Review of my RS6 having come from an F10 M5

[drbru]

So after 8 years owning the M5 I made the decision quite some time ago to get rid of the car as I completely fell out of love with it..Actually I didn't fall out of the love with the car but I had one particular experience with just one dealer that left such a sour taste that I said I would never buy a BMW again. So for the last 2 years ive been looking for a replacement; I considered a 911 turbo s , R8, GTR, Exige 430 cup but to be honest, the fact that the second hand car market has been so inflated I wasn't prepared to pay such a premium.

Fast forward to my 42nd birthday...My wife out of nowhere finally said she didn't mind if I bought a motorbike anymore and this simply changed anything. On that same day, I booked my full access training and then the day after I bought a brand new Yamaha R7. One week later, I got lucky (I think) and put a deposit down on a 2017 Rs6 performance with a Mega spec. The advert had only been up for 15 mins so the deposit went down without any pics/videos etc. The car was bought through the Audi use programme and whilst the dealer was not as accommodating as much as they could have been, when I saw the car in the flesh my jaw dropped as I had never seen one up close, nor ever driven one.

In terms of driving this is what I noted:

Positives:
Extremely well planted and incredibly fast which is something for me to say as I considered my m5 fast. This is a whole other world of fast and completely confidence inspiring due to the quattro system. I was really impressed at the interior, yes its dated but it looks and feels new and is really well put together. I was also really surprised at how easy it is to drive the car, I mean literally this thing felt like a limo when cruising along and a very comfortable place to be when not "on it". For me the main positive of this car has to be the looks. In the flesh is got so much road presence and just looks mean.

Negatives:
Its quite a bit softer than my m5. This is not necessarily a bad thing in the grand scheme of things but the m5 would try to kill me if I went for it. Steering was sharper and the gear changes much sharper as well and overall, the m5 was much more tunable to driver needs; a different experience really but to be honest I can live without those things and the Rs6 is far from bad in these areas. Now what I will say is that whilst the RS6 does sound much much better than the m5 im still overall a little disappointed as I was expecting much more - a Miltek will be going on soon I think as I have written confirmation from Audi that they will not invalidate the warranty with this mod.

Thats it really and overall im really really happy. Im hoping to pass my final bike test in 5 days from now so I can then start to ride my bike as well as enjoy the new car

Other points:
We have just moved to the suburbs from pretty much living in central london for the last 20 years. Im therefore quite paranoid around security. The car will not be going in the garage as that is where the bike is but the house has full CCTV, a bollard has been installed, disklock will also be used and im probably going to get a ghost and some kind of tracker. Not sure what else I can do to be honest; Im in a nice, quiet residential area but I hear too many stories about Rs6s getting nicked so Ill do what I can to protect it ultimately.

Ceramic coat has been put on the car and ive put black badges/rings on it all around which I really think changes the look of the car. Other than the exhaust, Im unlikely to do anything else to the car as really happy with how it looks

Just took a peak out of the window to have a look and here she is

[SchrickRS6]

Hi drbru!

That was interesting reading, apreciate you put your thoughts on paper for us.

As far as the F10 M5 comparison goes, I also came from one (well 2 Comp's in succession) & a GTR (I could'nt live with the interior). The F10 is more relevant although there are similarities comparing the GTR also.
However, the F10 for me was really just that I didnt see the point in a car that had those levels of power and dynamics but couldnt translate it to grip. I was not into drifting it and I never did donuts, (yes - perhaps I am getting old and boring!), so the rear tires spinning didnt cause too much joy for me, our local dealership is very good so that did'nt play a role in my switch.
What clinched it for me were two things, one was when I saw it in the flesh and drove it, just the noise and looks alone were enough but when I felt the acceleration from lower speeds, I was in love. Second was the interior (as you mentioned above - I agree with everything, I especially love the blue carbon fibre surrounds) and of course the practicality of an estate.
I normally keep my cars for about a year, but can honestly say this one is definitely a keeper - and a year has already passed.

List wise vs F10
+ interior materials and tech
+ sound
+ grip accelleration in all weather
+ practicality
+ presesnce & form
+ more reliable engine
+ much more visceral driving experience, even though the F10 Comp sounded good higher up the rev ranges

- idrive is very good, MMI takes a bit of getting used to but still v good
- snappier gear shifts
- more dynamic steering (still nowhere near as good as the GTR though)

Weel those were my thoughts on the swap over.

[ko2302]

Hi,

I have the non-performance 2015 RS6, thinking to update to 2018 F90 non-comp M5. The biggest difference would be the interior tech of course. I find the RS6 interior a little bit outdated now. What else would be the differences? If anyone has any experience, would be very glad to hear.

[drbru]

Hi,

I have the non-performance 2015 RS6, thinking to update to 2018 F90 non-comp M5. The biggest difference would be the interior tech of course. I find the RS6 interior a little bit outdated now. What else would be the differences? If anyone has any experience, would be very glad to hear.

There is a huge difference between the F10 and f90 generation M5, mainly in the form of what the 4WD system does and this ultimately translates into something that is very fast indeed....

If BMW made a current estate version of the F90 that would be a very difficult choice for me but anyone that has owned an RS product as well as an M product knows that the depreciation on an M car is far greater.

I also hating selling my M car privately. I got some serious dodgy individuals enquiring about my car which was a entirely different experience compared to when I sold my old B7 RS4... M cars seem to attract a very different crowd compared to an RS product seemingly....well thats my experience anyway.

If I had the money Id have a C8 RS6 over the F90 M5 any day of the week and id probably be saying that even if there was a F90 M5 estate

[Tadass910]

But all Audi personnel people who drove new c8 rs6 sais that it feels slower than c7 rs6, they say c7 is more aggressive

[HPsauce]

I once had the "pleasure" of an extended test drive of a C7 RS6 Performance around rural North Wales with 4 large blokes (me included) on board. Lots of stone walls to avoid on narrow roads.
The front seat passenger owned an RS6 saloon so was familiar with all the settings and decided to set the car up in its most aggressive mode for me.
I can only describe it as brutal.

[Fabiogray]

I am considering the c7 rs6, currently running a b8 rs4 but i need "more"

Amazing review which has put more into prospective thankyou!

If you need any advice re security pm me and ill send you my number its what i specalise in