Very fast station wagons are slowly but steadily disappearing from dealer lots, and that’s because go-faster sport utility vehicles are selling like hotcakes. Happily for performance-oriented familists, Audi still makes RS Avant long roofs with neck-snapping acceleration and great handling.
Mat Watson of the carwow YouTube channel dailies a RS 6 Avant, also known as Audi's most potent wagon these days. The question is, does the standard model stand a chance against a tuned RS 6 Avant?
Modified by Awesome GTI, the wild-looking contender flexes an APR tune for the engine control unit, Milltek exhaust system, a less restrictive air filter, and Forge Motorsport intake hoses for a grand total of 700 horsepower and 1,000 Nm (738 pound-feet) of torque. In factory flavor, the RS 6 Avant develops 592 ponies and 800 Nm (590 pound-feet).
The modified RS 6 Avant blew up its eight-speed automatic transmission when Awesome GTI was testing it, which is why the twin-turbo V8 powerplant is electronically limited to bone-stock figures over the first 30 meters (98 feet) after launching. Once they get moving, it’s easy to understand which of these land missiles is faster over a quarter-mile drag race.
On the first run, they’re pretty much neck and neck off the line. By the end of the quarter-mile, the more potent RS 6 Avant puts a considerable gap between it and Mat’s daily driver. More to the point, we’re dealing with trap speeds of 10.9 seconds and 11.4 seconds. From a 50-mph (80-kph) roll, the stock car pulls a little ahead, only to be obliterated by the end of the race.
Although Awesome GTI didn’t do anything to the brakes, Mat decided to perform a braking test as well. With both vehicles tipping the scales at 2,075 kilograms (4,575 pounds), the braking distance from 70 mph (113 kph) is almost identical despite the different tires, namely Pirellis versus Michelins.
As long as you’re ok with voiding the warranty, the ECU tune and brand-new tires for the 2021 Audi RS 6 Avant are definitely worth your money.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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