Progress through ferocity

What we like:

It’s flipping fast – words don’t describe just how. Also it rides like a limousine so your dog can enjoy the journey too.

What we dislike:

Double glazed windows cancel out everything

and I mean everything including the exhaust sounds.

Of course if you decide that that’s boring (which it isn’t because it’s actually a very nice, refined car to do any trip in) you can always take it to a twisty back road and throw the RS 6 around like a maniac.

The first thing you’ll notice is how willing the car is to turn into corners. The next thing you’ll find out is that this is no featherweight. Brakes work brilliantly to scrub off speed; pedal feel is excellent but there’s no escaping the heft of the car when you hit the brakes real hard. Steering is variable; the weight and ratio change according to speed and situation which is a little annoying because it never stays the same and you have to guess what sort of input you require.

Otherwise body control is excellent when you put the car in dynamic, which stiffens everything up and makes the car go like a bat out of hell when you depress the loud pedal. Unfortunately despite the sports exhaust you don’t hear too much, thanks to the double glazed windows that seal out the external environment with such aplomb. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still drone, pop, crackle, bang; but the cabin is as refined as an A6 should be which is part of the reason why it’s such a capable autobahn killer too.

The RS 6 is the kind of car that really does it all; no surprise then that it’s our High Performance Car of the year for 2015. While some high performance yet supposedly everyday cars tend to be rather singularly focussed, the RS 6 manages to contain distinct personalities and still not feel like a mixed bag. It’s comfortable, plenty spacious and yet can be a load of fun (and wet-your-pants-scary) when you want it to be. Shame not everybody loves a super-wagon.

Credits: Story and Photos by Alvan Sio