Audi RS6 Avant

Audi is still riding the crest of the R8's wave, steadily building its model portfolio and increasing sales (breaking the 100,000 mark in the UK for the first time in 2007).



Its RS models have always been a little special, from the first RS2 in 1994 to the most recent iteration of the RS4, which is widely regarded by enthusiasts as a modern classic.



With quattro GmbH - Audi's in-house version of BMW's M division and Mercedes-Benz's AMG - only making one RS car at a time, we've had to wait for RS4 to cease production before we got this new RS6. Was it worth it? Yes and no.

The latest RS6 is the most powerful production Audi ever, thanks to a V10 engine with two turbochargers that produces 572bhp and generates 479lb-ft of torque, all of which means that the 0-62 sprint is possible in 4.6secs. It also comes fitted with the latest generation of Audi's quattro four-wheel drive system, with a 40:60 front to rear torque split.



Oh, and it's an estate, at least initially (a saloon version arrives in the autumn), so there's plenty of room for all the family's luggage or the Irish wolfhound.

The RS4 and R8 have certainly raised expectations for any hot Audis coming out of Ingolstadt, expectations that the company's engineers haven't quite succeeded in meeting this time around. The RS6 is certainly powerful, fast and thrilling, but it's also flawed: the huge amount of power means that the car understeers rather too much when cornering; the V10 sounds pretty good, but it lacks a rawness that many expected; and every now and again you feel the size and weight of this two-ton car, despite all the power on offer.



That said, it you have £77,625 - plus a bit more for the optional ceramic brakes and the opportunity to bump the speed limiter up from the standard 155mph to 175mph - and like the idea of having the most powerful estate car you can buy, the RS6 will undoubtedly make you smile. Which is just as well, as you risk having your photo taken by Gatsos on a regular basis.