Audi RS6 Avant – a station wagon that bows to no one
Today’s article was supposed to be an interview with Parys Cybulski – one of three Polish designers working for Audi. He is behind the design of the newest Audi A6, which is available from PANEK Rent a Car. Unfortunately, due to technical reasons, we were unable to post this conversation today, but we have a surprise for you. On the occasion of Boyfriend’s Day, we will publish today the test of the extreme version of the Audi A6 – RS6 Avant, which is a dream come true for all adult boys of a sports car.
Audi RS6 Avant – a station wagon that bows to no one
There are cars that become icons at the moment of their debut. Take the Porsche 911, for example. Each boy has a poster above his bed showing the famous Zuffenhausen coupe. Above mine was a black 930 Turbo with a huge spoiler. Or the Ferrari Testarossa in white used by Sonny Crockett from Miami Vice. It was something … But boys grow up, have families and become men. Dreams of a sports coupe give way to a family estate car. However, there is one on the market, the poster of which I would certainly hang over my bed as a teenager.
Michał Garbaczuk
Born of dreams
When it made its debut in 2002, Audi turned the automotive world upside down. Practical Germans decided to give an award to all fathers of families and launched the Audi RS6 Avant. The recipe for a fast station wagon was not new, as similar cars were offered by manufacturers from Stuttgart and Munich. At that time, Mercedes produced the E55 AMG model, and BMW tempted with the Alpina B10, both incredibly strong and insanely fast. However, it was Audi that took the concept of a family car to another, previously unknown dimension. 450 HP (later up to 480 HP), two turbochargers, a Tiptronic automatic transmission and all-wheel drive at the beginning of the 21st century sounded absurd. The car accelerated to 100 km / h in 4.7 seconds, while the 420hp Porsche 911 Turbo needed 0.2 seconds more! The Audi RS6 Avant of the C5 series was missing reality, and it did so in subsequent generations.
The latest incarnation of the Icon from Ingolstadt has 600 hp and 800 Nm of torque generated by a four-liter, double-supercharged V8 engine. Power is transmitted naturally via the Tiptronic automatic transmission (now 8-speed) and the iconic quattro all-wheel drive.
For the stability of the vehicle on the road, although I should rather write a time machine, the adaptive, air suspension is responsible, which quickly adjusts to the conditions by changing the damping characteristics of the shock absorbers and the height of the body. The technique that was hidden in the car could be a material for an extensive master’s thesis, but I would not like to bore you with numbers and descriptions of individual functions, which you can read about in the catalog, so I will focus on the impressions that the car made on me and the world around me.
Like a living organism
Yes, his external appearance is already a demonstration of the strength of the “Four Rings”. The packed, muscular body evokes respect, and the black stylistic accessories suggest that we are not dealing with an ordinary family car. Heavily curved and widened fenders hide large 22-inch rims with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Plus tires. I would like to explain to less informed readers that this is a high-performance tire used in the fastest cars in the world. Behind the spokes of the rims, red brake calipers and ceramic discs shine through, measuring 42 centimeters or 16.5 inches on the front axle! But a fast car needs to be stopped just as quickly. The front laser headlights are borrowed from the A7 model and I think this is a very good move as they give the station wagon a new expression, balancing between a scowl and subtle elegance. The diagonally arranged LEDs are also repeated in the taillights, and the aggressive silhouette is completed by two large tailpipes of the sports exhaust system.
The unusual spectacle begins when we unlock the central lock with the button on the remote control. You will ask why I do not have the keys in a pickle and I simply will not grab the door handle? Yes, you can get inside the Audi anyway, but then you will miss the simultaneous LED dance in the headlights. The Audi RS6 Avant is approached calmly, very subtly, gently stroking the edge of the hood towards the door with your fingers … you have to say hello to this car, because it is like a living organism waking up from a sweet dream. The mirrors open on their own as I come closer, and the suspension seems to stretch in the morning grimace, lifting slightly.
