Wagons are an endangered species. For the better part of two decades SUVs have been on the rise, becoming the default choice of families as they come in an increasing variety of sizes, prices and performance.
Wagons arguably offer just as much practicality with a better driving experience and improved fuel economy, but the reality is the largest sector of the community that loves wagons are motoring journalists. My colleagues love to question car company executives on the likelihood of more wagon variants of whatever new sedan or hatch is launched, and said executives try to find a polite way of saying ‘why would we bother doing that?!’ Knowing full well that motoring journalists rarely dip into their own pockets to buy a new car.
Personally, I like a wagon for all of the above mentioned reasons about practicality and the driving dynamics, but I’m self-aware enough to know that my own preferences do not align with the wider car buying public, who simply prefer the high-riding SUVs. There are loads of good SUVs too, with demand fueling a diversity of choice, as any good free market should do.
And the market has decided that wagons are yesterday’s heroes and need to take a trip to the big car park in the sky.
Except this one I’m driving – the Audi RS6 Avant.
If there was one car company that has done more for the advancements of wagons and the idea that a station wagon can be a ‘cool’ and ‘desirable’ car it’s Audi. Since the original Porsche-fettled RS2 Avant appeared on the scene in the early 1990s, the four-ring brand has made it its business to make the fastest load-luggers in the world.
Its latest offering is the RS6 Avant Performance and it’s nothing short of remarkable. Packing a 463kW/850Nm twin-turbo V8 engine, an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel drive, this is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Or, at least it would be if it didn’t come with a unique Audi Sport bodykit, complete with pumped out guards filled with 22-inch alloy wheels, which combine to give it a muscular look that makes it clear, even when standing still, that this is a serious performance car.
Turn it on and the V8 barks into life but has a subtle burble that speaks to the refined nature of Audi. But, whenever you need power – and lots of it – the RS6 delivers. And keeps on delivering. It builds with ruthless efficiency and a relentlessness that few other performance cars can match – even those with just two doors. Its claimed 0-100km/h time is just 3.4 seconds, which is just 0.2 seconds off Audi’s supercar, the R8 V10 Plus.
Thanks to Audi’s trademark ‘quattro’ all-wheel drive system, it never has any trouble delivering that power to the road either. There’s never any scrambling for grip or loss of traction, at least when you’ve got the stability controls systems turned on. Although, as I’ve been lucky enough to discover in previous models, when you find yourself in a safe space (namely a racetrack) and you turn off the stability control, the RS6 Avant has enough grunt to totally overwhelm its tyres and turn into an all-wheel drive drift machine. It may have space for the family, but this Audi knows how to have fun when the kids are safely at home.
Even though it’s a full-size wagon, the RS6 impresses with its handling too. On a winding country road it will keep you as entertained as any conventional sports sedan, and with its power it will probably leave many trailing in its tracks.
The biggest selling point of the car though is its duality, because for all of its performance and dynamics it is still a spacious and comfortable luxury family car. There’s room for three small kids or two older ones in the back, plus the big boot to take all your luggage needs.
Audi continues to produce some of the most stylish and premium interiors in its class, and the RS6 Avant is no exception. From the thick-rimmed wheel to the body-hugging sports seats and the combination of technology and high-quality materials the RS6 feels every inch a luxury masterpiece.
It needs to impress though, for the asking price, a staggering $241,500 (plus on-road costs) which means it not only performs like a supercar but costs about the same.
But the RS6 Avant is a ‘normal’ wagon like the ones the majority of the population have grown tired of, including myself. While I wasn’t sad about the demise of the Toyota Camry wagon, Ford Focus Estate or other similar mundane load-luggers, I hope Audi never abandoned its heritage.
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