2013 Audi RS6 Avant

Back in 2008, I was fortunate enough to test the second-generation Audi RS6 Avant in southern France on the supremely well-sorted circuit at Le Castellet, a.k.a. Paul Ricard. I was thrown out there with the 572-horsepower bi-turbo 5.0-liter V10-equipped behemoth behind one of Audi's DTM pros and was convinced in short order that the flaming hippo in my hands was going to get the better of me on one or another of the track's tight esses. I made it out alive and invigorated, of course, but knew that that RS6 Avant was the heaviest that these thunderwagons should ever be allowed to get. At around 4,650 pounds with driver aboard, it was just way more lateral momentum at speed than any pilot needs on a track – or for that matter, on a favorite hot curving road.

Now it's time for the 2013 Audi RS6 Avant to lay us out with a flying scissor kick from the corner ropes. This version of the highway and byway marauder from Quattro GmbH is a decidedly greater piece of work than was the car I drove in 2008. This time, there will only be the Avant body configuration – no RS6 sedan – and, as with the previous generation, North America won't be at the receiving end when deliveries start at the end of July this year.

And that's exactly why I am so smitten: Audi RS models have routinely depressed me with their ultimate lack of racy finesse, leaving me invariably convinced that the S models are by far the best bet, as they at least deliver as much as they promise – and for a mess less cash. This time, this RS6 Avant was properly smacking me around when I wanted to be smacked around, squeezing almost all lateral staying power out of my torso and generally forcing the optional 21-inch Pirelli P Zeros to work harder than I've felt rubber work on any such car. This thing is delightfully disturbing.

Buyers of the RS6 Avant can get the stock setup limited to 155 mph, or they can grab the Dynamic package that takes things to 174 mph. My test car, painted Suzuka Grey Metallic (though it sure looks white), however, includes the Dynamic Package Plus – cue the chorus of angels – and is let out to 190 mph. To go with the added speed, the "Plus" includes carbon ceramic brake discs, a rear sport differential, RS sport suspension plus with dynamic ride control, dynamic steering, full LED headlights and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

So, it's a holy terror... with a super hot auto-dimming rearview mirror. But it's also, of course, possibly the most practical expensive holy terror you'll ever come across. The RS performance seats up front – manual fore-aft adjustment, but automated all other ways – and the slightly elevated rear bench are comfortable, very supportive, and with buckets of space for all five folks aboard. In back, cargo is decent at between 20.0 cubic feet and nearly 60.0 cu-ft when you fold the seats and load to the roof like a coed returning to the dorms. Load flexibility is just enough back there, and this RS6 Avant also has a floor cargo net, a low load barrier on aluminum runners to keep everything from flying forward on hard stops, a vertical separation net and a cargo-hiding retractable cover.

The Autobahn was drying off after a rain when I merged onto it, and was thus clean. It was also relatively empty and a three-laner. So off I went, torpedoes be damned. At 190 mph, every single fuel-saving boast of the new V8 with COD and start-stop is summarily thrown out the window as the Audi swigs the heady fuel liqueur, mad with power. Countryside in the periphery became a blur as my eyes stared bolt forward. The chassis' stability on 21-inch Pirellis is as though on the proverbial rails. The gusts of wind that happen following a storm front blowing through get shattered by the RS6 Avant ramrod, though this wagon does present one helluva frontal area with which to be dealt. Whatever windblown sidesteps that happen at this speed are deftly and subtly corrected by the sleek RS6 Avant shooting through the atmosphere. Coming down off such a multi-mile fling is sensational stuff – it's as though the Audi is asking you for a cigarette after all that passion-letting.

Leaving Audi Drive Select in full Dynamic mode via the onboard interface results in great exhilaration. But switching to Comfort or Auto and hanging loose in everyday driving is equally fine. The behavior of the eight-speed gearbox as dictated by the dedicated ECU is calibrated in expert fashion to allow complete smoothness whenever desired. Leave it in Dynamic mode at in-town speeds, though, and the loud sucking sound from the off-throttle backdraft of the optional RS Sport exhaust can also result in notable lurches from the powertrain.

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