War Wagons: 20 years of the Audi RS6

Push the throttle into the firewall and there is a brief hesitation as a pair of turbos spool up. I brace myself against the sculpted leather seats just as the boost kicks in, preparing myself to manhandle an manic rush of physics.

That moment never comes. Instead all four Bridgestone tyres grip up, and the Daytona Grey wagon – a dour silhouette that belies its mechanical potential – rides a sizeable wave of torque from 1950rpm toward redline, slotting another gear and reaching triple digits in well under five seconds.

Oh, did I mention this is a car from 2002? The The C5 RS6 is an oldtimer that can punch with the best of its modern equivalents.

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Two decades after its release, the C5 RS6’s performance potential hasn’t been softened by the passing of time. Even now, in an era of 500kW-plus weaponry, the original RS6 feels as potent and special as it did when it was revealed to the world at the Geneva International Motor Show at the turn of the century, becoming at the time Audi’s most powerful model to date.

The grey tarmac beneath the treads is the Icefield Parkway, one of North America’s most scenic routes, that winds its way along the Bow River through the towering vistas of the Canadian Rockies.

For today, this is the playground within which we will deploy the C5 RS6, with its three subsequent generations along for the ride to celebrate 20 years of Audi’s iconic nameplate. As far as birthday celebrations go, we were more than happy to take up the invite.

Even now, in an era of 500kW-plus weaponry, the original RS6 feels as potent and special as it did when it was revealed.

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Wary of being chased out of the country by speed-gun wielding, scarlet-jacketed Mounties, I ease off the throttle after standing on it from a dig. What was just moments ago 1865kg of hot, nasty metal striving for exit velocity has transformed into the calmest of cruisers.

If Audi was to capture the essence of its RS6 models, that snapshot is what it would distil. In the first ten seconds behind the wheel of the C5 I’ve gone from a standstill, to hauling ass, and finally to sublime cruising. It was as effortless as it was thrilling.

It’s an unfortunate reality of human nature that we are terrible at having a proper perspective on the progression of history. In isolation, twenty years is a sizeable chunk of time, but in the wider automotive world it’s undoubtedly a rather brief period.

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It’s certainly the briefest blip when set against the tectonic disagreement that created the mountains we’re driving through. But instead of getting diverted by the way these sedimentary peaks have risen like a bunching rug sliding on a hardwood floor, perhaps we should take stock and consider how the Audi RS6 has changed the automotive landscape, in a modest but undeniably definitive regard.

Wagons, particularly fast wagons, are a rare and dying breed. Few manufacturers have been willing to dip their toes into this particular niche product pond and, those that do, don’t tend to dive in all that enthusiastically. Then there is Audi, which revels in the genre, to the point of becoming synonymous with it.

🔮 February 2024: RS6 GT revealed as C8 swan song

Hey, it's Wheels phoning from the future. Audi has revealed a fitting finale for its C8 RS6, dubbed RS6 GT. Read about it at the featured story link below.

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There are long-roofed performance models that precede the RS6 in Audi’s history, namely the RS2 and RS4, but it is the RS6 that sits atop the totem pole of fast family haulers.

It’s a badge that has smacked both BMW’s M division and Mercedes-AMG in the chops with benchmark power figures paired with luxurious refinement. In latter generations, it even conquered the art of hunting apexes.

For its genesis, the RS6 playbook was clearly defined. Using an aluminium 4.2-litre twin-turbo V8, the C5 produced 331kW between 5700rpm and 6400rpm, and 580Nm across a plateau that stretched from 1950rpm all the way to 5600rpm.

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For its genesis, the RS6 playbook was clearly defined.

The powerhouse engine is mated to a five-speed torque converter automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels as is Quattro tradition. Even today, 331kW is a stack of power, with that exact output generated by a contemporary RS5. When it was launched in 2002, the C5 RS6 was more powerful than any road car that had sported the four rings.

While it’s often the peak power output that gains attention, the RS6’s torque is the true hero of the driving experience. It hits quickly, with turbo lag only a momentary intrusion from a standstill, and all but absent when rolling.

The ever-present godlike shove in the back means that whenever you decide to squeeze the C5’s throttle, you surge forward without fuss or flare. With an exception for the subtly flared arches and noting that few onlookers will be able to recall the RS6’s prodigious outputs upon seeing its sedan and Avant form, the audio-visual signature of the C5 is unadulterated sleeper.

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Fire the engine to life and the V8 burble is pleasant without being loutish. The first impressions are understated.

