2003 Audi RS 6

In Audi's view, the RS 6 is meant to be a "statement car" that reinforces the brand's upmarket image here, in the ultra-high performance segment. Potential RS 6 buyers primarily are married, well-educated men aged 45-50, with a substantial median household income of $260,000 annually. Psychographically, they're racing fans: they like performance cars; they've considered M5s, S-Type Rs and E55s, and they're intrigued with what Audi calls "the exclusivity of limited production."


The RS 6, available only as a sedan in North America, comes equipped with the latest Quattro IV all-wheel-drive system, with a Torsen torque-sensing center differential, enormous 14-inch front and 13-inch rear Brembo eight-piston, composite disc brakes, ABS and EBD, of course, 8.5x18-inch nine-spoke alloys mounting 255/40ZR-18 high performance tires, and Audi's latest Electronic Stabilizing Program (ESP 5.7 anti-skid control) with brake assist. Its fully independent suspension has been uprated with firmer shocks, springs and stabilizers; the car is lowered 25 mm and the suspension is further augmented with Audi's Dynamic Ride Control System, a mechanical-hydraulic ride and handling compensating system that connects shock absorbers on opposite corners. It's coupled with a center-mounted apportioning control that prevents excessive roll and adds stability under hard cornering. DRC also levels the car's body under acceleration or braking. The result is a sedan that looks innocent, but it's one that'll run handily with more overt high performance cars.

To power the RS 6, Audi's engineers have equipped their state-of-the-art, 4.2-liter, 40-valve V-8 with a twin-turbo setup that pumps out a stunning 450 hp.

There was a time when the mere thought of 450 horsepower in a street car was more dream and fancy than achievable reality. The few high performance cars that offered that sort of output were often thinly-disguised racers, squirrelly in wet or loose pavement conditions, hard to start, fussy and unwilling to idle or run at low speeds. Not so this Audi. Aside from a rumbly idle, and a pleasing yowl when you hammer the gas, you could be in a Toyota, well ... a V-8 Toyota (if there were such an animal). The RS 6 is beautifully behaved, easy to drive, and ready in an instant for eye-tearing sprints. And it stops, does it ever, repeatedly, from 62 mph in an astounding 2.6 seconds.


Outside, the RS 6, like the S4, features matte aluminum mirrors and a few subtle trim pieces, including a thin swath of aluminum at the base of the decklid and alloy outlines around the windows. The front fenders and hood are aluminum. Below the regular grille, there are three diamond-patterned grilles. The outboard openings funnel air to the engine's twin intercoolers. An aluminum-trimmed center intake joins the conventional grille in cooling the engine. A lower grille in the rear facilitates underbody airflow to better reduce lift and improve the car's overall aerodynamics. That capability is further aided by a discrete lip spoiler at the edge of the decklid.


Inside, Audi's reputation for stunning interiors is sustained. Artful use of leather and aluminum, a handsome three-spoke sport, tilt, telescopic and tilt-away steering wheel, gray polar wood trim (or optional carbon-fiber trim) combine to make this an "office" you'd love to spend time in—little wonder Audi interiors are the benchmark for so many rival automakers.