Station wagons have come back from summer break with a growth spurt, a cool new mustache, and a leather jacket; they are cool now. Long gone are the days of being embarrassed by driving your mom’s station wagon around town. Not all cool station wagons are fast, but all fast station wagons are cool. With me? The Audi RS6 Avant might just be the coolest of all power wagons. If your mom picked you up from basketball practice in that bad boy, forget about embarrassment, that’s a flex. 

The Audi RS6 Avant looks tough

The RS6 Avant proportions are strange in that we know there is ample room, yet it looks so low and slinky. The deep Nardo-Grey paint job drips with battleship vibes dropping the monster wagon over the edge of complete badassery. Other aesthetic ques on the Avant are the wildly expensive Carbon Optic package that replaces any exterior chrome pieces with carbon fiber ones. This package also includes massive 22-inch wheels. The Carbon Optic option costs an extra $6,350, according to Roadshow. 

Can the Audi RS6 Avant back it up?

The new German power wagon not only has the black leather jacket and cigarettes rolled up its sleeve, but it also has the switchblade in its boot. The tester at Roadshow reports a thunderous and bass-heavy exhaust note that rocks the neighborhood. The gnarly rumble is, in part, due to the $1,000 optional extra sport exhaust upgrade. 

The raucous exhaust is singing the song of a turbocharged twin-turbocharged V8 making 591 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. The Audi RS6 Avant shoots down the road with snappy gear changes from the eight-speed automatic transmission. Unfortunately, the current Avant is not like the old days. There is no manual transmission offered in the 2021 Audi RS6 Avant. For such a driver-focused wagon, this omission is a real shame. Se la vie. 

The Audi RS6 Avant “almost feels like too much car”

Roadshow mentions that the RS6 Avant is probably better suited for the German autobahn than America’s highly-guarded roads. There is so much power here that the tester says, “On tight, curvy forest roads, this wagon almost feels like too much car. It’s almost as wide as a single lane. It wants to accelerate until it runs out of gas.” We have come to expect this sort of rowdy behavior by the RS line. I guess it’s safe to say the RS6 Avant is falling right into line. 

The German muscle wagon’s interior is, well, German. 

Audi doesn’t tend to throw together very flashy interiors. The wagon is laid out nicely, well-equipped with tech and comfort features, as well as having plenty of room. The interior is a mix of greys and blacks, feeling very formal and polite. For such a massively powerful and sporty whip, Audi’s interior really doesn’t show any of that power and speed. 

Tech and safety features

As Audi is known to do, the interior is pretty screen heavy with a 10.1-inch MMI infotainment screen. The instrument gauges are also on a big screen behind the steering wheel. The tech doesn’t stop there. The RS6 Avant had Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and 4G Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities. 

Audi has acknowledged the people melting power of the wagon. So, it graciously included piles of safety technology to keep the car and driver both moving in the proper direction. Features like automatic emergency braking and cruise control both come standard. For a $2,500 optional package called the Driver Assistance Package, you get rear cross-traffic warnings, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping assist. 

The cost of the options may have tipped you off to the big price tag Audi has slapped on the RS6 Avant. The power wagon starts at a whopping $110,045 for the base model. The model tested by Roadshow will run you north of $123,000.