The family rocket ship
Before the driving started, some judges questioned the inclusion of the Audi RS6 Avant in Car of the Year, owing to its less-than-supercar looks. After having driven it, however, nearly everyone agreed that Audi’s family-sized cruise missile did indeed deserve its spot. They thought so highly of it that it finished third, ahead of some bona fide supercars.
Rudolph Van De Lisdonk called it a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”, and considering the RS6 Avant has nearly 600bhp and will complete the century sprint in a shade under four seconds, that’s an exceptionally apt descriptor. He also loved the RS6 Avant for its rumbling exhaust note.
“It’s uber cool, not Uber driver,” enthused Geoffrey Eu, lauding the RS6 Avant for its duality, with its blend of “understated looks and high-performance ability”. He added, “I would say the RS6 ticks all the boxes. If I had to choose one car, this would be it.” It’s often said that a car is a reflection of its owner, and when asked what sort of person drives a load-lugging supercar like this, Arjunan Kulasegaram said it might be a “high speed dog lover”. “A station wagon has never been so appealing”, he went on to say. Jes Wong agreed, calling out the RS6 Avant’s flexibility and power as its best traits.
However, while Audi has imbued a car most often seen on school and grocery runs with the heart of a supercar, there’s no getting away from the fact that it can’t keep up with true supercars when it comes to cornering ability.
“Its suspension is a little too floaty,” said Ong Seng Gee, and Sam Yeo agreed with that, saying it “did not instil confidence in long, sweeping bends”, owing to its physical bulk.
But despite the varied opinions, it’s telling that everyone who stepped out of the car had a giant grin on their faces.
