Image: Audi
Image: Audi
Image: Audi
Image: Audi
Image: Audi
New ModelsBy: Siyavuya Mbaduli
Audi has announced that it will become a pure electric car company in 2026, but before that, the Four Rings is launching the Performance versions of its RS6 Avant and RS7 Sportback featuring an upgraded version of the V8 engine.
Image: Audi
Audi endows the RS6 Avant with a twin-turbocharged 4,0-litre V8, which generates 463 kW of power and a maximum torque of 850 N.m. The RS6 Avant performance will go from rest to 100 km/h in just 3,4 seconds, making it 0,2 seconds faster than the base model.
Power from the engine flows through a standard eight-speed Tiptronic with faster shifting times to the permanent all-wheel drive Quattro. The strictly mechanical centre differential distributes engine power to the rear axle at a ratio of 40:60 and if slippage occurs, more drive torque is automatically applied to the axle with better traction. The Audi drive select dynamic handling system lets the driver control the vehicle’s character. Six profiles are available, efficiency, comfort, auto, and dynamic, as well as two customizable RS-specific RS1 and RS2 modes.
Image: Audi
The new RS6 is available in a total of 16 exterior colours. For the first time, metallic and matte Ascari Blue and matte Dew Silver are included. Audi’s updated performance model stands out with standard RS exterior components in matte grey, including 22-inch high-performance wheels, exterior mirrors, the front spoiler, front side flaps, roof rails and the trim on the side windows and rear diffuser. A matte carbon/black optics package is also an option, in which the roof rails and trim on the side windows are black. The Audi rings and model name is available in the customer’s choice of chrome or black.
Inside the RS6 you’ll find a standard 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit which offers new features such as a blinking shift indicator in manual transmission mode. The blinking shift indicator changes the r/pm display from green to yellow to red, blinking in a manner identical to that used in motorsport, this helps the driver identify the optimal time to change gears. Launch Control which fully exploits the acceleration potential of the RS6 Avant performance has also been tuned with traffic light icons, signalling the ideal moment to accelerate off the line.
Image: Audi
The dashboard features a large 10,1-inch touchscreen that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto. The rest of the cabin is covered in leather and accentuated with racey materials, the RS6 Avant has a number of upscale standard features, including heated and ventilated front seats, four-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, and wireless phone charging. Buyers can order a head-up display, massaging front seats, richer leather, and heated rear seats, all at an added price of course.
If you like the RS6 Avant’s performance credentials but prefer a sleeker, less family-oriented look, Audi also offers the mechanically identical RS7 hatchback.
Keyword: 2023 Audi RS6 Avant Performance edition gains power and loses weight