The Audi RS 6 is known as a high-performance station wagon that offers the ideal blend of impressive performance and outstanding everyday usability. It has excited the German automotive brand’s high-performance subsidiary, Audi Sport GmbH, and its worldwide fanbase for 20 years.
It has spanned four generations and has set new standards in its competitive environment as well as in its market segment.
Life for the Audi RS 6 started in 2001 when Audi Sport GmbH, then called quattro GmbH, decided to work on the Audi A6. That year, quattro GmbH treated the A6 to some enhancements with orders from Audi to add more power under the hood.
Audi engineers put a great deal of effort into making the first-gen Audi RS 6 a sports car through and through. Updates added to the model included a better power plant, improved suspension, and an enhanced transmission.
The engine fitted to the first-gen RS 6 was a double turbocharged 4.2 mill. It originally did not fit the bay, so quattro GmbH extended the front end which gave way for more space for the Cosworth-built V8. It made around 444 horses with 560Nm of torque. It sped from zero to 100km in as fast as 4.7 seconds.
A torque-converter transmission was mated to the abovementioned powerplant and gave the maiden Audi RS 6 shorter shifting times for gear shifts. It was also fitted with the Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) suspension which endowed the first-gen RS 6 with the ideal balance between comfort and sportiness, even in everyday driving.
Furthermore, Audi also gave the first-gen RS 6 an appearance befitting of its performance. The A6 grew four centimeters in both length and width and was given new skirts, wider sills, a set of 18 or 19-inch wheels, and two oval tailpipes.
The second-gen Audi RS 6 was made in 2008. It increased not only power and displacement, but also the number of cylinders for a total of 10. This boosted its total power output to 572 horses and its maximum torque to 650Nm. The new engine was equipped with a dry sump lubrication system which ensures that oil is supplied to the powerplant when driving through curves at high speeds.
In addition, the six-speed automatic tranny used in the second-gen Audi RS 6 was substantially reworked, which resulted in improved cooling, shifting speed, and power distribution.
With a new engine and transmission, Audi was able to push the second-generation RS 6’s top speed to 303kph.
Like its predecessor, the second-generation Audi RS 6 was equipped with the DRC suspension system but was now fitted with ceramic brakes.
It was optioned with either 19 or 20-inch tires, had protruding fenders, and was 3.5 centimeters wider than the standard models.
Before Audi pulled the plug on the second-gen RS 6, the automotive brand released an RS 6 plus Sport and an RS 6 plus Audi Exclusive. These were limited-edition models and came with a numbered badge on the interior, special alloy wheels with a five-spoke design, leather on the instrument panel, and floor mats with the RS 6 logo.
The third-generation RS 6 came soon after. It saw the return of the double-turbocharged eight-cylinder engine, but this time with a 4.0-liter displacement instead of 4.2. Despite being equipped with the smallest engine in the history of the RS 6, it impressed with its improved driving dynamics and efficiency.
Using a small-displacement powerplant made it possible to systematically reduce weight. Among other things, a significantly higher portion of aluminum, including all of the attached parts, reduced the weight of the third-gen RS 6 by a good 120kg.
Maximum power produced is around 597 horses with 750Nm of maximum torque.
Suspension-wise, the third-gen RS 6 models were equipped with air suspension. Now 20 millimeters lower and with sportier tuning, adaptive air suspension increased day-to-day driving enjoyment. Another convenience for quickly transporting belongings was, for the first time, a trailer hitch as an option.
Audi’s fourth-generation RS 6 came in 2019. It retained many of the features of the third-generation model which includes the 4.0-liter bi-turbo engine that makes a little under 600 horsepower. It is now, however, fitted with a 48-volt mild hybrid system which further improves the RS 6’s efficiency.
On paper, the fourth-gen RS 6 zooms from zero to 60mph in only 3.6 seconds.
The Avant grade of the fourth-generation Audi RS 6 is also now made available — for the first time — in the US.
Photos from Audi
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