2008 Audi RS6

Dino Martini · Sep 7, 2017

This is an amazing car, if it came to North America why would anyone buy a Range Rover or Porsche Cayenne?

580HP... 0 - 60 in 4.6 seconds...AWD. What else might you want?

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=124536

Twin-Turbo 5.0-liter V10 Makes 580 HP

Meet the most powerful wagon in the world. In fact, meet the most powerful Audi production car of all time.

That's right, the 2008 Audi RS6 Avant features a new 580-hp twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V10, and it comfortably outguns the spectacular 2008 Audi R8 sports car with its 420-hp 4.2-liter V8.

Factor in its storming in-gear performance and you'll find the 2008 Audi RS6 Avant is a good deal faster in a straight line than the R8, too.

Born With a Hatch
It is no real surprise that Audi's latest, most outrageous performance showcase has been born as a wagon. No other carmaker in recent times has placed such an emphasis on producing elegant load-haulers, even if they are largely ignored by American buyers. A sedan version of the RS6 is possibly headed our way in America, but for the time being the new Audi will only be sold as a wagon, and the majority of sales are expected in Europe.

But if the new second-generation RS6 is to leave any lasting impression, it must prove itself to be something more than a rapid evolution of the S6, upon which it is largely based. It also needs to prove itself more oriented toward the driver than its one-dimensional predecessor, which didn't much appeal to real enthusiasts, despite its 480-hp twin-turbocharged 4.2-liter V8. That car was quick darn quick but not a great deal of fun away from a wide, multilane highway.

It is hard to think of a car that has been subjected to such a long list of mechanical and cosmetic modifications as this one. Somewhere beneath all that bulging bodywork lurks an ordinary Audi S6 Avant, but not as you know it. In fact, it's best to think of this new Audi as an all-new model, such is the change in overall character from lesser siblings.

Personality Transplant
To start with, the RS6 is assembled at Quattro GmbH, Audi's increasingly active performance division in Neckarsulm, a company created to take on the likes of BMW's renowned M GmbH as well as Mercedes-Benz's AMG skunkworks operation.

Much of the attention has been devoted to the engine. This is a development of the naturally aspirated 5,204cc V10 previously seen in the S6, but while it retains an 84.5mm bore, the 89.0mm stroke is significantly shorter, resulting in an overall displacement of 4,991cc. It delivers a strapping 580 hp between 6,250 rpm and 6,700 rpm, and there's a thumping 479 pound-feet of torque from 1,500 rpm all the way to 6,250 rpm.

There are plenty of internal modifications to bring such power within reach, the most significant of which is the addition of two IHI turbochargers and a matching pair of intercoolers. Turbo boost maxes out at 10 psi, and it adds up to 116 hp/liter. This is not the highest figure Audi has ever achieved in a road car the 2000 RS4 with its twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 put out a staggering 145 hp per liter but it is still enough to provide the RS6 with a stonking 145 hp more than the already seriously rapid S6.

Looks to Match
Such power alone should be enough to make people sit up and take notice. But Audi has also tweaked the looks of the RS6, making it one of the most aggressive four-door cars on the road today.

The shape of the front end has been determined largely by the need to get as much cooling air as possible into the engine bay and to the front brakes. There's a new deep front bumper with large intake ducts and a downforce-producing aero splitter. To afford as much space for intake air as possible, the foglights have been incorporated into the main headlamps.

A honeycomb grille can be had either in black or satin-finish aluminum, and it further dramatizes the flared front fenders and big rocker-sill extensions. The rear features a subtle rooftop spoiler and a bumper that incorporates both a large aero diffuser and two whopping oval exhaust tips.

This test car's optional 20-inch wheels with 275/35R20 tires perfectly fill out the flared wheel arches, and don't be surprised if they ultimately prove more popular than the standard 19-inch wheels with 255/40R19 rubber.

The RS6 Avant has special brakes tailored to its prodigious weight of 4,464 pounds, with rotors measuring 15.4 inches in front and 14.0 inches in the rear. For those who choose the 20.0-inch wheels, there's an optional package of carbon-ceramic brake rotors that measure a mammoth 16.5 inches in front with six-piston calipers and 14.0-inch discs at the back. The carbon-ceramic discs also help reduce unsprung weight by 26.5 pounds.

Yes, It Hauls
Forget that the RS6 is capable of carrying up to five adults and a sizable load of luggage. This is a brutally fast car by any standards. There's no magic trick to extracting the performance in a straight line. You simply lay your right foot down against the heavily sprung accelerator pedal and hang on firmly to the lovely flat-bottom three-spoke steering wheel. The rest is taken care of by the standard six-speed automatic gearbox with remote shift paddles and Audi's traditional four-wheel-drive system.

