The new M5 is here, but let’s wait for the official “BMW M5 Bash party!” until we drive it, yes? Especially the wagon, which we’re all excited about. However, Audi has quietly released something that you and I might like more: The RS 6 Avant GT.
Hear me out.
Weren’t you unimpressed with the RS 6?
I was, however, they’ve since revised the car by making it what it probably should have been all along.
First, Performance is Audi-speak for BMW M’s “Competition” – the Avant I reviewed back in February was without these enhancements, and you can’t get a “regular” RS 6 anymore. The Performance has more power – 621 horses, 627 lb-ft of torque, thanks to larger turbos and 3 PSI more of boost. That fixes one problem I had.
They also refined the transmission and differential, along with adding lighter wheels. Though I drove the air-suspension-equipped variant, there is one with a firmer sport suspension. There’s also a louder exhaust.
Hmm…perhaps I need to try one again.
What is the 2025 Audi RS 6 Avant GT?
Right, so there’s a chance you’ve missed this Audi news release, which amounted to a footnote. What they’ve done here is taken an RS 6 Performance and tweaked it.
Can we first talk about the exterior? Though Audi had other options available, the US market only gets Arkona White with the Heritage package that takes inspiration from the Audi 90 Quattro IMSA GTO from 1990. Don’t worry, I don’t know what that car is either, but the graphics look incredible, especially with carbon-fiber wheels painted in Ibis white.
You get other bits too, like a carbon fiber hood and front side fenders (painted body color because you’re not vulgar), and more pronounced wings and lips. Just makes an already incredible-looking car even more so. If the RS 6 is your girl in sweats and a baggy T-shirt, the GT is her in jeans and a “going out” top. Beautiful either way, but you notice the extra effort.
Nothing much changes inside, which is fine because it’s clean and nice, but let’s have a laugh because European RS6 GTs get narrow carbon bucket seats that Audi thought the US market wouldn’t fit into properly. Thank you for sparing me.
So it’s a badge job with pretty graphics?
No, there are two slight (but important) differences. There’s no power bump, but with 627 horses I don’t think you need to worry about it. Instead, they’ve emphasized how this car grips.
First, Audi has tweaked the differential to deliver up to 70 percent of the power to the front axle, and up to 85 percent to the rear. This is Quattro, remember, so it’s already better than BMW’s M xDrive, although you can’t turn it off to make it a rear-wheel-only car.
The best bit is a new fully adjustable coil-over suspension. It’s 10 millimeters lower than the regular RS6 Avant and has three settings that can be adjusted manually using the typical suspension wrench tool. There’s also triple-adjustable dampers, and anti-roll bars that are 30 percent stiffer at the front and 80 percent stiffer at the rear. What the hell is the base car made of, spaghetti?
If you think this is all a bit too much for your family station wagon, you can spec the GT with Dynamic Ride Control or Audi’s RS adaptive air suspension. However, if you do that, we would no longer be friends.
Okay, I want 2025 Audi RS 6 Avant GT. Where can I get one?
Well, I have good news and bad news. And then I have terrible news.
First, only 660 RS 6 Avant GTs will be made…worldwide. We will only get 85 in the US. That’s the bad news.
The terrible news is the price. Audi hasn’t announced it yet for us, but in Europe it’s going to sell for $235,700. That means this car becomes an instant collectable, and not something you want to drive, maybe ever.
But I want to leave you with good news: you can get an RS 6 Avant Performance, paint it Glacier White Metallic, bolt on a coil-over suspension yourself, and you’ll have saved about $100 grand for essentially the same car.
The new M5 Sedan is 5,390 pounds, and you can bet the wagon will be heavier still. The RS 6 comes in about 300 pounds lighter. Though it’ll have about 90 more horsepower, this is a classic example of “speed you can’t feel” – if it gets to 60 a tenth or so faster than the Audi, you’d never notice.
So it’s prettier, it’s just as fast, it’s the same price if you don’t opt for the GT, and it’ll be close to dead by the time the M5 with a backpack gets here.
Maybe the best German wagon is already available.
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