Audi RS 6 Avant 2013: Road Test

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $225,990
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): Dynamic pack $4,900, Carbon styling pack $8,500
Crash rating: Five-star ANCAP
Fuel: 95 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 9.8
CO2 emissions (g/km): 229
Also consider:  BMW M5 ($229,900) Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG ($249,545), Jaguar XFR-S ($222,545), Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake ($265,145)

Audi’s RS 6 Avant gives new meaning to the term overkill. To put it simply, the car is a weapon. It has more thrust than any road car should, pile-driving occupants into their leather sports seats with the kind of force usually reserved for space travel.

Audi's latest ultra-wagon is sort of like a cyborg wolf in sheep's clothing, sent back from the future to make wagons cool again. It's stupendously quick and has a vice-like grip on the road thanks to its quattro AWD system but to the untrained eye is just another Euro hauler.

And this is part of what makes the car so compelling. It can blend into the crowd, but leave the pack behind (at mach 3) should the need arise.

Before I have the chance to experience the Audi's performance threshold, the first half of my week with the car was spent at a relaxed pace commuting, shopping and picking up the whipper-snapper from day care. Exciting stuff!

Used as an everyday appliance, the Audi RS 6 is efficient and pleasant to live with.

It's easy to drive at suburban speeds thanks to the light steering, it has five decent-sized seats and a spacious 565 litre boot (expanding to 1680 litres when the seats are spilled). There's heaps of room in every direction, while baby seat anchorage points in the back and a power-operated tailgate are handy.

During everyday use I found it to be a genial companion, except for one thing - it's not shopping centre friendly. Regardless of all the cameras and sensors the car is bristling with, its physical width is such that there's never much room to open doors in tight car parks. The Audi RS6 is wider than regular A6 wagons to communicate its sporting intention, while improving stability at the limit.

An automatic stop-start system means fuel consumption can be kept reasonably low when commuting. At the other end of the scale a new cylinder deactivation system means the V8 engine runs as a four-cylinder unit at light throttle inputs, reducing fuel usage when cruising at 80km/h on arterial roads, for example.

It's comfortable too, with acres of leather, exacting attention to detail and beautiful tactility. Indeed, the quality of materials used in the cabin is top notch and even if your passengers aren't car fans they'll be impressed by the luxury.

Standard features won't leave you wanting either: digital TV and radio, LED headlights, quad-zone climate control, a panoramic glass roof, 14-speaker BOSE stereo, head-up display, 360-degree parking camera and RS front sports seats. The only thing it's missing is a spare tyre.

Consider the German transporter is practical enough to load an Ikea Poäng recliner in the boot, and you're looking at a family-friendly, fuel-sipping supercar.

The second half of the week-long test was more entertaining.

Mash the throttle in 'wild' mode (my term, not Audi's - its term is 'Dynamic') and the car accelerates with astonishing and effortless force. Unlike the 497kW Walkinshaw we tested recently, which is rear-wheel drive and managed a 0-100km/h sprint in 4.5 seconds in the wet, this broad-shouldered German stops the clock at 3.9 seconds -- wet or dry.

The reason for the Audi's inexorable acceleration is two-fold. The twin turbo V8 has heaps of shove, and a clever AWD system means wheel-spin seldom occurs in a straight line. Even without engaging launch control, the car gathers speed at giddying rate.

The crux of the car's AWD system is a mechanical centre differential that normally runs at a rear-biased 40:60 split. It can split the torque front-to-rear between 70:30 and 15:85 and is augmented by a computer-controlled torque-vectoring rear differential.

The prestige wagon's power delivery is fierce but not brutal and the car maintains a level of refinement and comfort at full-bore that raises eyebrows. It sometimes feels abrupt if you come off the gas quickly in 'wild' mode, bucking and bouncing awkwardly, but for the most part it's a controlled and considered power monger.

The noise generated by car's force-fed V8 engine adds to the experience -- a crackling, snarling note that'll raise the hairs on the back of your neck. And unlike some cars, the music is via the exhaust system, which features valves that open up to increase the volume and performance, not synthesised audio via speakers like one of its Bavarian rivals.

Audi's twin turbo 4.0-litre V8's 0-100km/h sprint of 3.9sec is an considerable 0.7sec faster than it's more powerful V10-engined predecessor and faster than many exotic cars. Seat of your pants, and the acceleration feels even faster.

Vital statistics are impressive: 412kW at 6700rpm and 700Nm from 1750rpm, sustained until 5000rpm. That long, flat torque curve makes for predictable power delivery too, with none of the peakiness associated with some highly-strung bi-turbo engines.

A top speed of 305km/h is possible if you tick the appropriate option box. Potential buyers will be happy to hear that a 200km stretch of the Stuart Highway will have open speed limits from February 2014... It's virtually untouchable in terms of raw speed, the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Estate, which makes more torque (410kW/800Nm) is its closest rival, yet is almost half a second slower to 100km/h, taking 4.3 seconds.

Navigating corners at brisk speeds, the car's 2010kg weight is eventually felt. Though it steers well and has oodles of self-assurance when punching out of corners, the Audi's size and weight makes it nerve-wracking to punt on narrow mountain passes. It also feels a little ponderous during rapid changes of direction. The RS 4 is a more nimble (and arguably more satisfying) apex animal.

The RS 6's brakes are dinner plate-sized 390mm front brakes are savaged by six-piston calipers and the rear gets 356mm rotors chewed by single piston calipers. The German wagon's stopping power is intense to put it mildly -- the enormous anchors making short work of the car's significant mass.

Riding on 21-inch alloy wheels shod with 285/30 R21 tyres, there's masses of grip. Also impressive was ride quality, which in comfort mode delivered decent bump absorption. Indeed, there's a lot to said of the car's docile nature at slow speeds, something that BMW M5 cannot match.

Our test car also included an $8500 carbon styling pack which adds plenty of carbon accents inside and out. Juxtaposed with the bright red exterior paint, the carbon pieces looked the business.

The Audi RS 6 is quite literally the ultimate family wagon. Priced $35,000 less than its predecessor, it also amounts to (relatively) decent value, and does everything a large family wagon can do, only at velocities that'll peel your eyelids off.

Is the RS 6 automotive overkill? Most definitely. But when it's presented in such a pretty and practical package, it's hard not to fall in love.

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