2024 Audi RS6 Avant
Starting at $126.895
HIGHSMuscular bodywork, as quick as many supercars, trunk space galore.
LOWSPoor fuel efficiency, high starting price, iffy climate-control touchscreen.
VERDICTIt may not be cheap, but the RS6 Avant's spacious long-roof body and face-melting performance make it a unique jack-of-all-trades.
Overview
You might think that 591 horsepower would be enough for the Audi RS6 Avant, but apparently, it was not. For 2024, Audi decided to crank the dial, replacing last year's RS6 Avant with a new Performance model that promises a ludicrous 621 ponies. The new variant also weighs less, so acceleration should prove sufficiently brutal. And yet, the RS6 Avant's search for more power changes nothing about its impressive practicality, comfortably seating five in an interior replete with rich materials and plenty of trendy technology. There's plenty of space to store cargo behind the power rear liftgate, too. The RS6 Avant remains a niche choice adrift in a sea of performance-oriented SUVs like the BMW X5 M, as the station wagon's only true competitor comes in the form of the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo. While the curvaceous look of the Porsche may appeal to some, the RS6 Avant's brawny, hard-edged design is also one of its biggest selling points. We like it so much that we gave it an Editors' Choice award again for 2024.
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What's New for 2024?
The RS6 Avant is offered only in the new Performance trim for 2024, boosting the V-8's horsepower and torque while making some revisions to the chassis. The Performance model also sheds several pounds, wears new 285-width Continental Sport Contact 7 tires, and adds some new colors. There's also a special Bronze Edition variant that wears glossy carbon-fiber exterior trim, bronze stitching throughout its leather interior, and a Bang & Olufsen stereo system. Audi has also given the Bronze Edition model unique 22-inch bronze-colored wheels, a sport exhaust system, and a special suspension tune. Only 75 will be made and they cost $159,695
Pricing and Which One to Buy
The price of the 2024 Audi RS6 Avant starts at $126.895 and goes up to $159.695 depending on the trim and options.
Unless you want a gray car, you'll have to pay extra for a different paint color. We'd have ours sprayed in the pretty Navarra Blue Metallic. We'd also select the Black Optic package, which gives the wagon an even more sinister look with black exterior bits and snazzy 22-inch wheels on summer performance tires. Those who want their Avant to reach 190 mph will have to shell out for carbon-ceramic brakes, but we'd spend that money on massage chairs up front and the Executive package (more leather-covered surfaces, heated rear seats, soft-close doors, and a head-up display). Of course, our wagon needs the optional sport exhaust so we can revel in its intoxicating engine sounds.
Engine, Transmission, and Performance
Audi endows the RS6 Avant Performance with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8, which generates 621 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. The powerplant combines with a 48-volt hybrid system that's found on other Audi products, such as the A8 luxury sedan and the Q8 crossover. The RS6 Avant Performance feeds its standard Quattro all-wheel drive through an eight-speed automatic transmission. The RS6 Avant Performance lightweight wheels and a revised center differential. But those numbers don't accurately demonstrate the wagon's glorious ability to increase our heart rates and tingle our eardrums with its breakneck acceleration and badass soundtrack. Rolling on a set of 22-inch wheels with summer performance rubber and buoyed by a sport-tuned air suspension with adaptive dampers, our RS6 Avant test car was able to deliver a relaxed or rollicking ride depending on the selected drive mode. The long-roof Audi also felt extremely agile thanks to its four-wheel steering and torque-vectoring rear differential. Ours stopped from 70 mph in a tidy 160 feet with the standard brakes. A set of front and rear carbon-ceramic stoppers are available for a sizable sum, and the upgrade unlocks a higher top speed of 190 mph.