Audi ups the performance ante
What is faster than a Porsche 911, is more powerful than a McLaren 570S and grips better than a Ferrari 488 GTB, but has room for four adults and their luggage?
The answer is Audi's new RS6 Avant station wagon and its sleeker sister, the RS7 Sportback. When the internal combustion engine is finally laid to rest and electric has become the norm, Audi's 4-liter V8 block will be remembered as one of the greatest petrol-powered engines ever built.
And in the new models, the company's engineers have managed to eke out another 45bhp, meaning that total output is now a remarkable 597bhp -- that's 35bhp more than a McLaren 570S.
And even though all of that power is going via a Quattro four-wheel-drive system powering forward an executive family sedan with four doors and a trunk rather than a carbon fiber supercar, it means a 0-100kph time of just 3.7 seconds. That's enough to beat any current Porsche 911 Carrera off the mark. And the aforementioned Quattro system aligned to a sports differential will also make certain that no matter what the speed or direction, the car should stay stuck to the tarmac.
Like Mercedes and BMW, Audi likes to electronically restrict the top speed of its performance cars to 155mph (250kph) but even here, tick the right boxes and specify the dynamic package option -- which includes tauter suspension -- and those restrictions will be lifted, giving owners up to 189mph (304kph) under their right foot.
But even with the performance hike, thanks to cylinder-on-demand technology, which essentially shuts down four of the engine's eight cylinders when it's idling or in slow-moving or inner-city traffic, for example, the cars are somehow capable of returning over 29mpg (8L/100km) despite having 4-liter twin turbo V8s under their hoods.
The other advantage other than cabin space and creature comforts that the new Audis offer over supercars is that they're not fierce all of the time. The ride and the paddle-shift gear change can be set up for serenity as well as out-and-out speed.
Order books open in November and the first deliveries of the new super sedan and equally super station wagon are expected in February. And there's good news for North American Audi fans: these cars, unlike their forbears, will be crossing the Atlantic.
