The Audi RS6 Avant is a great all-around car; it’s fast, luxurious, practical, and it’s been updated with even more power. Today I’m reviewing this new Audi RS6 Performance and I’ll show you the many quirks and features. I’m also going to get behind the wheel and show you what it’s like to drive.
source.image: Doug DeMuro
The new Performance derivative of this vehicle introduces bespoke styling, a matte grey exterior finish on the mirrors, spoilers and roof rails, as well as – as the name suggests – increased performance. The optional 22-inch five-Y-spoke forged and milled lightweight wheels reduce unsprung mass by 11 pounds and are offered in the three different finishes. The 2024 RS6 Avant Performance earns its “performance” moniker by increasing power from 591 hp to 621 hp and increasing torque from 590 lb-ft to 627 lb-ft over the 2021 RS6.
Audi powertrain engineers accomplished this by adding larger turbos to the 4.0-liter V-8 and increasing boost by 3 psi. All that power gets fed to all four wheels and eight-speed tiptronic automatic gearbox and Quattro all-wheel drive. Audi remains at the top of its interior game with the RS6 Avant, giving the Performance model a few special touches to separate it from the standard car, erything else on the inside is the same as before, meaning lots of leather, Alcantara, and screens.
Advertisement
There are no physical buttons for climate control, which is a bummer, and the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster can be over-cluttered at times. The steering wheel is finished in suede-like Dinamica as standard. Shifting gears in manual mode, meanwhile, can be done via wheel-mounted paddles and while that’s great, it would be nice if they’d been given a real aluminum or carbon finish as opposed to plastic.