Given the most unsympathetic of techniques for a standing start slotting the gearlever across into manual mode, winding the engine revs up and side-stepping the brakes there is a sickening mechanical thud back through the driveline, followed by a momentary squeal from the tires as they scramble to contain all the torque being transferred to the bitumen before you are flung up the road.

Audi claims 100 km/h (62 mph) comes up in 4.6 seconds, with 200 km/h (124 mph) arriving in 14.9 seconds. Top speed is electronically capped at 155 mph, although Audi offers RS6 owners an opportunity to extend it to 174 mph. You'll be glad to know that Stephan Reil, the RS6's development boss, says he saw 205 mph during final prototype testing on a secret section of autobahn late last year.

The engine really steals the show. There is meaningful boost from little more than 1,000 rpm and from then on, the floodgates open. Midrange power is one maddening thrust toward the horizon, with the power laid on at a barely believable rate. It is rare for a turbocharged engine to feel as strong at the top end as it does down low, but the RS6's V10 is still hammering hard with a deep baritone blare when the rev limiter cuts in abruptly at 6,800 rpm.

Simply Fast
Look upon the RS6 as an extremely fast car with colossal all-weather traction, with no real ambition as a lithe sports car with whip-crack response. Though it feels more at home in a straight line, it also manages to devour twisting roads with an impressive turn of speed. The tires grip well beyond what is safely achievable on the road, and the suspension boasts the sort of hardware that allows you to not only control the ride quality in three distinct levels Comfort, Dynamic and Sport but also ensure body movements are always well in check as you throw the car into a corner.

The four-wheel-drive system has been reworked to provide a nominal 40 percent front/60 percent rear torque split. It ensures massive purchase, yet the car handles with neutral poise even at high cornering speeds. The steering is quick at 2.2 turns lock to lock and it has more on-center feel than the S6's steering thanks to a revised hydraulic pump. The brakes are beyond reproach, and they still feel strong even after being hammered lap after lap on a racetrack.

The last word on the new über-Audi's handling, though, should go to Stephan Reil, who says it will turn a lap of the Nürburgring in 8:09, some 20 seconds faster than the previous-generation RS6.

Serious Seats for a Serious Wagon
With a sumptuous combination of leather, aluminum accents and carbon-fiber trim, the RS6 is no stripped-down road racer. As you'd expect, its interior offers a luxurious driving environment like that of the normally aspirated V10-powered S6.

The front seats, however, are new. They're hulking hard-shell items that deliver loads of support. Audi also added a stop/start button between the front seats to fire the car's twin-turbocharged 5.2-liter V10 and went to work on the wagon's steering wheel. It's been resized and is flat-bottomed motorsports style. At first it feels a bit odd passing through your fingers, but you get used to it.

Overall interior spaciousness is the same as that of the S6, meaning generous room for four adults. The sedan offers 19.3 cubic feet of luggage space, while the wagon has 20 cubic feet of cargo capacity behind the second seat and 58.6 cubic feet when the rear seats are folded down.

Driving to America
The 2008 Audi RS6 Avant is a good deal more adept than the old model, with a new feeling of finesse at extreme speed.

Although this first iteration of the new RS6 is a wagon, Audi is also working on a sedan that (insiders tell us) is being strongly considered for sale in North America in early 2009. Like the wagon, it gets an aluminum hood and front fenders to help even up the weight distribution, and it'll be 132 pounds lighter.

One thing's for sure. Competition for the BMW M5 Touring and Mercedes-Benz E63 wagon has suddenly gotten a whole lot tougher.
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250californiafan · Jan 29, 2008

I like it a lot, although it would be nice if it would be offered with a manual transmission as an option like on the BMW M5.

DMOORE · Jan 29, 2008

Well, it's an ugly ass wagon, but sure would make a nice sedan. I simply can't get into station wagons......too lame.

Darrell.

b-mak · Jan 29, 2008

Perfect.

BMW.SauberF1Team · Jan 29, 2008

I liked the older RS6 and love this one, but one problem: needs a manual. That's why I would never consider buying either.

b-mak · Jan 29, 2008

BMW.SauberF1Team said: ↑

I liked the older RS6 and love this one, but one problem: needs a manual. That's why I would never consider buying either.
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They miss you at The Car Lounge.

drjohngober · Jan 29, 2008

My allergy to plastic and increasing tolerence to benadryl prevents me from driving an Audi. Seriously, I think it is butt ugly, but what do I know, I have a MB GL450 and an H2 SUT.

UniqueM · Jan 29, 2008

That is one gorgeous car. I recently sold my S4, it was my world! The car has so much power, so much control. So sad my lease ran out.

Choptop · Jan 29, 2008

sexy wagon.

all for hopped up wagons.. being a V70R owner.

saw an S6 Avant for sale locally and was mightly temped.

amenasce · Jan 30, 2008

Pointless .

wendys is good · Jan 30, 2008

they should put that engine in the R8

switchcars · Jan 30, 2008

From my best sources, the wagon will NOT be coming to the US, but the RS6 sedan will. Can't wait.

