VIDEO: Driving Seven Great Audi RS Avant Icons on Track
Which of the Audi RS Avant models is the best? Driving seven of them back-to-back on a racetrack is one way to find out.
The Audi RS Avant basically invented the fast wagon genre. It all started with the help of Porsche and the brilliant RS 2 Avant. As good as it was, Audi didn’t stop there. Next came the B5 RS 4 Avant. Then the C5 RS 6 Avant. The B7 RS 4 Avant followed that. A new RS Avant kept coming out every couple of years and 2024 marks 30 years since that first RS 2 hit the streets. Sadly, most of these models never hit American streets. We got very few of the fast Audi wagons here in the States. That makes them even more exotic and appealing to us Yanks. Seeing one is always a thrill. But what about seeing seven different generations, being driven back-to-back, on a racetrack? Well, that my friends, is must see TV.
Lucky for us Steve Sutcliffe recently got to do just that, and posted the video on the Auto Express YouTube channel. Actually, Sutcliffe is the real lucky one, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy seeing these legendary machines tearing around the track. The only two RS Avants missing are the B8 RS 4 and C7 RS 6. Oh well, we can’t have everything. As Sutcliffe hustles them along, he provides his driving impressions of each one. Which one does he think is best, and do you agree with his choice?
Audi RS 2 Avant (B4: 1994-1995)
Sutcliffe begins with the RS Avant. The first Audi RS car and thus the first RS Avant. It started it all, and based on that alone it deserves special consideration. Sutcliffe dings the RS 2 for the notchy shifter and non-adjustable driver’s seat that creates an awkward driving position. But overall, he loves the car despite it being the oldest of the bunch. “This is still a properly fast car,” says Sutcliffe. Of course, we never got the RS 2 in America.
- Engine: 2.2L Turbo 5 Cylinder
- Horsepower: 311
- 0-60mph: 5.3s
- Top Speed: 163mph
- Not available in the U.S.
Audi RS 4 Avant (B5: 2000-2001)
Up next is the first RS 4. What is interesting is Sutcliffe remembers the car as being somewhat of a disappointment. It is more ax than scalpel. But as he drives it around the track, he begins to think that perhaps he was a bit too harsh on the car. It is better than he remembers. It is more fun than he remembers. “I would absolutely love one of these,” says Sutcliffe. Tough to get higher praise than that.
- Engine: Twin-turbo 2.7L V6
- Horsepower: 375
- 0-60mph: 4.9s
- Top Speed: 155 mph (limited)
- Not available in the U.S.
Audi RS 6 Avant (C5: 2002-2004)
And now we have moved on to the first V8-powered Audi RS Avant. The car looks menacing with the wheel arches, and it makes plenty of power. But of all the cars here Sutcliffe seems to like this one the least. “Soft. Not very engaging. Not a very well sorted chassis. Kind of rubbery steering. Crummy gearbox. Not very good brakes. Just not a very thoroughly engineered car,” says Sutcliffe. Ouch.
- Engine: Twin-turbo 4.2L V8
- Horsepower: 450-473
- 0-60mph: 4.6s
- Top Speed: 155mph
- Not available in the U.S.
Audi RS 4 Avant (B7: 2006-2008)
Well, if the C5 RS 6 Avant was a disappointment, Audi redeemed themselves in a big way with the B7 RS 4 Avant. Even though this car is now nearly twenty years old, Sutcliffe believes it remains one of the finest driver’s cars that Audi has ever made. He can’t really find any faults with the car. It is built like a tank, goes like stink, looks fantastic, sounds great. It really is the whole package. It is so good in fact, that Sutcliffe names it as his favorite of all the RS Avant cars. Staggering.
- Engine: 4.2L V8
- Horsepower: 420
- 0-60mph: 4.8s
- Top Speed: 155mph
- Not available in the U.S.
Audi RS 6 Avant (C6: 2008-2010)
And now for something completely different. An RS Avant with a twin-turbo V10 engine. This brute of an engine makes 580 horsepower. That is an astounding amount of power for 2008. But despite the massive power Sutcliffe feels that the car is let down a bit by the chassis and gearbox. “Kind of like it and admire Audi for doing what they did. But it ain’t one of the greats,” says Sutcliffe. I guess we shouldn’t be too upset that it was not sold in America.
- Engine: Bi-turbo 5.0L V10
- Horsepower: 580
- 0-60mph: 4.3s
- Top Speed: 155-188mph
- Not available in the U.S.
Audi RS 6 Avant Performance (C8 MLB Evo: 2019+)
Next is the most powerful car of the day. And joy of joys it is available in the United States! Of course, the car is blisteringly fast in a straight line. But what impresses Sutcliffe the most is how nimble it is. It goes around corners better than you could possibly expect for a big, heavy wagon. It performs like a much smaller and lighter car. It is an impressive machine.
- Engine: Twin-Turbo 4.0L V8
- Horsepower: 621
- 0-60mph: 3.3s
- Top Speed: 190mph
- First RS Avant available in the U.S.
Audi RS 4 Avant Competition (B9 MLB Evo: 2017+)
Last but by no means least is the B9 RS 4 Avant Competition. It is smaller and less powerful than the RS 6 Avant Performance, but size and power isn’t everything. It is quick enough and extremely agile to drive. But despite that Sutcliffe just doesn’t get the same thrill out of this car as he does the older B7 RS 4 Avant.
- Engine: Twin-turbo 2.9L V6
- Horsepower: 444
- 0-60mph:
- Top Speed: 174mph
- Not available in the US
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