What made this body type famous in the first place was being easy to build. Earliest station wagons were made with extending the sedan’s roof until the end of the car, basically. This is interesting because it allows to share parts and, therefore, reduce development costs. Crossovers and minivans are more versatile, but they always require exclusive conception. Besides, despite all the attempts that appear every now and then, neither of those can be as sporty as an SW. Being lower than those gives the wagons much better aerodynamics, while the increased length contributes to a great weight distribution. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have also done a great work with this category, but in this case the spotlights go to Audi: the concept of high-performance SW was made famous by the ‘1994 RS2.
Speaking of it, this article’s first picture shows its modern-day representative. RS6 is one of A6’s variations which went through a minor facelift for 2015. As the pictures show, there are not many changes regarding the visual: it only features retouched lights and bumpers, basically. Nothing that takes your attention off of its impressive aerodynamic kit, which is composed by more aggressive bumpers, exclusive black-painted wheels, and two bigger exhaust pipes. When it comes to performance, the twin-turbocharged 4.0L V8 stayed with 560 hp and is capable of going from 0 to 100 kph in 3.9 seconds and to the top speed of 305 kph – helped by standard quattro traction and the RS sport adaptive air suspension, which lowers the car by 20 mm.
If this is too much sportiness for you, S6 Avant offers an intermediate option. The visual differentiation was toned down to smaller air intakes, silver-painted wheels and two pairs of smaller exhaust pipes, besides the return of some chrome inserts – the more intense sister uses matte black. The hood hides the same TFSI 4.0L, but in this case you will get 450 hp, and therefore a 0-100 kph acceleration of 4.6 seconds. There is also the same cylinder-deactivation technology, so your S6 Avant can make up to 10.6 kpl and emit carbon dioxide at a rate of 219 g/km. The interior has received some tweaks regarding color and trim options and a faster graphics processor for the infotainment and navigation system.
While the regular Avant repeats all the sedan’s changes, the Allroad sibling remained almost untouched. Audi claims its design to be “robust and masculine”, thanks to exclusive additions such as the black-plastic sections, external inserts in stainless steel and the front grille with vertical slats. The interior uses its own trim as well, with a two-tone coating in black and brown. A6 Avant’s engine list will depend on each version, but you can expect the very same options available for the sedan. In other words, besides the aforementioned V8 units, it will be possible to choose between three TFSI units and five TDI units. Transmission options, in turn, will be six-speed manual, seven-speed S-Tronic, and eight-speed automatic.
Lançamento no Brasil (29/04/2015)
Agora é a vez de o Brasil receber a perua mais esportiva que a Audi produz. A RS6 foi incluída nos retoques pelos quais a linha A6 passou meses atrás, e traz novidades como visual externo ainda mais agressivo, cabine com visual discreto, comandos práticos, e fibra de carbono no acabamento geral e couro Alcantara nos bancos especiais. Seu motor 4.0 V8 TFSI gera 560 cv e 71,4 kgfm, e é associado ao câmbio Tiptronic de oito marchas e à tração integral quattro. A aceleração de 0 a 100 km/h se faz em 3,9 segundos e a velocidade máxima é de 305 km/h, mas ao usá-la de maneira mais pacata (o Drive Select oferece vários modos de direção) é possível consumir menos combustível, graças à desativação de cilindros. Seu preço começa em R$ 590 mil.