of the crucial compelling every day drivers on the market right this moment.

LikeKiller looksBalls-out performanceStorage galore

Don’t LikeBig wheels = stiff-ish rideRequires cash to buy

There’s no mistaking the RS6 Avant for the rest. The physique is low and lengthy, actually hammering residence that battleship metaphor due to the no-cost Nardo Grey paint shade and the $6,350(!) Carbon Optic package deal that replaces all hints of exterior chrome trim with carbon fiber. This pack additionally provides 22-inch alloy wheels that fill the wheel wells amply. Combine that with some impressively fats rear fenders and you have got a wagon that out-sinisters even its closest rival, the Mercedes-AMG E63 S. I’m not a fan of the protruding rear diffuser, however that gripe extends past the wagon to its hatchback sibling, the RS7, as properly.Where there’s bark, there’s… extra bark. Slipping down into the RS6 Avant’s commonplace sport seats, I push the beginning button on the middle console and half the neighborhood is smacked within the face with a bass-heavy roar of a chilly begin, thanks partly to my tester’s $1,000 sport exhaust improve. Even although the physique appears glued to terra firma, there’s simply sufficient experience top right here to flee a scrape from my steep driveway because the exhaust declares my departure with enthusiasm, regardless of the twin-turbocharged V8 by no means spinning over 2,500 rpm. Whether the pipes keep of their commonplace mode or are opened up a tad in additional aggressive profiles, there’s by no means a scarcity of noise emanating from beneath the cargo space. It’s nice.

The RS6 Avant’s commonplace multimode air suspension is spectacular in its means to alter the automobile’s character. At its most compliant, the RS6 ought to hold the entire household comfy, and I wager that the inventory 21-inch wheels do a good higher job right here — the 22s and their 285/30-profile Pirelli P-Zero summer season tires make for a experience that is on the stiff aspect, though not punishingly so. Throw the automobile into Dynamic mode, although, and the solidity will increase, all however eliminating physique roll and giving the RS6 a stunning quantity of agility for a automobile this measurement. Turbocharged V6s may get a whole lot of consideration these days, however the V8 ain’t performed but. Packing 591 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque within the RS6 Avant, this eight-pot produces ahead movement like an EDM live performance within the forest gives good vibes. Let the eight-speed automated transmission rapidly kick its manner all the way down to the suitable gear (greatest performed by itself, despite the fact that shift paddles are commonplace) and the automobile will dart towards the horizon, bouncing its perennially thunderous exhaust notice off each flat floor in earshot. There is not a lot in the best way of overrun between shifts or whereas decelerating, however that is superb, you possibly can’t win ’em all.

It’s clear that the RS6 Avant could be greatest utilized on a German autobahn, pushing the speedometer needle into the area of foolish numbers whereas returning a sufficiently easy experience. On tight, curvy forest roads, this wagon nearly seems like an excessive amount of automobile. It’s nearly as vast as a single lane. It needs to speed up till it runs out of gasoline. It’s this type of hard-to-wrangle angle that provides this RS-badged automobile a few of the character that feels missing within the automaker’s different efficiency fashions, which really feel so completely sanitized that you just surprise if these vehicles weren’t constructed by robots, for robots.

Don’t act stunned after I say the RS6 Avant is one thirsty wagon, with the EPA estimating simply 15 miles per gallon metropolis and 22 mpg freeway — the identical because the much less capacious RS7. While the V8 can deactivate half its cylinders beneath mild hundreds, which might push instantaneous mileage to the 30-mpg mark, I discover my freeway financial system solely barely larger than what the feds can muster, with my metropolis financial system falling nearer to about 12 mpg.Audi’s interiors are fairly company, so in case you’re aware of one of many newer ones, odds are you have acquired a superb lay of the land for the entire lineup. My tester sports activities $500 carbon fiber inlays with a matte end and precise texture, which is a pleasant departure from the ultra-glossy SEMA crap. A $2,500 Executive Package places delicate Nappa leather-based nearly all over the place, from the dashboard topper to the middle console trim. The entire shebang coalesces properly, feeling fairly costly whereas nonetheless sustaining a racy look. There’s ample lateral help within the entrance and rear seats, and the purple deviated stitching provides some additional character.Put that matte carbon fiber on all the pieces, Audi, and by no means look again. High-gloss finishes are… not precisely en vogue.
Andrew Krok/Roadshow
Both rows provide up tons of house and visibility, and the cargo space’s 30 cubic toes of space for storing trumps the RS7’s 24.6 cubes whereas practically tying the two-row Q8 SUV. See? You can have your cake and eat it whereas concurrently transporting a number of different muffins with room to spare.Audi loves itself some screens, and fortunately, these screens are straightforward to like. The firm’s MMI infotainment system lives contained in the 10.1-inch touchscreen on the dashboard, and whereas it would take a while to get used to the hassle required to click on every tile, the tech is responsive and simple on the eyes. A 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot is included, as are Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Two USB-C ports hang around beneath the middle console armrest, along with a wi-fi machine charger that makes use of the wagon’s personal antenna to spice up a cellphone’s sign. Just beneath the principle display screen is an 8.6-inch show that covers local weather management and seat settings — once more, finger presses require some weight, however the haptic suggestions feels good with each push.The gauge cluster is a display screen, too. Audi’s Virtual Cockpit places nearly each usable piece of data in entrance of my face, and I can change elements of the display screen to show much more, whether or not it is a Google Earth-style map or the present energy and torque outputs from the engine, with some RS-specific designs for the tachometer. The Executive Package additionally features a head-up show, in case I wish to save my eyes from transferring two additional inches to see what gear I’m in. Virtual Cockpit is adjusted utilizing steering wheel switches, so distraction is stored to a minimal.Once you get used to Audi’s interface, it is fairly straightforward to alter issues with minimal distraction.
Andrew Krok/Roadshow
Some efficiency vehicles do not even provide security techniques, however the RS6 Avant is rife with ’em. Standard save-your-butt tech contains automated emergency braking and common cruise management, however the $2,250 Driver Assistance Package beefs issues up with adaptive cruise management, visitors signal recognition, lane-keeping help and rear cross-traffic warnings. The driver assists are mighty easy, nevertheless it’s exhausting to willingly quit management of such a enjoyable automobile, even within the tedium of a every day freeway commute.Unsurprisingly, the 2021 Audi RS6 Avant is an costly proposition, beginning at $110,045 together with vacation spot, with my tester’s quite a few choices pushing the window sticker north to about $123,000. The solely actual bummer with its configurability is the shortcoming to pair the smaller 21-inch wheels with any of the black-exterior-trim packages, which might take away a few of the experience’s inherent stiffness whereas sustaining its extra aggressive countenance. I’d in all probability spec an RS6 Avant precisely like it’s right here, although.The RS6 Avant has a single competitor within the US: The Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon, which prices a bit of extra and produces a bit of extra energy whereas returning faster acceleration figures (3.0 seconds to 60 mph versus the Audi’s 3.5) and providing just a few additional cubes of cargo capability. That mentioned, the Merc’s aesthetics are much more subdued inside and outside, so it is principally a fashion of non-public style, particularly at this worth stratum. If you actually dislike wagons for some purpose, there’s at all times the RS7, too.Fast wagons are few and much between, and the RS6 Avant is often relegated to forbidden fruit standing within the US, so think about this one a particular deal with. With efficiency chops to spare and a correctly luxurious inside that may maintain greater than you’d count on, there is a good purpose why individuals fawn over the RS6.  If you are not fairly able to embrace the crossover life, this middle-grounder presents a tough alternative to move up.