DriveAfterDark · Jan 30, 2008

wendys is good said: ↑

they should put that engine in the R8
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You bet they will.

This is THE stealth mobile... Only the true car nuts notice it in the traffic. But it's very heavy... Too heavy...

Simon · Jan 30, 2008

Dino Martini said: ↑

This is an amazing car, if it came to North America why would anyone buy a Range Rover or Porsche Cayenne?

580HP... 0 - 60 in 4.6 seconds...AWD. What else might you want?
Click to expand...

Great car for storming up and down the autobahn, but you can't take the RS6 off-road. There's AWD and there's proper 4X4.

BMW.SauberF1Team · Jan 30, 2008

Anyone know why the front windshield in the first two pictures has a purple color? I've noticed this on newer Mercedes and 7-series BMWs in person recently.

masterflex164 · Jan 30, 2008

BMW.SauberF1Team said: ↑

Anyone know why the front windshield in the first two pictures has a purple color? I've noticed this on newer Mercedes and 7-series BMWs in person recently.
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Infrared shielded windshields. It keeps the UV rays from coming in, and making the car hot, and keeps the heat in. In some cars, it's a heating layer applied glass.

drjohngober · Jan 30, 2008

If we had an Autobahn is the USA, we would probably have a different appreciation for high speed SUVs such as this. Now that is a political platform that would interest me.

CornersWell · Jan 31, 2008

As a current owner of the Mk I RS6, I am somewhat disappointed in the styling of the Mk II. However, it will most certainly be an improvement over the Mk I. I have heard now twice that the saloon may make it to North America, which is a departure from the original statement that there was no way it was coming (in either configuration). I've seen expected pricing as high as $135K USD, though. And, with the USD devalued to the Euro, it's possible that the prices will creep even higher!

I have truly enjoyed my RS6, although some Owners have had major and minor issues that even now are not entirely sorted out. If one believes the forum reports, Audi NA has tried to disavow any knowledge of major issues. Hopefully, in this next generation RS6, they've fully sorted all issues before putting them in service.

I'm not sure I understand the "plastic" comment by drjohn. I've found the fit and finish and materials used to be of high quality (carbon fiber, alcantara, leather). The construction and materials are similar to that of the BMWs and MBs. Although, I do strongly feel that US RS6s were shortchanged. We didn't get the wonderful Recaro seats or the significantly better NAV+ system. I know that the RS4 owners were also somewhat shortchanged, so I do hope that Audi doesn't skimp once again.

CW

DriveAfterDark · Jan 31, 2008

CornersWell said: ↑

As a current owner of the Mk I RS6, I am somewhat disappointed in the styling of the Mk II. However, it will most certainly be an improvement over the Mk I. I have heard now twice that the saloon may make it to North America, which is a departure from the original statement that there was no way it was coming (in either configuration). I've seen expected pricing as high as $135K USD, though. And, with the USD devalued to the Euro, it's possible that the prices will creep even higher!

I have truly enjoyed my RS6, although some Owners have had major and minor issues that even now are not entirely sorted out. If one believes the forum reports, Audi NA has tried to disavow any knowledge of major issues. Hopefully, in this next generation RS6, they've fully sorted all issues before putting them in service.

I'm not sure I understand the "plastic" comment by drjohn. I've found the fit and finish and materials used to be of high quality (carbon fiber, alcantara, leather). The construction and materials are similar to that of the BMWs and MBs. Although, I do strongly feel that US RS6s were shortchanged. We didn't get the wonderful Recaro seats or the significantly better NAV+ system. I know that the RS4 owners were also somewhat shortchanged, so I do hope that Audi doesn't skimp once again.

CW
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US customers are hard on getting lowest price of cars. That's why Audi needs to take a few shortcuts - like almost all others manufacturers...

What was the Mk1 sales numbers for US market? And what was MSRP?

CornersWell · Jan 31, 2008

Mk I prices were in the $82K range base, IIRC. With options, more like mid to high 80's. With taxes, tags and titling, mid 90's. I have my window sticker in my files, but I'm away from them for the next few weeks. Anyone else can chime in.

As far as the US production numbers go, since Audi NA has not stated it, it's believed to be around 1,200-1,300.

CW

LamboLover · Jan 31, 2008

insearchofdrivingnirvana said: ↑

You bet they will.

This is THE stealth mobile... Only the true car nuts notice it in the traffic. But it's very heavy... Too heavy...
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I don't really think they will. 2 R8s entering the market should be more than enough.

tritone · Jan 31, 2008

LamboLover said: ↑

......2 R8s entering the market should be more than enough......
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Hot damn! You mean I have one of only "2 R8s 'entering the market"? They told me it was going to be rare, but......wow!

JK

Tritone

Sechsgang · Feb 1, 2008

I miss my RS6 sedan

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2008 Audi RS6

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