Category: Exotic Sports 
Price Range: £77,730 to £77,730
Hugely powerful V10 engine, fantastic acceleration, loads of space.
Understeers too readily, thirsty, not enough rawness.
A very good car, but not the superb machine we were hoping for.
Driving the RS6 is certainly a memorable experience: after all, it's not every day that you get in an estate car with 572bhp at your disposal.
And the resulting performance is remarkable. Taking a car that weighs 2,025kg and hitting 62mph from a standing start faster than most current versions of the Porsche 911 takes some doing. Care must be taken when unleashing the power, though, as the rev limiter cuts in abruptly at 6,750rpm - which comes as a surprise the first couple of times you give the car its head, as we expected an engine as high-revving as the RS4's.
The RS6 can still really shift all that weight, however, thanks to the two turbochargers (one per cylinder bank) and a power band ranging 1,000-6,250rpm. Squeeze the throttle, irrespective of the gear, and there's an immediate response, pushing you back into your seat and allowing you to watch the dial on the speedo rise at an unreal rate. All accompanied by what sounds like the deep rumbling bass of thunder: we would have liked a little bit more rawness, but there's too much sound deadening going on.
The tiptronic gearbox in the RS6 provides instantaneous responses to the steering wheel-mounted paddles or gear lever, reinforcing Audi's reputation for excellent automatic transmissions. It's also very flattering: when changing down, the throttle is blipped automatically, creating a wonderful sound and the impression that there's a pro at the wheel.
One downside to all that power is that the front wheels have a tendency to lose some grip, causing the car to understeer - which comes as something of a disappointment after the RS4's unflappable on-road manners.
The rack and pinion steering is light at low speeds and weights up above 30mph or so, thanks to servotronic power assistance. Disappointingly, but not unexpectedly for an Audi, the steering also lacks the feel and feedback you'd hope for from a car like the RS6.
Thankfully, both brake options are highly effective in stopping the RS6. Steel discs come as standard, with six-piston fixed callipers on the front wheels and single-piston floating callipers on the rear. There's also the option of ceramic brakes, made from a composite of carbon fibre and silicon carbide. Both offer nicely progressive stopping power and plenty of bite, even when braking at high speed.
