I drove every Audi RS6 to decide which one was best – and worst!

The Audi RS6 has been one of the world's greatest super estates for more than 20 years. But which of the four generations built so far is the best of the lot – and which one goes home with the wooden spoon?

All RS6s have four-wheel drive and stacks of power. The original model, the C5, set the template in 2002 when it arrived to take on the BMW M5 with a twin-turbo V8 producing 450bhp. It was replaced in 2008 by the C6, now with a V10 engine borrowed from a Lamborghini supercar.

The C7 emerged five years later with a smaller engine and less power than its predecessor – almost unheard of in the performance car world. Most recently, the C8 variant arrived in 2019 with outlandish styling and the most sophisticated powertrain ever fitted to an RS6.

0:00 Introduction
0:28 C5 RS6
3:38 C6 RS6
7:56 C7 RS6
10:56 C8 RS6
16:24 Conclusion

#audi #audirs6 #germancar

[Argiers]

I have the C6 and with that V10, it is an event every time I drive it, fast or slow. I love the clean but muscular looks, with almost every body panel changed from the regular A6 Avant. It has probably the greatest engine ever to sit in a wagon, with a lovely bassy burble at low revs and a feral top end. Although not cheap to maintain, it has been reliable and an absolute pleasure to own. It covers so many bases. In town, it's happy to slush around in Comfort suspension and Auto, and on the faster stuff, put it in Dynamic ride and Manual or Sportshift and it feels like a different car. It's a thing of wonder, and we will never see anything like it again.

[maxtorque]

When the C5 came out, and i worked on the engine for Cosworth at the time, it was considered a bit of a barge. Now it looks tiny, compact and even rather modest when compared to the current version. It also looks effortlessly cool in a way the modern versions simply can't manage.... ;-)

[HenzPowell]

I'd love to see an RS4 equivelent video

[dtprodrive]

C7 is Peak Audi. C8 is just to “ influencer “ for me. Don’t know how else to say it

[teejaysimon]

The C7.5 was by far my favorite generation. I won't argue that the C8 is the better handling and better performing car, but one of the best things about the Audi RS avants was that they were subtle; the styling was noticeable to the enthusiast, but the average person really couldn't tell there was typically a monster behind the curtain. The C8 completely did away with that concept and looks sporty even to someone who couldn't care less about cars. And that is what sort of ruins the C8 for me; the styling is just too much. Too many body lines, too many angles; there really isn't anything subtle about the C8.

[FenderUsa]

These are stunningly shot. They deserve to be uploaded in 4k!

[julianmalcwarner]

I have owned for 8 years and still do, a low mileage RS6 C6 saloon in sepange blue 797 ps 1187 nm torque MRC tuned with ap uprated brakes, DS 2500 pads front and rear and H&R anti roll bars, being a saloon only people who know what it is appreciate it, its a rare sleeper.
The anti roll bars are the best bang for buck modification ( couldn't believe the improved turn in with no understeer) she is comfortable fast when needed and the big old girl has done a track day and acquitted herself well (i also race, so have a good feeling of handling), but a stage 2 plus tune totally transforms the car, still makes me laugh after all these years when I exercise her potential. When I traded in my tuned Audi S4 saloon I was worried it would be a bit of a barge, but it is the longest i have kept a car as for me she still fulfils what I want in a weekend car

[CX]

The C5 is perfect. Classy looks without nasty vents and tacky trims like the new model. It also sounds the best, no silly pops and bangs or fake exhausts.

[NeoNeko]

The C5 and C6 are always going to be my favourites 🙂

[sarcastixx]

Having recently just picked up a low mileage sepang blue C7.5 I'm obviously biased towards the C7 which is widely regarded as the peak of the RS range. The C8 is no doubt a brilliant machine, but the touchscreen ipad interior which has been copied and pasted from nearly every other manufacturer in its' class just kills it dead for me. For pure cool and legendary status the C6 is a walloping brute and there are some tuned ones around kicking out serious figures and putting a lot of others to shame - pretty sure it will easily hit classic status before the decade is out. Yes, maintenance costs will always be a factor no matter the generation but as with any car older or newer it isn't hard to find these in good condition as most have mainly all been well looked after. This is the main reason I ended up buying one, I originally considered the RS3 but most have been modded by 30'somethings with money to spend and no doubt all of them have been ragged out on the obligatory traffic light drags against Golf R's/Focus ST's et al. However nearly all the RS6's for sale within my budget all had FSH and extra paperwork for extensive maintenance by mature owners. My own car had near 18k worth of extras added by previous owners, full stage 2 package with miltek downpipes, Vossen VS1 alloys, full front end PPF and uprated AP racing brakes. I intend on keeping it properly maintained/low miles and will enjoy every rare spare time I get the chance to take it out. There is something about these cars that draw the right kind of attention, I've had everything from young kids pointing and waving, teenagers taking pics/vids through to flashes and thumbs up from other drivers. A far cry from what I was used to when I went through my phase of full fat BMW M cars!

