India’s apathy towards estate cars, unreasonable as it may seem, will be put to the test with the Audi RS 6 Avant, one of the hottest sport wagons on the planet and a genuine family express. We put it through the grind to put things in perspective, and to tell you how to be a great dad while we’re at it.
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
Some kids are extremely afraid of dogs, so much so that they tend to get petrified at the sight of one. Of course, this stems from their upbringing. Their parents tell them not to venture too close to anyone belonging to the canine species for they may get bitten, or, worse still, get rabies. The fear is instilled from an early age and it grows, even evolves, with time. The same can be said for our car market. No-one wants to try something new, yet everyone wants something different. That’s probably one of the root causes for the endless variants and cosmetic jobs rampant in the industry. The popular hatchbacks from overseas are held back because of the four-metre rule, but the estates, they’re good to sell; the problem is that many choose social perception of status over outright practicality and end up with a half-hearted sedan rather than a properly fun, reliable and practical car. Of course, there are those who know what it’s about, and then, there’s the RS 6.
The second-generation car may have been offered with a sedan option, but over 80 per cent of production numbers were Avant estate models. The popularity of the A6 Avant in Europe — in fact, that of estate models in general — is very high. Not only do they offer immense practicality, space and flexibility with various loads, they are just as good to drive. Then there are those that take the whole experience to another level. More power, better dynamic ability and driving pleasure, with the same kind of comfort and practicality. Sounds like a win-win, doesn’t it?
When the A6 Avant gets treated by the good folk in the company’s RS division, things change. A lot. The front-end looks familiar, because, well, it’s an A6 after all, but now has Matrix LED headlamps with LED signatures. The massive 21” wheels with equally humongous 285/30 Continental rubber fill up the side view till one notices the roof-line not sloping over the rear window. It’s nearly five metres long and two metres wide, so its proportions are generous, to say the least. Having an ‘RS’ badge also means that the RS 6 gets a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged, direct-injection V8 with all of 560 PS and 700 Nm of torque — that’s two cylinders, one litre of displacement, and 19 PS less than the previous car, the C6 — but also 50 Nm more. Let’s not forget, it’s a shade over two tonnes, and packs in more of everything, both hardware and software.
