2021 Audi RS6 Smashes Mercedes-AMG E63 S in a Drag Race After On-Track Tuning

Fewer and fewer car guys have nice things to say about performance wagons, as SUVs like the RS Q8 are becoming undeniably sexy and impressively fast. But Throttle House has some really nice things to say about the styling of the RS6 Avant, even knowing that it was probably going to lose the drag race.

Audi went the extra mile to ensure its super-wagon is a looker, from the R8-like grille to the angular headlights, which are stolen from the RS7 and the muscular arches. You get the feeling that it's the model company engineers and designers love the most.

The E63 might not have the same curb appeal, but it's got the desirable Mercedes-AMG badge and a more powerful 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. For about two years, this car and its sedan brother have smashed almost every rival in a straight line. And while a 2021 model has been launched in Europe, it wasn't available for this Canadian shootout. No matter; the performance remains unchanged.

The U.S. output numbers are as follows: 591 hp for the quattro and 603 hp for the E63 S. The drag racing duo points out that maybe Audi will make another RS6 performance model, perhaps using the engine Porsche offers in the new Panamera Turbo S. But for now, it's a slower car down the quarter-mile track.

There's a little surprise at the halfway point of this video, though. The RS6 belongs to a tuner, which updates the ECU right after the first race and converts the V8 into an 800 horsepower monster. It's so powerful that the wagon rises its nose during the launch, also putting a lot of distance between it and the Mercedes-AMG E63 S.