by Kirk Bell
At first glance, you might be excused for thinking the 2026 Audi RS 6 Performance looks like a full-size Hot Wheels car. Bulging fenders, big wheels, a low stance, and a mean scowl make it look almost cartoonish. That’s offset somewhat by the traditionally frumpy wagon body style, but that’s also part of what makes it so cool and so useful.
The RS 6 delivers on the performance attitude suggested by its nasty looks. Under its domed hood lurks a 621-horsepower twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8. It has the handling to make it a great canyon carver, if not a track car, and yet, it’s quite livable, too. It’s the everyday super wagon.
It all starts under the hood. This generation RS 6 debuted for the 2021 model year, but it became the RS 6 Performance for 2024 when Audi upped the output from 591 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque to the current 621 ponies and 627 lb-ft of twist. Larger turbos that spin up 23.2 psi of boost (versus 21.8 psi previously) did the trick, reducing the 0-60 mph time by two tenths of a second to 3.3 seconds.
But Audi did more than just enhance engine output for the RS 6 Performance. The company updated the software of the eight-speed automatic transmission for quicker shift times, reduced the amount of sound insulation between the engine compartment and interior for a more visceral feel, and switched out the center differential for a smaller, quicker-acting unit. The upshot is more performance and more engagement.
The V8 makes its presence known the first time you hit the start button. It emits a low thrum, then lowers its tone and raises its voice in Dynamic mode to fill the cabin with menace. Easy acceleration is available whenever you want it, remaining in the background during city driving and hitting hard when you dig deep into the throttle. The eight-speed automatic keeps the power on tap with quick downshifts that only get quicker in Dynamic mode, which also holds gears longer.
My loan came during February in Wisconsin, so my tester was outfitted with a set of Continental Winter Contact TS 860S tires rather than the standard Conti SportContact 7 summer treads. I was fortunate to enjoy unseasonably warm temperatures in the 50s, so the winter tires weren’t needed. Nonetheless, the RS 6’s power is so easy to tap into and hits the pavement so efficiently that I was able to put down back-to-back 3.4-second 0-60 mph times using the Launch Control function and the car’s on-board timer.
The power arrived quickly, the Quattro all-wheel-drive system split the power front to rear, and the RS 6 just hooked up and scooted. Audi’s quoted 3.3-second time would certainly be easy to achieve in slightly warmer weather on the summer tires.
Were I so inclined, I could’ve taken the RS 6 all the way up to 190 mph thanks to my tester’s optional carbon-ceramic brakes, which allow Audi to increase the top speed from 155 mph. All that power will cost you at the gas pump, though, as the RS 6 is EPA-rated at just 14 mpg city, 21 highway, 16 combined. I averaged just 14.1 mpg over 171 miles of mixed driving, according to the trip computer.
Those acceleration numbers are supercar-worthy, and while the RS 6 doesn’t handle like a supercar, it does a great job of balancing agile handling with a commuter-worthy ride quality. That’s especially impressive given the big 22-inch wheels and low-profile tires my test car wore. The RS 6 comes standard with a set of 275/30R21 tires, but my tester had the optional 285/30R22s.
Bigger wheels usually mean a harsher ride, but the 22s might actually be a better choice than the 21s because they are forged and milled alloys that cut 11 pounds of unsprung mass at each corner. Team that with the optional carbon-ceramic brakes that take another 17.6 pounds off of each corner, and ride quality becomes quite livable.
Audi sets the RS 6 on a standard four-corner air suspension with adaptive dampers. That combination does a great job of fighting body lean but leaving just enough to provide a good feel when cornering hard. The dampers soak up most bumps quite well, even in their Dynamic setting. Bumpy pavement offers the only real challenge as it makes the ride somewhat jiggly but still not harsh.
The steering is direct but feels a tad light through the flat-bottom steering wheel. Audi makes rear-axle steering standard. It can turn the rear wheels up to five degrees opposite of the fronts at speeds up to 37 mph, then with the fronts above that speed. This gives the RS 6 a shorter turning radius at parking lot speeds and more stability in high-speed corners. The standard electrohydraulic rear differential vectors torque along the rear axle to help the car rotate and optimize traction on corner exit.
The RS 6’s biggest issue is mass. It weighs in at a rather portly 4,982 pounds. That means it doesn’t have the agility for track duty, which might also overheat the brakes, but it still makes a great canyon carver. My tester’s $9,000 optional carbon-ceramic brakes wouldn’t go down without a fight, though, as they feature 16.5-inch front rotors with 10-piston calipers and 14.6-inch rear rotors clamped by single-piston calipers. They have a natural pedal feel and strong stopping power.
If the RS 6’s curb weight puts it in the league of a crossover SUV, so does its form factor. The wagon body style (Avant in Audi-speak) gives it great utility. It has 30 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 69.5 cubic feet with the rear seats folded flat. That makes it about as utilitarian as a Honda CR-V.
Audi doesn’t skimp on the luxury feel and sporty vibe inside. Front-seat riders get a standard set of sport seats upholstered in Valcona leather with contrast stitching in a honeycomb pattern. The seats are heated and ventilated, and offer good room for larger adults while still providing the bolstering needed for performance driving. The optional RS Design Package Plus in my test car trimmed the steering wheel, shift lever, and center console sides in Alcantara.
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The 2026 Audi RS 6 starts at $133,295, including a $1,295 destination fee $1,295 and a $1,300 gas-guzzler tax. That money brings such features as a Bang & Olufsen audio system, carbon-twill interior trim, four-zone automatic climate control, HD matrix LED headlights, and a sunroof. In addition to the carbon-ceramic brakes, my tester came with a spate of options that brought the total to $162,865, though I’d recommend skipping most of them to keep the weight down.
Optioned up or not, I want the RS 6 in my life, though the six-figure price makes that unrealistic for a lowly automotive journalist. Maybe I can shrink it down to 1/64 scale and play with it on a small orange racetrack instead.
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Images: Audi
