Audi RS6 saloon (2008): first pictures

By Ben Whitworth

First Official Pictures

12 August 2008 00:01

Following on from the RS6 Avant launched at the start of the 2008, Audi has revealed the saloon version of its hottest A6. And it’s hot! Like the estate, the four-door RS6 is powered by a twin-turbo 5.0-litre V10 with outputs to shame the CLS63 AMG and M5…

With direct injection and dry-sump lubrication – always handy if you plan to knock off a few laps of the Nürburgring on the way home from work – the blown V10 whips up a supercar-rivalling 572bhp at 6250rpm and a mighty 479lb ft that kicks in at just 1500rpm.

Running through the Audi’s Quattro 40/60 front/rear drivetrain and quicker shifting six-speed Tiptronic box, the RS6 will blast to 60mph in 4.5 seconds and slam up against its 155mph limiter with ease. There’s an option to raise that limit to 174mph, and insiders claim that with the right rubberware and electronic liberation, the big Audi could nudge 200mph.

Its on-paper figures may be the stuff of dreams, but if our drive of the RS6 Avant is anything to go by, the RS6 saloon will be incredible fast and grippy but lacking in real driver engagement. An M5 and E63 might be slightly slower point-to-point but they’ll arguably provide a more involving driving experience.

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By Ben Whitworth