So the Volkswagen empire used V10s as a pricey form of one-upmanship. A great example of that was second-generation Audi RS6 Avant. The first one used a 4.2-liter twin-turbo V8 to propel a widebody family estate into the fourth dimension. But by the time it was replaced AMG had upped the ante to 6.2 thunderous liters and BMW’s M5 Touring was wailing about with an 8,000rpm 500hp V10.
How could Audi’s RS division respond? Two turbochargers ought to do it. The Lamborghini-derived 5.0-liter engine was enhanced not once but twice, churning out 572hp and 650Nm. Seems wild doesn’t it, in our downsized electrified era, that 16 years ago Audi was plumbing an actual tuned Lambo engine into the nose of an A6?
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And it really was in the nose. All 10 cylinders were buried ahead of the front wheels, giving the RS6 the weight distribution of Thor’s hammer. So the handling was mute, the steering leaden. But corners were only a trifling inconvenience for the RS6, which could crack 320kph when freed of its factory limiter.
It doesn’t explode away with violence and disdain for physics. You sense the two tonne weight and the boost working against it. It builds, the V10’s discreet hum never rising beyond a murmur, your kidneys being gently applied to the chunky backrests... and whoops, that’s 200kph.
Its running costs rival a medium African nation. There’s the sub-5km/L fuel economy on a good day and there’s plenty of the pricey engine-out servicing. But there’ll never be a car like it again. No super wagon of today is this discreet, or as dominated by a one off engine. They truly don’t make ’em like they used to.
Audi RS6 Avant C6
Engine: 5.0-liter twin-turbo V10
Power: 572hp
Torque: 650Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Layout: AWD
Performance: 0-100kph in 4.5secs, 250kph (electronically limited)
Weight: 2,025kg
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
