Running gear is comprised of 8.5Jx18-in. nine-spoke alloys with 255/40ZR-18 ultra-high-performance rubber. Each tire is electronically monitored for pressure.
Although Audi literature claims the RS6 "exudes understatement," there's something menacing in its stance. Those bulging fender flares, unique nose and low ride height had fellow autobahn drivers scrambling to get out of the way and into the right lane. The RS6 looks downright predatory. Below and in front of the aluminum fenders and hood is a low apron that houses three intakes behind diamond-patterned grille inserts. The two outboard vents, flanked by foglights, feed the dual intercoolers, while the center intake is for engine cooling. Above the bumper, more diamond-patterned vents funnel air to the turbos. Both sides feature aggressive sill extensions.
The newly designed rear apron incorporates a full-width, diamond-pattered grille near the bottom that allows underbody airflow to escape. Dual chrome exhausts sit near each corner, and the rear decklid is capped with a barely perceptible lip spoiler. Audi engineers say it really makes a difference at 140 mph.
The RS6's cabin is typically Audi-that means perfect. Leather upholstery with color-contrasting piping is standard throughout, and the RS6 logo is tastefully stamped in select locations. The backlit instrument cluster, specially designed for the RS6, features automatic brightness control, the gauges with white illumination and red pointers and the digital readouts in red. The control surfaces are wrapped in perforated leather-a good thing for wicking away sweat from nervous, sweaty palms.
The list of standard equipment is staggering and includes a 200-watt Bose sound system with subwoofer; six-CD changer, heated Audi Sport seats with memory (U.S. will not get the pictured Recaros); sport wheel, Homelink; xenon headlamps; front and rear Parktronic; sunroof and tire pressure monitor system...in fact, the only options are a nav system, solar sunroof, rear power shade and carbon-fiber interior trim.
With six hours to kill, I decided to bypass Ingolstadt and head north toward Regensburg, maybe get lost in the backroads snaking through the pastoral farmlands. On the autobahn, I kept the RS6 at 150 mph for a good 10 minutes, long enough to overshoot my intended ausfahrt. One reason why I'd missed the exit was the utter lack of drama the RS6 exhibited at high speed, like a Lear Jet cruising at 30,000 ft. Quiet, smooth and completely connected to the pilot.
I finally got off the autobahn and entered a countryside populated more by cows than people. Over the serpentine sections of rolling roadway, the RS6 behaved like a much smaller car, tighter even than a well-tuned S4. Steering wheel feedback was brilliant, offering just enough resistance to keep my hands in intimate contact with every movement of the front wheels. If Porsche made a sedan, it would behave like the RS6. Whatever magic the DRC was conjuring was largely transparent-no weird sounds or bizarre movements, just a sensation of the RS6 becoming part of the road instead of riding upon it.
Though North America has often been overlooked when it comes to getting the hot versions of many European cars, (remember the RS4?), the efforts of such product gurus as Audi's Marc Trahan have helped turn that tide.
"I think the RS6 sedan will be a good representation of this exclusive line," said Trahan. "And this won't be the last RS car you'll see here," he insisted.
That's good news, but there's still the question as to why America gets only 860 of these incredible sedans. Is there some significance in that number? Only Audi knows, but I suspect there's an ecological reason behind it, much like the rules of nature that make the Harpy eagle such a rare predator.
For additional technical illustrations and details of this remarkable new car, please visit www.europeancarweb.com