Audi RS 6 Avant and RS7 get performance Trim for 2024

Audi RS 7 Sportback performance, Audi RS 6 Avant performance

The new performance versions of Audi’s RS 6 Avant and RS 7 follow a familiar formula — more power, less weight.

Few folks are going to accuse Audi’s RS 6 Avant and RS 7 of being underpowered. But as the old saying goes, there’s no kill like overkill. So for the 2024 model year, Ingolstadt is sharpening up its lovely longroof and sexy Sportback with new performance versions. First, there’s more power on tap. In each model, the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 has been stoked to 621 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of twist, which is up 30 ponies over the standard models. Audi says the additional poke shaves 2/10ths off the zero-to-62 sprint.

An eight-speed gearbox is still on the menu, but it’s been tweaked for faster shifting, and it now pumps power to a new self-locking center differential. In standard conditions, the mechanical diff has a slight rear bias, with 60 percent of power going to the back tires and 40 percent to the front. If the system detects slippage, however, it can flip the script, and send 70 percent to the front, and 85 percent to the back. To improve steering feel, the new unit is both lighter and smaller than the standard model’s.

Plus, the new performance versions also come with Audi’s RS Dynamic Package as standard. That means four-wheel steering and a quattro sport differential are included, and the top speed has been raised to 180 mph. Drivers looking for even more top end can opt for the RS Dynamics Package plus, which bumps max velocity to 190 mph. This upgrade also adds ceramic brakes to the mix, and along with fade-free stopping power, they’re a whopping 75 pounds lighter than their steel counterparts. For visual pop, the calipers can be finished in gray, red, or blue.

Of course, there have been some visual tweaks too. In comparison to standard models, the mirrors, front spoiler, front side flaps, side sill inserts, roof rails, window trim, and rear diffuser are finished in matte gray. An available optics package swaps the matte gray roof rails and window trim for black versions, and Audi’s famous Four Rings logo can be rendered in either chrome or black. Metallic and matte Ascari Blue and matte Dew Silver are new additions to the exterior finish options, which makes for a total of 16 choices.

Additionally, the cabins of the RS 6 Avant and RS 7 performance models get some unique options. Along with the standard RS red and gray, buyers can also opt for Mercato blue accents on the floor mats, center console, and gear selector. This option also comes with blue seat belts and like the gray and red packages, the color will also be used behind the perforation on the seats, to give the interior a cohesive feel. Look for the performance trims to arrive in American Audi showrooms sometime next year.

Photos: Audi

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Top 5 Audi Cars of the 2000s

Audi RS 4 Lineup

The top 5 Audi cars of the 2000s continued Audi’s revitalization, which featured styling and performance as the hallmarks of the brand.

Ten short years had transformed Audi’s fortunes. The company that once debated pulling out of the U.S. market in the 1990s was now going full steam in the 2000s. A revamped upscale product line competed with other luxury brands, including BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz. The factory racing team dominated motor racing with nine outright wins at Le Mans. To capitalize on that success, Audi revived the RS performance line, which eventually permeated every model in its lineup.

5. 8J Audi TT

2007 Audi TT

An all-new second-generation Audi TT Coupe launched in 2007. It retained the style of the previous car but with a more handsome, masculine look. That look also set the tone for the other Audi models that followed. The revised trapezoidal grille found its way to all of the other cars in its lineup. Interiors shed large amounts of wood veneer in favor of various metals. The TT also became more performance-focused with sharper reflexes, more powerful engines, and eventually, S and RS models. It was no longer just a pretty car. Now it was bolder with the performance to back it up.

Mark Webb is fascinated by anything automotive and particularly loves cars that are unusual or have a good story. He’s owned a variety of cars from 60’s muscle, Japanese imports, and oddities like a VW Thing and Porsche 924. After 20 years in the automotive and tech industries, he’s a walking encyclopedia of car info and is always on the lookout for his next project or a good road trip.

Wagon Wunderkind: Audi RS 8 Avant Rendering Has Us Dreaming Big

RS 8 AvantAudi RS 6 Avant is here and can do all of those things. Audi currently has an impressive lineup of cars and even in that lineup the RS 6 Avant stands out as one of the most desirable. Now, let’s go back to dream mode for a little bit. Let’s dial up that 6 to an 8. What if Audi produced an RS 8 Avant? What would that be like?

It may still be a dream, but an incredible rendering of an RS 8 Avant was recently revealed on the hycade YouTube channel. Our jaws have still not closed. There is nothing wrong with the RS 6 Avant we have of course. But why not dream a little more? It is just a rendering, not an Audi concept so we are in full fantasy mode here. But the good part of that is that we have freedom to make this what we want in our own minds. So, what would an Audi RS 8 Avant really be like?