[josephkelly]

That twin turbo v10 understated wagon is such an autobahn screamer, peak Audi

[PaulSchofield-pb]

We have no way to afford an RS6 but would have the C6 in a heartbeat. That said we bought a 2007 A6 S line 2.7TDI Quattro 2007 Le Mans Edition eight years ago for GBP 4000 and it has been amazing. The Le Mans Edition is lightened, lowered and has bigger wheels. We did not know what we were buying at the time. So many people have tried to buy the car from us since. Its performance with the torque of the diesel and much lighter engine means it handles and you can drive the nuts off it on the back roads. My house to Cadwell in the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds is about ten miles and I scare the hell out of Subaru's on the back roads in the wet. We keep it services and looked after and have 150k miles on the clock. Will never sell it. Audi Quattro at its best and absolute value for money. And you can use it as a daily driver and a family car.

[mikful]

i had the chance of owning 2 RS6 C5 when they were like 5-6 years old and then the C6 when it was 4 years old...i loved and still do the C5 for its good lookings and the beautiful engine, one of the best engines ever made and very reliable, i have a friend who had one which had done more than 350k km and was still going strong...unfortunately as you have very well outlined the dynamics of the car wasn't that good, riding quality was too harsh on not so good roads however on a good road the C5 would hold its grip really well due to the not very reliable DRC system but when it worked it made the car keep its balance on the road, engine noise and exhaust were so good even stock, i had a Milltek installed on my first RS6 C5 and then it sounded superb. Now the C6 just like you noticed, was a great improvement over the C5, much more useful on daily basis, more comfortable, a chasis a lot more stiffer, good gearbox and a better DRC system, the only downside i found was the engine noise and exhaust in its stock form. The 5.2 NA on the S6 sounded a lot better than the 5.0 twinturbo on the RS6, but the power of the V10 was even better put on the road compared with the C5 which it already put the power done well. If i were to pick only one RS6, i would probably choose the C6 of all generations simply because the V10 engine is just so cool and rare and the car still looks pretty much as a sleeper. Dynamically the C7 and C8 became better, much better when we talk about the C8 but in my oppinion it lost the strong character of the RS6 and it became too flashy and the 4.0 whilst it does deliver it's just too commonly used on various other cars of the group.

[ukwan]

Was the RS6 ever meant to be the drivers car? It was an E Class competitor. The RS4 is always where it was at.

[neilgregory]

Loving these tests gentlemen…keep it up

[Scottish]

Looked like the dampers were knackered on the C5. Very bouncy like its all spring and no damper.

[psingh]

C7 rs6 all the way.

You see one and it's like wow.

[wilkothewiz]

I owned a C6 RS6 wagon. Used it as my daily car. Put about 100, 000 km on it before I sold it. Sepang blue with white interior looked amazing and went very well. Mechanically it wasn’t too bag either. Drank a bit of oil from the usual rear seal oil leak and before I sold I fixed a few more oil hoses around the manifold area. More electric gremlins than mechanics. Sunroof failed, rear washer wiper failed. Sensor driver door lock failed, Rear boot break light failed twice all bits replaced not too expensive either. Surprisingly reasonable on insurance as well compared to AMG equivalent.

[markramsay]

Nice video and review. I did 100, 000 miles in a C7 RS6 (from new), then 18 months in a RS5 (2022), and now have a C8 RS6. Both my C7 and C8 RS6 have gone to Litchfield Motorsports for some light work (light as in = totally legal on emissions, would pass an MOT if old enough, not louder than standard). Both had the Audi sports exhaust. Overall, I think the C8 is the best car - but I am probably biased as I have spend a lot of cash on several cars over time including the recent C8 RS6. What I would say is I think the build quality has gone backwards. The C7 was such a solid car and with over 100, 000 miles there were no rattles at all. Whereas the C8 seems to have a lot more plastic on the dash and with less than 20, 000 miles currently on the clock creaks and rattles depending on the inside and outside ambient temp. Mark [Edited to add - economy can be shocking - quick trip to the shops is < 10 MPG. But on a motorway I regularly get 34 MPG which is not bad for a 700+ BHP car. The again I am overtaken by everything on the motorway lol ]

[matthewpokora]

Currently the owner of a C7, so I was really excited about the review. Gutted you couldn't take it out but amazingly shot video guys! ❤