It’s a credit to Audi’s engineers that they possessed the clarity of vision for this model that four subsequent generations have followed in its footsteps with only gradual progressions, each improving the breed, raising the bar, and continuing the nameplate’s record of success with critics and consumers alike. Now, what other model does that remind you of?

Driving the C5 is an event, not because of anything overt but due to the way it hides its age. There are clues and hints to the fact this is a 20-year-old vehicle, but for the most part, the first RS6 offers a driving experience that plenty of modern machines could learn from.

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There’s a distinct weight to the steering. It’s not hefty, but instead dripping in feel and texture. The ride, which used cutting-edge for the time hydraulically linked dampers, is supple and refined. Noise suppression is superb, and the seats offer the kind of cushioning that would have me pointing the nose toward a way marker 1000km away just for the hell of it.

What ages C5 the most is the gearbox. It’s the only chink in the armour for what is a resoundingly complete package even by today’s lofty standards.

However, the five-speed auto lacks the sophistication to match the RS6’s ambitions.

Where the engine is a sweetly tuned sledgehammer ready to hit any nail you ask of it, the transmission is a rubber band that will see it bounce back at you. It can be too slow to kick down a gear on one throttle application, and then too eager on the next.

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Most jarring, though, is the clunk that emanates from the transmission tunnel after you lift off the throttle on a downhill. I winced in sympathy each time it happened.

Then came the follow-up album. The C5 was a remarkable debut, but the C6 was the show-stopping evolution. Bigger, faster, and to this day one of the most legendary models produced by Audi’s go-fast division. Have mercy on my soul, for today’s menu includes not one twin-turbo V10 powerhouse, but two.

First launched in 2008, the C6 took the RS6 badge to new heights. Before we get into the specifics of what the sophomore RS6 brought to the table, it’s important to understand what the competition was packing. BMW was sitting pretty with the E60 M5, a similarly V10-powered brute.

The C5 was a remarkable debut, but the C6 was the show-stopping evolution. Bigger, faster, and to this day one of the most legendary models produced by Audi’s go-fast division.

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No doubt the M Division was feeling pretty smug with their 373kW and 520Nm. Mercedes-AMG was sending off the W211 generation E-Class with the 378kW/630Nm 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8-powered E63, and preparing to bring in the W212 generation that would lift peak power output to 386kW.

How their faces must have dropped when Audi revealed the C6 RS6 to the world in all its 426kW/650Nm glory. The competition wasn’t just beaten, it had been blown out of the water.

The first of the two C6 RS6’s I have the privilege of driving is an early production sedan, finished in Nimbus Grey with a Cognac leather interior. It’s the only RS6 in the world with this particular combination.

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By way of explaining the unique specification, this used to be the company car of Stephan Reil – the former head of Audi Sport. Oh, and he’s riding shotgun. During our drive together he shares a number of fascinating insights from the C6’s development process.

Audi always knew that the second-generation RS6 would be fitted with a ten-cylinder engine from the moment it began development. At the time the company had access to a variety of 5.0-litre V10 engines, with the S6 featuring a naturally aspirated version of the engine (albeit one with a much lower redline than that fitted to the R8).

Under Audi Sport’s internal decree, all RS models must produce “at least” 100 horsepower more than the S variant in any particular vehicle family. Reil explains this left the engineers of the C6 with two options. The first was ready-made, with the R8’s 8500rpm naturally aspirated V10 clearing the 100hp barrier to the S6 with ease.

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The second proved a more considered technical package (not to mention the packaging nightmare) of wicking up power with the aid of two turbochargers. The fact the C6 unleashes every one of its available 650 Newton metres from 1500rpm all the way to 6250rpm is the easiest way to explain why option two won out.

We understand the reasoning behind Audi’s move to turbocharging, but just for a moment imagine what a screaming atmo V10-powered RS6 would have been like. Every school run would sound like a Grand Prix. As Reil and I discuss this hypothetically, I become acutely aware of the RS6’s refinement.

Those expecting a distinct ten-cylinder exhaust note will likely be disappointed by the C6. That same subdued auditory nature from the C5 continues here, with the engine doing its talking by propelling the RS6 to eye-watering speeds with ease rather than to a screaming exhaust soundtrack.

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There has been a persistent myth surrounding early generations of the RS6 when it came to their official top speed claims. On paper, the needle on the C5’s speedo was meant to stop moving at 250km/h. Out in the real world, owners have reported something closer to 270km/h before the C5 would run out of puff.

Same with the C6, with Audi’s official claim being 250km/h, or 274km/h with a factory option to unshackle the V10 from restrictions. In actuality, the derestricted top speed started with a three. This being Canada and not Germany with its glorious no-limit Autobahn, I don’t have the chance to go full Mythbusters and answer the question of the RS6’s true v-max potential.

