Let’s face it, we’ve all got stuff we need to carry around from time to time. Snowboards, boxes of old car magazines, flats of flowers for the garden from the nursery. But not everybody out there likes SUVs, despite what the automakers certainly seem to believe. Even though many of them are now built on car platforms, they don’t always drive like cars. They’re tall, regardless of the commanding driver position. They necessarily have a higher center of gravity. You can’t attack corners with them like you would in a sedan. Some people would prefer a different way to haul their goods. Then, along comes Audi.
The wizards from Ingolstadt, Germany, made an announcement this week that ought to give pause to any would-be buyer of a high-end SUV. Audi makes SUVs, too, but it said this week that its all-new RS 6 Avant station wagon will be coming to the U.S. in 2020. It will become the eighth model in Audi Sport’s lineup of U.S. models. This is something that we need some more of here, an honest station wagon, one that accelerates rapidly, is good in all weather and can slice and dice curves with just about any performance car. The RS 6 Avant’s U.S.-spec performance numbers haven’t been compiled as yet, but its home-market variant is capable of 0-100 km/hr in 3.6 seconds, thanks to its standard 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-8. The engine is mated to an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, which feeds power to all four wheels via Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system. Audi has fitted adaptive air suspension that’s specifically tuned for the Avant, with dual modes and leveling control. Dynamic Ride Control with variable dampers will also be available. Six power and efficiency modes will be selectable via a button on the steering wheel. The exterior body panels are all RS-specific. Orders from U.S. buyers will be accepted in the future.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 