RS 6 Avant Makes Its American Debut at the LA Auto Show

Yes please

Standing next to the new RS 6 Avant bestows a sense of odd giddiness to you that hasn't been felt since the debut of the Nissan GT-R way back in 2008. Much like the R35 Nissan, this model has been an object of long-distance affection since it just wasn't for sale to folks in the U.S. market. But now we stand on a precipice ready to gleefully hop into the beautiful quilted seats of Audi's newest iteration of its sleek and aggressive power wagon.  

Audi knocked it out of the park

How does it look in person? AWESOME. Stunning. Aggressive. Gorgeous. Enticing. Any one of those adjectives would fit the new RS 6 Avant appropriately and it could change depending on who is admiring it or even from what angle it's being gazed upon. Sleek sheet metal, purposeful aero, and new tech all abound on the vehicle and if you can get your hands on one there is no doubt you will find yourself turning around to take another look at it each time you park.  

>>Join the conversation about the new RS6 Avant right here in the AudiWorld Forum!

It spits fire

Under the hood of the RS6 Avant is a rather angrily tuned 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that makes nearly 600 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. This wagon is the vehicle that has the power to back up everything it sells on the exterior. Might I also throw a tidbit of fun that German automakers have a history of giving conservative numbers in respect to power and we've curious about what these are actually putting down to the asphalt. 

>>Join the conversation about the new RS6 Avant right here in the AudiWorld Forum!

How did we get here?

Anthony Foulk, senior product planner at Audi told Road and Track that we have the A4 Allroad to thank for the RS6 Avant finally being able to be brought over to the states. The very first part of the equation was that the A4 Allroad needed to be successful and then render the A4 Avant to be obsolete. With that model's Avant out of the picture, there was now an open window to make the case of the A6's Avant. The next part of it was that the A6 Allroad's V6 was already homologated here in the states ion the A6 and A7 so then it was just a matter of brining the wagon body over from Europe. 

>>Join the conversation about the new RS6 Avant right here in the AudiWorld Forum!

Right from the man's mouth

Foulk stated, “And when you bring one variant of the body style into the U.S. to get that homologated, you can bring the other trims that share that body. For years we’ve had big demand from customers and enthusiasts for a RS 6 Avant, as well as an A6 Allroad. So we brought in the previous-generation A4 Allroad, and it did very well. So it kind of comes from two different directions. On the RS side, if you’ve already got the body style here, that means you can throw the drivetrain from the RS Q8 and RS 7 in there. And we know people have been asking for this for a long time, so once we knew the demand was there, and could kind of quantify it. We knew it was worth bringing the RS 6 Avant in.”

>>Join the conversation about the new RS6 Avant right here in the AudiWorld Forum!

Count us in

“With Audi Sport and the RS models, we’re always working to bring a full portfolio. The more consistent and full your portfolio (is as an automaker), the more energy you have behind that brand to get people to come in,” Foulk said. “We have to work toward this being successful and to continue bringing more and more RS models. The hope is to continue to offer these RS models, and to bring even more in the future.”

>>Join the conversation about the new RS6 Avant right here in the AudiWorld Forum!

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