The RS6 finally has some serious competition!

[kmpowell]

Announced last night ahead of its unveiling in LA.

Saloon or Estate, 612hp, 626lb ft, four-wheel drive, 0-62mph in 3.4... oh and it's 4WD!

http://www.topgear.com/car-news/first-l ... drift-mode

IMO the inclusion of 4wd means it'll hit RS6 sales.

[doodlebug]

Agreed. Been a long time coming. But, is it coming to the UK in this flavour?

On the plus side for Audi the E class is no looker and the interior is a bit iffy.

[RSQ]

+1

[Kal]

The next gen of M5 and RS6 will have to be pretty amazing to match this. Finally Merc have added a double clutch and the option of a 2 and 4WD sounds amazing.
No doubt the noise from this thing will be good.

[bam_bam]

That thing is gopping! Amazing that they managed to get the engine just behind the front axle.

[robf]

For me it's difficult to beat the RS6s looks. For me, when i think E Class i think airport taxi. The AMG may be sportier than your average E Class, but the RS6 just looks so right. As an enthusiast, i like to have a car that i will look back at in the car park.

I am worried though... i HATE the look of the Q7 and this new squared off look Audi are going with. That could certainly get me looking past Audi next time if they mess it up. Historically, i've thought Mercedes interiors have been cheap and poorly designed - if the E Class has the new Mercedes dash layout then that will be another big plus.

Of course, the huge advantage Audi (and BMW) have is that they now get to design a car knowing what the E63 is like.

[RSQ]

I agree. RS6 looks great and design is already 6 years old. E63 is as bam says gopping and a taxi. But an RS6 with a Q7 hooter would be weird

[doodlebug]

But an RS6 with a Q7 hooter would be weird

And unfortunately C8 will have exactly this as it is now the brand look.

[GLM]

But an RS6 with a Q7 hooter would be weird

And unfortunately C8 will have exactly this as it is now the brand look.

supposedly more akin to the prologue concept than the Q7 - already there are spy shots of the test mule A7, so would expect the A6 and RS6 to be more like this... which also fits in with the looks of the A5 etc..
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1092 ... -spy-shots

Get the impression that you have one styling look for the SUV platform and one for the normal cars.

[Golfather]

Looks <beep>.

How to car:

[RS6chris!]

Top gear mag says it's 4WD but can switch to 2 WD for drifting?

Either way it still looks like a Turkish Taxi.

With 612 bhp they've jut tried to trump RS6 and M5 in the power arms race.

Where will the BHP wars end????

[RS6chris!]

Looks <beep>.

How to car:

Is it on stilts or got delivery packing still in shocks??

[MikeFish]

Top gear mag says it's 4WD but can switch to 2 WD for drifting?

Either way it still looks like a Turkish Taxi.

With 612 bhp they've jut tried to trump RS6 and M5 in the power arms race.

Where will the BHP wars end????

Yeah looks like they have deliberately gone out to trump the C7 figures with 2 versions available at 604bhp and 563bhp, so both versions fractionally higher than Audisrs numbers.

[bam_bam]

Looks <beep>.

How to car:

Is it on stilts or got delivery packing still in shocks??

It's jucked up in a council estate carpark and in the process of getting its wheels stolen, innit.

[doodlebug]

Top gear mag says it's 4WD but can switch to 2 WD for drifting?

Either way it still looks like a Turkish Taxi.

With 612 bhp they've jut tried to trump RS6 and M5 in the power arms race.

Where will the BHP wars end????

Yeah looks like they have deliberately gone out to trump the C7 figures with 2 versions available at 604bhp and 563bhp, so both versions fractionally higher than Audisrs numbers.

And they've succeeded, the biggest benefit they have is the gearbox. 3.4s to 62 is a good chunk out of the C7.

As much as the looks and interior may not be to our taste, history tells us it will be superior dynamically. It's a pretty compelling product, as an estate of course, when that appears.