Audi thrives on six appeal

Audi's twin-turbo V10 RS6 could have been made to sneak up on unsuspecting victims at the lights — but that is not its raison d'etre. Unveiled as what must surely be the world's fastest family wagon, the RS6 is now being offered in sedan guise and will arrive in Australia early next year.

Pricing is yet to be settled, with uncertainty about the proposed 8 per cent increase in the luxury car tax playing a role in that.

However, with the RS6 Avant priced at $259,000, the sedan is likely to be in the low $250,000 range.

The RS cars in general — and the RS6 in particular — are showcases for what Audi's go-fast technicians can do with a luxury donor.

The 5.0-litre twin-turbo V10 engine packs a massive 426kW and 650Nm of urge from just 1500rpm right through to 6250rpm.

Getting that punch out on to the road is the work of the lauded quattro all-wheel-drive and a six-speed Tiptronic gearbox tweaked to provide shift times commensurate with the supercar performance.

At the heart of the car, the V10 is a very hi-tech work of art, bundling together Audi's technologies such as FSI direct fuel injection, dry-sump lubrication and twin turbos. That technology allows the RS6 a 0-100km/h sprint in 4.5 seconds on the way to an electronically-governed top speed of 250km/h.

Standard on the car will be Audi's Dynamic Ride Control (DRC), which reduces pitch and roll using hydraulics. When combined with the sports suspension plus, DRC offers a choice of three selectable damper settings — sport, dynamic and comfort.

The standard ESP has a relatively high activation threshold to encourage a dynamic driving style without compromising safety.

Standard equipment for Australia will include the MMI control centre with colour monitor and TV reception, advanced key entry, electric glass sunroof, Audi navigation, dual-zone deluxe automatic airconditioning, an acoustic parking assistant at front and rear, three-spoke, multifunction leather sports steering wheel with flat-bottomed rim and a Bose surround sound system.