Audi RS 6 GT Review: Track Weapon with Room for the Whole Family

By Michael S. Palmer - July 8, 2024

The 2025 Audi RS 6 GT is arguably the best Audi wagon ever made. But is it really worth $100K MORE than an RS 6 Avant performance?

When Audi calls with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to drive its wildest wagon on track, yes, when, and where? are the only acceptable replies. So I jumped into a Cadillac Escalade V, America’s own version of the wicked family hauler, and drove two hours north of Los Angeles to the dry and dusty Antelope Valley, home to Willow Springs International Raceway. A place where names like Carol Shelby and Ken Miles cut their teeth before and after competing in Le Mans. An iconic piece of racing history, that’s currently up for sale. On the agenda for today, with the temps boiling past 100 degrees (F), is seat time in the most expensive and most exclusive Audi station wagon ever made… the RS 6 GT.

IMSA Inspired

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, ‘Why does the RS 6 GT look so familiar?’ That’s because its livery was inspired by the 1989 Audi IMSA GTO race car, which won seven out of 13 races that season despite missing the first two. (And, yes, this is literally The Car.) Turns out Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system, which was first developed for rallycross off-road racing, is also really good at helping road race cars exit corners faster while saving tire wear in the process.

Fast forward to 2020 and, to help Audi celebrate 40 years of quattro, a small team of — we kid you not — apprentice designers, who we all hope were later promoted and hired full time, managed to cook up the RS6 GTO Concept, which wrapped the IMSA race car livery around the then-new C8 generation Audi RS 6 Avant. The GTO concept was so popular, Audi decided to make it a reality. Four years later, here it is.

A literal representation of Audi’s ultimate superwagon…

The RS 6 GT

Limited to just 660 units worldwide — 85 in the U.S. — the 2025 RS 6 GT Avant is based on the current RS 6 Avant performance, which debuted last year, and which we also drove for comparison. GT pricing in the U.S. hasn’t been confirmed, but it starts at roughly 219,000 Euro over in Germany. So U.S. buyers should be ready to pay at least $235,000-$240,000 (before greedy dealers get involved).

For context, standard RS 6 Avant performance starts at $126,000, but it’s very easy to spec them up into the $150,000 to $160,000 range when you add in all of the luxury, technology, and performance features, many of which come standard in the GT.

Like the RS 6 performance, the GT boasts 621 horsepower and 627 ft.-lbs. of torque from a twin-turbo 4.0L V8 engine paired to an 8-speed automatic transmission. But, where the performance offers either adaptive air ride or sport suspension with dynamic ride control, the RS 6 GT swaps in a set of manually adjustable coilovers that lower the GT 10 extra millimeters while saving 14 lbs. Other weight savings drop the GT down by 17 lbs (total) in the U.S., and up to 33 in Europe. This is good enough for a 3.2-second run to 60 mph, a tenth of a second quicker than the performance.

Outside & Inside

On the outside, Audi plans to offer multiple colors in other territories. But here in the U.S., you can only spec RS 6 GTs in Arkona White with the heritage livery. Regardless of color, the GT features an exclusive carbon fiber hood with exposed carbon weave, carbon fiber front fenders, and a new front grille with a few homages to the IMSA race car. Forged Ibis White 22-inch wheels come wrapped in Continental ExtremeContact 7 285/30 ZR22 performance tires. Carbon ceramic brakes are standard on the GT (and currently unavailable on the performance thanks to a supply chain shortage). Out back, the GT features a larger roof spoiler with deleted roof rails and a standard panoramic sunroof. The RS Sport exhaust — which is still WAY too quiet — is also standard, as is a unique rear valance with a few racing-inspired touches.

On the inside, we should note that the RS 6 GT we saw was a European spec. These awesome carbon-fiber-backed seats? Yeah, we don’t get those. The suede-wrapped dash elements? We don’t get those either. However, U.S. customers can expect the same basic color scheme and styling. A mix of black, red, and copper elements with some RS 6 GT badges and a 1/660 sequential number plate. U.S. models will feature a unique black and red carbon weave that looks a bit like the black-and-blue carbon weave you can order on an RS 6 Avant performance (watch the video above to see what we mean). Overall, the interior is a more subtle evolution compared to the exterior.

So how does the RS 6 GT drive? And how does it compare to the standard wagon? Let’s first get a baseline in the —

RS 6 Avant performance

Every C8-generation RS 6 Avant offers a formidable combination of thrilling acceleration, neck-snapping brakes, and smartly tuned suspensions. These wagons absolutely rip, delivering sports car-like performance in a practical family hauler. Especially when you order the Sport Suspension with Dynamic Ride Control, which is lower and tighter than the standard RS-tuned air ride suspension. (Although, to be fair, the air ride is smoother around town.)

The only downside to this magical equation? Weight.

On track at Willow, the RS 6 Avant performance handles well, its suspension doing a miraculous job of masking the Avant’s 4,900+ lbs. Still, you can still feel the heft when pushing the RS 6 to the lateral-grip limits of the Continental Extreme Contact 7 tires. Which is why it’s important to remember that the RS 6 (performance or GT) is roughly 1,000 lbs heavier than the fattest Corvettes and Mustangs, and nearly 1,300 lbs heavier than the portliest Porsche 911s.

Still, it’s an impressive machine despite the compromise.

Is the GT Noticeably Better?

Oh my God, yes. The bones are the same — same drivetrain, same chassis, same tires, same exhaust — but the GT is instantly, and noticeably more dramatic and dynamic. Mash the accelerator pedal and the GT launches forward, cracking forcefully through gears in a way that feels more animalistic. Throttle mapping and gear selection keep the engine roaring and happy and ready to go with the blip of a toe. And WOT is rewarded with enthusiastic romps forward.

Tossed into corners, the steering feels more lively, the whole wagon more nimble and ready to turn with the flick of a wrist. Point, turn, go, and repeat. Hard on the gas, harder on the brakes. Most of the weight is still here — this one’s down about 33 lbs versus the performance thanks to being a Euro-spec variant — but the way it transfers from side to side feels more direct and controlled and balanced.

If I hadn’t just driven both wagon variants back-to-back on the same track, I wouldn’t have believed my senses. But the GT is a love letter to smart and elegant engineering. That a set of coilovers, a few carbon bits, and what we presume is some revised transmission tuning could be so transformative is beyond impressive.

As a wagon enthusiast, this one sets a new benchmark.

Would We Buy One?

The 2025 Audi RS 6 GT is arguably the best and most capable Audi wagon ever made. We didn’t get to test it on normal and imperfect roads, mind you. (Audi reps said it’s, “stiff in the city.”) But on a smooth track, the GT drives with a sense of divine engineering. Still, assuming our pricing estimates are correct, and this ends up costing $50,000 to $100,000 more than the RS 6 Avant performance, it’s hard to justify the increase when there are better/smaller/lighter track cars at this price point.

For the ultimate Audi fan with deep pockets? Of, course. Reserve one immediately if you can.

For everyone else, we’d buy a new or used RS 6 and use that extra cash for mods, maintenance, fuel, tires, and attending some form of racing or driving school.