Audi RS6 Avant, take two

For many of us, the next generation Audi RS6 Avant can’t come soon enough. The Audi super wagon has occupied a lofty status with a blend of practicality and thundering performance that ticks boxes for those who would otherwise be denied the opportunity of mixing family business with hedonistic pleasure. But it has not been seen in Australia since the previous generation V10 model was discontinued. This is about to change though, with these Carparazzi spy shots depicting a finished prototype of the next generation RS6 Avant that may be generally free of any false cladding but is still distractive to the eye with its surrealistic body finish. Hints of what lies beneath come from a hunkered-down stance even lower than the existing A6 Avant. Naturally, a pair of (ovalised) large-bore exhausts peep out from within the reprofiled rear bumper, while inflated wheel arches make way for the five-spoke, 20-inch alloy wheels that complement a generally more forceful body kit. The RS6 Avant is expected to come with the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 recently fitted to the all-wheel drive Bentley Continental and is anticipated to appear in A4 and S7 Audis down the track. In the Bentley, the engine develops 373kW at 6000rpm and 660Nm at 1700rpm, figures not unreasonable to expect will also apply to the all wheel drive Audi station wagon. Audi Drive Select and a torque vectoring rear differential are likely to be fitted as standard.