Looks

RS 8 Avant

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Audi Celebrates 20 Years of the RS 6

4 Gens of RS 6

Audi celebrates the 20th anniversary of the iconic RS 6 with a look back at the previous generations and a look forward to 2022.

Twenty years ago Audi launched the RS 6. More than just a competitor to the BMW M5, it is a car for all road conditions. Configured as a sedan or wagon (Avant) it combines sports car performance with everyday practicality. Truly a car for all occasions, the RS 6 is not only the ultimate car in Audi’s midsize lineup but the zenith of what a midsize car can be.

The formula has remained consistent across the years. Take the Audi A6, add obscene amounts of horsepower and all-wheel-drive, and go hunting for Porsches. There’s more to it than that of course – Audi has a secret sauce that includes Dynamic Ride Control and other features which keeps the wheels planted and provides a comfortable ride.

What’s your favorite RS 6 generation?
Join the discussion HERE in our forums!

2002 to 2004 Audi RS 6 (C5)

2002 RS 6 Avant

Highlights:

  • 4.2-liter V8 jointly developed by Audi GmbH and Cosworth
  • First car with Audi’s Dynamic Ride Control (DRC)
  • Won the North American SPEED World Challenge GT Series in 2002, 2003, and 2004

Looking to infuse the spirit of the RS 4  into the A6, Audi stuffed a 444-horsepower twin-turbo 4.2 liter V8 under the hood. Paired with a 5-speed automatic Tiptronic gearbox and Audi’s Dynamic Ride Control the result was explosive performance. 0 to 60 mph took only 4.7 seconds on the way to a 167 mph “limited” top speed. More impressively is how DRC reduced roll and pitch in performance driving. Not only could the RS 6 compete with the BMW M5, Jaguar S-Type R, and Mercedes AMG E55, but was unmatched in all-weather driving.

To showcase the RS 6, Audi took it racing. At the hands of Randy Pobst, it won the SPEED World Challenge GT Series in three successive years. But while its performance capabilities and racing pedigree are successful, it’s the refinement of the whole car that makes it special.

2008 to 2010 Audi RS 6 (C6)

2008 RS 6 & RS 6 Avant

Highlights:

  • 5.0-liter V10 with dry-sump lubrication
  • First RS with adjustable shock absorbers
  • Limited run of 500 RS 6 plus Sport & Audi RS 6 plus Exclusive

Audi followed up the C5 RS 6 with the C6 in 2008. Setting its sights again on the M5, the company took the Audi R8’s V10 and bumped the horsepower to 571. As a result, 0-60 mph times dropped to 4.5 seconds and the car could reach 188 mph on the track. Unlike the subdued twin-turbo V8 in the previous RS 6, the new car’s V10 made feral noises to go with its power.

More impressively, handling improved from the C5. Audi retained the DRC suspension and added adjustable shock absorbers allowing the ride to be changed using one of three settings. Now the driver could select a softer setting for comfort, a firm setting for performance, or a middle setting somewhere in between those extremes.

2013 to 2018 Audi RS 6 (C7)

2013 RS 6

Highlights:

  • 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8
  • First RS with fully automatic air suspension and cylinder deactivation
  • Performance model produces 603-horsepower

For the C7 Audi dialed back the crazy, returning to the twin-turbo V8. The move was regarded as a step back by enthusiasts but more in step with the times. But even the worse critics were silenced by the performance. Reduced weight thru the use of more aluminum and a retuned V8 in the Performance model increased horsepower to 603 and dropped 0-60 mph times to 3.7 seconds. The new 8-speed Tiptronic gearbox not only aided in this performance but combined with cylinder-deactivation, provided significantly improved fuel economy.

What stands out about the C7 Audi RS 6 is the level of refinement when compared to the first two generations. It’s every bit as capable as the older cars and then some. But it’s also comfortable and familiar and more user-friendly. The air suspension works magic providing a pleasant ride in the soft setting and going full-on track ready in performance mode.

2022 Audi RS 6 (C8)

2022 RS 6 Avant

Highlights:

  • Unique RS 6 only styling
  • 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8
  • 48-volt mild hybrid system and rear-axle steering

You wouldn’t be blamed if you thought of the 2022 Audi RS 6 as a refined and improved version of the C7. The V8 engine stayed at 4.0 liters of displacement. Performance numbers are similar as well – 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 190 mph. But what those numbers don’t tell you is how much better the car actually is to drive. Not only does the current RS 6 feel more capable at hunting down a Porsche 911 in any weather conditions, but it’s much more liveable every day.

