RS 6 Avant Throws Its Weight Against BMW M5 Competition
Despite less-than-ideal track conditions, RS 6 Avant ready to pounce upon Bavaria’s high-performance sedan with all wheels, 591 horses.
If there’s one wagon we’d love to take to the track picnic, it would be the 2021 RS 6 Avant. The 4.0-liter turbocharged V8 lays down 591 horsepower and 590 lb-ft torque through the quattro system, leaving nothing to waste on the asphalt. Plus, lots of room to haul whatever you need to the track, from a spare set of tires to a cooler full of the finest brats from your local butcher.
And then, someone from Bavaria drops by to try and one-up you and your RS 6 Avant. That would be, of course, the 2021 BMW M5 Competition. Auto Express‘ Steve Sutcliffe recently reviewed both with a couple of hot laps. Which one comes out on top?
“Cars like the new BMW M5 Competition and Audi RS 6 aren’t especially easy to justify on ecological, financial, or ethical grounds,” said Sutcliffe. “But boy, are they still something else to drive. This latest breed of mega-saloon — or mega-estate, in the Audi’s case — is, in many ways, right at the top of its game nowadays.”
Both rides are more powerful and faster than their ancestors, of course. However, they do weigh more, too. Yet, that weight disadvantage doesn’t slow down the M5, which knocks out a lap of 45.7 seconds on a track that isn’t at its best this particular day. Let’s see how RS 6 Avant’s quattro handles the conditions, though.
“It’s a bit of a thug, the Audi RS 6,” said Sutcliffe. “But being a bit of a thug myself, I really rather like it. Six-hundred horsepower, 592 bhp, [590 lb-ft] of torque. With me in it, it’s probably 2.2 tons. Having done a few laps in it just to see what’s what, it’s pretty good around here.”
With the “most aggressive mode” possible clicked on, Sutcliffe got the most out of the RS 6 Avant. The result? A lap time of 46 seconds even. Not a win over the M5 this dreary day, but enough to keep the Bavarians on their toes.
“As enthusiasts, we should celebrate [the M5’s] existence, along with that of the frankly monstrous RS 6,” said Sutcliffe. “Because one day, cars like this won’t get made anymore.”
We’ll take the RS 6 Avant, though. After all, it has something the M5 doesn’t: cargo room.
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