But I do have Reil in the passenger seat and the child locks on. When I prod the former Audi Sport boss about these non-limiting limiters, he remains coy for the most part before a wry smile spreads across his face. “Maybe that wasn’t our best work,” he then admits with a hearty chuckle.

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While the engineering team may have knocked off early for a stein and some currywurst when signing off on the speed limiter, they had to be on their game for the engine management system. The twin-turbo V10 required some out-of-the-box thinking, with no ECU on the market at the time capable of running it appropriately.

To solve this problem, Audi used a pair of control units in a master-slave set-up. This mechanical IQ improvement carries over to the way the engine pairs with the transmission, which in this instance is a six-speed torque converter. The addition of the extra ratio over the C5, and half a decade of tech advancements does wonders for the C6.

Where the gearbox in the first RS6 feels like a hindrance, here it adds to the car’s overall feeling of unbreakable refinement and performance.

Fun fact, the RS6 has never been fitted with a dual-clutch as Audi felt an automatic was a more pragmatic solution given the amount of torque each generation produced.

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Advancements in suspension technology elevated the C6 to heights unattainable by the C5. Audi ironed out many of the reliability issues that beset the C5’s Dynamic Ride Control diagonally-linked hydraulic system, fitting the C6 with an updated system with tri-mode dampers.

Set it to its softest mode and the whole car breathes effortlessly over bumps and imperfections in the road, informing you without disturbing. Stiffen things up and you can feel the entire car tense.

Everything about the C6 feels unburstable. The steering has a rock-solid feel to it, pointing true and direct, requiring a deliberate input to turn the nose. Agile this car isn’t. It never feels lithe and light on its feet, instead reassuring you through its surefooted nature.

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Unlike modern Audis, there is plenty of meat on the bone in the steering, and it communicates its grip levels beautifully. There’s a strong caster effect, with the wheel eager to return to dead ahead, pushing back against you every time you pitch it into a corner.

Yes, there is a huge amount of weight over the nose which does require careful management but you weren’t expecting a full-size wagon with a twin-turbo V10 engine to be scalpel sharp, were you? This is a cruise missile. Simply identify your target, lock on the horizon and boogie.

An attempt was made to rectify some of those dynamic shortfalls with the ‘Plus’ variant that was added to the line-up near the end of the C6’s production. I get to experience this in the C6 RS6 Avant. It feels somewhat odd to climb over heavily bolstered bucket seats in a wagon, but at the same time oh so right.

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Supplied by Recaro, the leather upholstered sports seats are some of the snuggest yet most comfortable seats I’ve experienced, offering supreme support for when you want to grab the C6 by the scruff of the neck.

But ultimately, much like the sad pile of green salad left shamefully on the plate after you’ve devoured a full rack of ribs and chips, the C6 Plus can’t overcome the dominant character traits of this generation RS6.

Enter the C7, which in 2013 became a fulfilment of the RS6’s true potential. For the first time, Audi’s cruise missile now had laser targeting for apexes. Audi unlocked a new level of dynamicism with the third generation and had to make hard concessions in order to do so. Gone was the V10, replaced by a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8.

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Audi unlocked a new level of dynamicism with the third generation and had to make hard concessions in order to do so. Gone was the V10, replaced by a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8.

That decision was the start of the internal headaches. There was an almighty internal fight between the engineers and marketing department to get the C7 concept signed off. On one side of the meeting room were the engineers, adamant that dropping a pair of cylinders and 20 horsepower would result in a fundamentally improved vehicle.

On the other side was the marketing department, pulling their hair out on how to sell customers on a new generation with a downsized engine and less power. But ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ is not just marketing chuff, it’s a spirit that permeates Audi’s town within a town at Ingolstadt.

Eventually, the marketers conceded and the engineers were given a remit to prove themselves right with new technologies.

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The correct decision was made, with the C7 RS6 a more complete package, doing more with less. Despite its loss of capacity, cylinders, and power, the bump in torque allowed it to accelerate to 100km/h in 3.9 seconds, faster than any generation before it.

It was also more efficient, sipping fuel rather than guzzling it thanks to smarter engine management and the inclusion of cylinder deactivation. You’ll be cruising along at highway speeds in the C7, the engine barely registering a tick over 1500rpm, and then a little green light will illuminate in the instrument cluster, informing you that half the cylinders have shut down.

