Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s an RS6 Avant.

There’s a new super wagon in town: Audi’s new RS6 Avant.

The chance of owning a super car on top of other necessary vehicles, such as a family car and an everyday run around is unfortunately not accessible to many. As a result, there was a need among many people for a car that serviced both needs. On one hand the car needed to be practical, allowing for enough space for the kids to argue in the back and spill yogurt and sweets on the seats. On the other hand the car needed to make you feel like you’re young again when the kids are in school, giving you that much needed “daddy-time” of performance and excitability.

Is that even possible?

This was a tough ask for a car, basically asking it to have a split personality. To get this right a manufacturer needed to get creative and think outside the box. Years ago BMW solved this problem by introducing the M5 and down this day that car is one of the top in its segment. Of course the other manufacturers developed their own answers to the M5, think Mercedes E63 and Audi RS6, very good answers too. Audi though decided to take it to another level and develop something the other manufacturers have neglected, the station wagon. Mercedes and BMW’s fast station wagons never took off the way they were meant to in South Africa, as a result the brands don’t even bother marketing them. Audi on the other hand have actively marketed their fast station wagons and as a result they have created the best looking ones yet.

What sets it apart?

The sheer presence of an RS6 Avant approaching can be likened to when Victor Matfield enters a room. You can’t help but be in awe of the size of the man and what he could do to you if you made him angry. The same goes for an RS6 Avant. The length of the car and the flared wheel arches make you wonder what it could do if you made it angry. The difference between Victor Matfield and an Audi RS6 is that you actually want to make the RS6 react. When you do, 412 kW and 700Nm from a 4.0 litre turbocharged engine respond very quickly. 3.9 seconds to 100 km/h to be exact. Those are the power figures of the updated RS6, a car that turns mommy and daddy into a superheroes.

Can it handle all that power?

All that power in a big body can get a bit scary to control, that is why Audi have had the car fitted with the Quattro suspension. On top of that the car utilises a smart centre differential which sends power to the wheel that needs it most depending on the situation. The car is kitted with an 8-Speed Tiptronic gearbox, which until a few years ago would have been a bad thing but the automatic gearboxes of today have in many ways rendered the manual obsolete, as sad as that is. If you really want to have a good time in your RS6, you can take the performance to the next level. This can be done through a dynamic package that gives you ceramic brakes and raises the top speed of the car to 305 km/h. This package only makes sense for those who will use their cars on the track, perhaps after fetching the kids from a sports game.

Verdict.

This segment of car is one that has some good choices to choose from. The Audi is a winner in terms of practicality since it is a station wagon. In terms of performance, the numbers from all competitors are very similar. The RS6’s price of around R 1.4 mil mark it also very similar to its German counterparts. It all boils down to preference at the end of the day. One thing is for sure, if you’re looking for something different, the RS6 has a definite edge to it. The stance of the car oozes aggression, it really looks like it’s about to attack. When it drives past you want to ask, is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a super wagon.