It also looks different. Unlike previous generations of the RS 6 which had flared fenders and revised front and rear end facias, the new RS 6 has a different body. Every panel except for the doors and roof is unique to the RS 6. Yet it retains the same aesthetics as the older cars. Because regardless of the year and generation, each RS 6 is clearly related because of how it looks and how it drives. It is still one of the most capable performance cars in any driving condition and still at the zenith of what a midsize car can be.

Photos: Audi USA

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Mark Webb is fascinated by anything automotive and particularly loves cars that are unusual or have a good story. He’s owned a variety of cars from 60’s muscle, Japanese imports, and oddities like a VW Thing and Porsche 924. After 20 years in the automotive and tech industries, he’s a walking encyclopedia of car info and is always on the lookout for his next project or a good road trip.

Family Squabbles: RS 3 vs RS 5 vs RS 6 Avant!

Audi RS 3 vs Audi RS 6 vs Audi RS 5

What was to have been a three-way drag and roll battle between RS trio goes astray when supposedly detuned RS 6 Avant arrives tuned to 11.

Which Audi RS is Best Audi RS? It’s a question that’s hard to answer. After all, some are happy with the RS 3’s small size and performance. Others, meanwhile, might need the room an RS 6 Avant or RS Q8 offer to go with the performance. Even the midsize RS 5 and RS 7 Sportback bring their own reasons for existing to the performance table. It’s truly hard to choose the overall best from the best.

YouTuber Sam CarLegion recently attempted to answer that question in a three-way battle between the RS 3, the RS 5, and the RS 6 Avant. However, the biggest of the bunch brought a shotgun when it was supposed to bring a knife to the fight.

Audi RS 3 vs Audi RS 6 vs Audi RS 5

“This one is quite interesting,” said Sam. “It’s a bit scary, too, because I haven’t done that many high-performance cars […] I kind of have an idea of who is going to win this, but I might be wrong, because I’ve been wrong before. We’re just here to have fun, but we also find out how these things are against each other.”

Sam’s bet, of course, is on the RS 6 Avant. After all, it packs 591 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque to the corners. However, you might’ve noticed the BHP stat on the Audi reading as “unknown.” That’s because the white whale had a tune, one that was supposed to be flashed back to OEM prior to the meeting.

About that…

Audi RS 3 vs Audi RS 6 vs Audi RS 5

“The reason the RS 6 is that fast is because it’s tuned,” Sam writes above. “I was told that the car would be returned to stock engine for this video, but it evidently wasn’t.”

In response to a comment, Sam says he didn’t know it was still tuned until the end of the day. Thus, the real battle was between the RS 3 and RS 5 Sportback. In normal mode, the lighter RS 3 pulls away on the first and second runs. Once Sam learns how to make the most of the RS 5, though, he takes the third run in full sport mode. The fourth drag and single roll runs, however, belong to the RS 3.

Audi RS 3 vs Audi RS 6 vs Audi RS 5

“Looking at the video and all that, I think the RS 6 is definitely tuned,” said Sam. “It makes a lot more horsepower than these two, which technically doesn’t make it a fair video. I wasted my money and my time […] people weren’t honest with me.”

We’d love to see this battle again, but this time with an honest RS 6 Avant owner. That guy didn’t need to flex so hard, after all; his rig would’ve been enough without the tune installed.

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Cameron Aubernon’s path to automotive journalism began in the early New ’10s. Back then, a friend of hers thought she was an independent fashion blogger.

Aubernon wasn’t, so she became one, covering fashion in her own way for the next few years.

From there, she’s written for: Louisville.com/Louisville Magazine, Insider Louisville, The Voice-Tribune/The Voice, TOPS Louisville, Jeffersontown Magazine, Dispatches Europe, The Truth About Cars, Automotive News, Yahoo Autos, RideApart, Hagerty, and Street Trucks.

Aubernon also served as the editor-in-chief of a short-lived online society publication in Louisville, Kentucky, interned at the city’s NPR affiliate, WFPL-FM, and was the de facto publicist-in-residence for a communal art space near the University of Louisville.

Aside from her contributions to Audi World, Aubernon can be found all through the IB Auto Group family, including 6 Speed Online, LS1Tech, and Team Speed. She also has her own independent automotive blog, Aubernon Highway.

Aubernon can be reached through her public Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts. She is wary of those she doesn’t already know, though; thus, she may not respond to messages sent.

Aubernon is a member of the International Motor Press Association, and the Washington Automotive Press Association.