After opening the door, I felt the peculiar smell of high-quality leather that covers practically the entire interior. There are not many aluminum elements, because in the RS6 they gave way to carbon fiber panels. It has not been polished, so the driver can feel its structure under his fingers. The steering wheel is covered with suede for a better grip, as is the prominent gear lever. The classic has been combined with the most modern technology, so we select individual functions by touch, using two centrally placed screens, or by issuing voice commands, for example: I am cold. Personally, I really like communicating with Audi by touch, because the Ingolstadt car then reacts in a unique way. It is not enough to touch the pictogram on the screen as it is done in other cars. At Audi, it needs to be pumped up. In response, we will feel a short vibration and hear a sound. The feeling is very much like pressing a physical button, and it happens on a cold pane of glass! One of the few physical buttons is the one that brings the family athlete’s mechanical heart to life. After pressing it for a long time, I heard the gurgling of the 8-cylinder engine and the thunder coming from the back of the car. It was a sign that the jokes were over.
50 shades…..?
I traveled the first kilometers very conservatively, firstly to warm up the engine, and secondly, to get used to the chills that pierced my back. I knew that my right foot, like a conductor’s baton, had an influence on whether I would hear the subtle “Over the Beautiful Blue Danube” by Johann Strauss or “The Gallows of the Valkyries” by Richard Wagner. The great thing is that you can drive your kids to kindergarten without causing the cereal and milk to return to their tiny throats, because in Efficiency mode it can drive 30 km / h in fourth gear, without jerking and begging for another drop of fuel. During quiet driving, the engine can also use only half of the eight cylinders, excluding the second, and thanks to the mild hybrid system, it recovers braking energy to use it to power on-board devices or so-called sailing. The internal combustion engine is then turned off and the car is powered only by electricity. During quiet driving, fuel consumption of 10 l / 100 km becomes realistic. But do you want to continue reading about how a 600-horsepower car gently sneaks through the neighborhood streets? Exactly…
So, you drive up to kindergarten, drop your kids off, and make sure they are in good hands, you return to your RS6. Yes, I know… I forgot to add that you are accompanied by a mocking smile, because you know perfectly well what will happen in just a few minutes. You start the engine, switch the circuits to RS mode (it has two settings) and you move forward. The active exhaust system starts to burst out the thunder of the coming storm. These are not ordinary shots and tapping of unburned fuel. The sound is sharp, harsh, and gives you goose bumps on your hands. Hands grasp the suede steering wheel tighter and that’s when THIS comes! You put the pedal to the metal and the car catapults from under the lights. In less than four seconds (3.6) you will lose your driving license. After another four in Switzerland, you would spend your next Christmas in prison, and your family estate would be auctioned off for your solitary stay. Gaining speed is as intense as it is short, but the advantage is that you will quickly strengthen the muscles of the neck. Audi accelerates incredibly while remaining insanely precise. Steering wheel movement is minimal, and the car goes exactly where you want it to go. The vehicle I tested was equipped with the optional Dynamic Plus package, pushing the limit of fun from 250 to 305 km / h !!! After all, this car was originally intended to carry children on the back seat for guitar lessons, and in the trunk, dog food and everyday shopping! If I lived in Nuremberg, I would certainly take my son to the football training sessions in Munich every day, because driving the Audi RS6 Avant simply does not get boring.
“Unforgivable”
In addition, the car calms down traffic very much on the road. Firstly, everyone wants to have a look at him, secondly, he is the undisputed king of every road and he deals the cards. Returning from a short trip to Masuria, I rode the S7 road first, and then the section between Mława and Płońsk, where the construction of an expressway is underway. Whoever has been driving knows that it is a narrow road, very busy and crowded. In the rearview mirror, however, I noticed a few cars impatiently squeezing forward. When they got behind me, they suddenly stopped their “antics” and rode calmly. It must sit deeper in the human psyche, but it proved to me that the Audi RS6 Avant is an “unprecedented” car and no matter what speed you drive at, you will always have a clear path and respect from other drivers who know that there is a sports station wagon behind the wheel. Super Dad.
The specialists from Audi showed class again. It is proof that there is still room for a fascinating, unpredictable and ridiculous car, despite further tightening of regulations coming from Brussels. The conglomeration of seemingly incompatible features means that we are dealing with a unique car, which is a reward for fathers for their devotion and sacrifice. The embodiment of a dream of a sports car, without sacrifices or compromises. At this point, as a father (boyfriend), I wish all other fathers (boys), on the occasion of their holiday, to fulfill their dreams of a fascinating, high-performance car – a car such as the Audi RS6 Avant and necessarily in the Nardo Gray color, so that your partners can see in you at least one of Gray’s faces.