Just a slight stab of the throttle prompts the four dormant cylinders to rejoin the party with vigour. This 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 feels more alive than the two engines that preceded it. It revs more eagerly, responds faster, and sounds angrier to boot. Audi even restored its power advantage with a 445kW Performance version; still the most potent RS6 of them all.

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It revs more eagerly, responds faster, and sounds angrier to boot.

From the moment you thumb the starter button, you are made acutely aware of the fact this RS6 means business. It comes alive with a flare of revs followed by a series of quick and bass-heavy burbles. The C7 also feels lighter on its feet, more willing to dart into a corner as directed.

This improved feeling of agility is aided by markedly lighter steering, as well as a quicker overall ratio.

But there are always improvements to be found, which is highlighted by the C8. Launched in 2020, it cuts a more striking figure than any of the other assembled RS6 generations.

Aggression seeps from every sharply creased panel. In order to amp up the visual attitude, sacrifices were made, particularly with the rear roofline that now slopes aggressively instead of being more upright.

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As the proud owner of a horse-sized dog, I can safely tell you that the current C8 RS6 isn’t the warp-speed K9 hauler of its forebearers, with the slanted rear glass cutting into Fido’s headroom.

What hasn’t been compromised is the C8’s refinement, which is better than ever. Our tester, painted in the same Daytona Grey hue as the C5, rides on air suspension. The ride is brilliant, with a plush nature that makes the current RS6 a brilliant daily driver proposition.

Yet it retains impressive body control for a two-tonne beast, remaining composed when hustled and able to scare even serious sportscars with its performance capabilities. Then there is the infotainment system, which seems like science fiction compared to the basic units of the C5 and C6. Hell, even the C7 feels rudimentary compared to the slick dual haptic screens in the C8.

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Two decades of evolution have made the RS6 what it is today – an astoundingly well-rounded performance car. The generational development of the three previous iterations can be felt clearly in the way the C8 drives.

Press the throttle and there’s that same slight pause (now briefer than ever) before a wave of boost carries you down the road faster than you’d ever expect.

That Audi has been selling its monstrously powerful RS6 to an eager customer base for two decades is well worth celebration and driving the four generations back-to-back-to-back-to-back is enlightening.

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Each finely balances power with pragmatism, hindsight illustrating a gradual evolution that brought improvements in refinement, comfort, speed and agility. Twenty years isn’t a particularly long time in the automotive world. It’s less than a quarter of the time that Audi has existed.

But it’s long enough for the RS6 to be refined into something to be cherished. The future of the RS6, and its do-everything attitude, will be aided not hindered by the now-inexorable switch to electrification. What will the RS6 family look like in 2042?

Faster, no doubt. More efficient, certainly. Meandering in the wilderness? Only if you drive it there.

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When 441kW isn’t enough

While we think of the C8 as still being relatively fresh, it’s almost halfway through its expected lifespan. The base model A6 family has been given a mid-life refresh, but the RS6 model will remain on sale without a facelift until the very end.

But what you see now isn’t the end for this generation. Audi is working on a pair of additional variants for its iconic nameplate. We’d expect the first to be announced by the end of 2022, which is likely to be the more powerful ‘Performance’ version with more power and a greater dynamic focus in its tyres, brakes and suspension.

There is then likely to be one more variant added to the C8 RS6 family, which isn’t due until near the very end of the model’s production. What it is we don’t know, beyond being told it is “very special”.

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What’s next for the RS6?

It’s clear from driving all four generations of RS6 that Audi has a very clear idea of what makes an RS6 – and what doesn’t. This puts the model in good stead as the wider motoring landscape goes through a seismic shift towards electrification.

When the C8 shuffles off this mortal coil, likely near the end of 2025 or early 2026, its replacement will be a plug-in hybrid. The C9 is expected to offer the best of both worlds, with a powerful combustion engine for the noise and theatre, while a battery and electric motors allow for silent travel on-demand.

For the C10, the combustion engine will have taken its final bow, and the first full-electric RS6 will launch.

The next twenty years are likely to bear witness to a progression for the RS6 nameplate that will make the first two decades looks distinctly stagnant.

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Living up to expectations

Understanding where the six in RS6 comes from is easy – it’s a link to the base A6 model that each generation is based on. And sure, everyone knows that the fastest Audi models are badged RS, but that two-letter nomenclature actually means something.

RennSport – literally ‘Racing Sport’. Unlike more recent RS models, the RS6 earned its RennSport stripes on track.

The C5 is the only generation of RS6 to get an official racing program, racing in a support category to the American Le Mans series to great success before the Yanks – you guessed it – banned all-wheel drive cars from competing. For Audi, this is the way.