Test driving the Audi RS6 Avant – Turning Heads

The one major problem with sports cars and supercars is that they are not designed around family life. So, what is a person to do when they want to experience maximum thrills but they have children, or dogs, or mountain bikes? Simple – buy an Audi RS 6 Avant.

I have always said that should I ever win the lottery, an RS 6 would be the first car I bought. And after spending a week with the latest iteration, my view has not changed. This is arguably the fastest family car in the world. The model you see here is a ‘Carbon Black’ edition, which gets magnificent 22-inch alloys, gloss carbon detailing on the bumpers and sills, gloss black window surrounds and matt black roof rails. Finished in Nardo Grey it looks absolutely stunning. It is big, bold and aggressive, turning heads like an RS 6 should. It’s hard to appreciate just how wide the RS 6 is; the arches are significantly more flared than a regular A6. In fact, only the front doors and tailgate are shared with the normal A6 – every other bit of bodywork is specific to the RS 6.

Power comes from a 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8. With 600PS and 800Nm of torque put to the road through a Quattro permanent all-wheel drive system, the RS 6 has the grunt and grip to stop the Earth’s rotation. Activate the launch programme and you will go from 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds. Keep your foot in and you will reach the car’s electronically limited top speed of 155mph rather quickly, too.

“It is big, bold and aggressive, turning heads like an RS 6 should”

But, it’s the ferocity of that acceleration which surprises you the most. A car weighing over 2 tonnes should not move this quickly. It goes like a ballistic missile; blurring your peripheral vision. Stopping is equally ferocious thanks to the enormous 10-piston front calipers and 420mm steel discs, with 370mm discs at the rear. There is a carbon ceramic option, but on the road the standard setup is more than adequate.

“It has the grunt and grip to stop the Earth’s rotation”

What sells the RS 6 as the ultimate family car is how it behaves in everyday life. It has 5 seats, with adequate room for all occupants. The boot is 565-litres, expanding to 1,680-litres with the rear seats folded. The RS 6 is even rated for towing – 2,100kg to be precise – which only enhances practicality. And a 48V mild-hybrid system helps achieve a combined 21.9mpg. With prices for the Carbon Black model starting north of £100,000 it may seem expensive, but then it does the job of a supercar and a family estate car all in one.