As station wagons in the US are canceled one by one leaving so few you can count them on one hand, Audi sends us a love letter in the form of the 2020 RS6 Avant. This hauler looks nas.

Volkswagen just killed its last two Golf wagons. We see the Buick TourX wagon barely hanging on with roughly 3,000 sold in 2019. The Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo wagon sold around 1,200 units in the US in 2018. That’s about 20% of Panamera sales. At least Subaru sells 75,000 Outbacks, in case anyone thought the wagon was dead.

But rather than continue with the downer wagon news, let’s stand up and celebrate Audi’s choice. For starters, America has not seen an RS6 Avant. This one arrives later in 2020. 

591 hp 590 lb-ft Torque

With its twin-turbo 4.0 L V8, it packs 591 hp with 590 lb-ft of torque. Zero-to-sixty times are 3.6 seconds. Ordered with the “dynamic package plus” top speed hits 189.5 mph. Yikes! Stopping all of this are optional 440mm ten-piston carbon-ceramic brakes with either blue, red or gray calipers. Your choice!

For the frugal, a 48-volt hybrid system aids the stop/start function, and there’s also cylinder deactivation that shuts down half of the cylinders when cruising.

Quattro All-Wheel Drive

Of course, it’s got Quattro all-wheel drive featuring a Sport-tuned eight-speed automatic trans with a 40:60 torque split, which can be adjusted to crank 85% to the rear if you wish for fast sprints to kids soccer games or Willow Springs.

Surprisingly, the differences in body panels between the standard A6 wagon and RS6 Avant are mucho because the overall width is three-inches wider. We see the unique power-bulge hood, but the rear doors are also special to flare into the wider quarters. The front fenders also feature wider flared wheel openings, and the lower sills are different to tie those front fenders to the back fenders.

Stanced

Sporting 22-inch wheels, the wider Audi A7 Matrix LED headlights and a widened gloss-black grille also announce this is not your standard A6  or typical family hauler for that matter. All of these differences give the RS6 Avant a much more aggressive, stanced attitude.

Adaptive air suspension is standard, with a new air spring module that adjusts the spring rate while raising the body over an inch depending on your speed.

Adjustable Everything

Dynamic Ride Control is optional, combining regular steel springs with three-stage adjustable dampers. Audi says, “Hydraulic lines and a central valve link the diagonally opposed pairs of shock absorbers. When cornering at speed the valves regulate the oil flow in the shock absorber of the spring-deflected front wheel at the outside of the curve, which helps reduce pitch and roll movement.” The DRC setup is also 22 lbs lighter than the air-ride.

It seats five passengers comfortably, not four. Luggage space comes to 6.5 feet when the seats are folded. An RS steering wheel with flattened bottom looks cool, as do the sport seats. The steering is variable, by the way. Audi’s Virtual cockpit rocks special “gauge” readouts, too.

Still More

Even the trailer hitch is special–they swivel and can be released with the press of an electric button. ‌Optional camera setup will allow you to see what you’re hauling behind you.

Ready to order one? That’s part of the deal, as the RS6 Avant can only be purchased by special order. These won’t be hanging around Audi dealerships waiting to be discovered by mom and pop looking for a family hauler.