Audi RS6 | Test Drive - Drive The Alps

Audi RS6 | Test Drive – Drive The Alps

6 December 2021 Redazione News, Stories, Tested

DRIVE THE ALPS

AUDI RS6 AVANT

THE MARTIAN

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos Bruno Serra

The history of humanity is rich of great people and where now everything it is facilitated by cutting-edge science and technology, the merit that the pioneers and researchers of the past reaches an even more substantial value. I’m talking about those times when there were no roads, because there were not even motor vehicles. I’m talking about those dreamers who were often regarded as madmen for dedicating their lives to validate their beliefs, even if in some cases they were based on a simple intuition. The era of great discoveries on our planet seems to have completely ended when mankind insistently turned the eyes to the stars, first aiming at the Moon, then at Mars and beyond. But if at the dawn of 2022, the scenarios painted by the famous movie (“2022: Soylent Green”) by Richard Fleischer do not seem so unlikely, we happen to find ourselves more and more in situations where the best way to exploit technological development is for a return to simplicity.

Silence envelops me and although the sun’s rays are slowly settling high above my head, the Col de la Bonette is still asleep, almost numb because of the sharp drop in temperatures of these first days of autumn. The unmistakable expanse that until a few weeks ago was green has already turned yellow, with shades tending to reddish and orange and with the exception of a couple of cyclists, there is not a living soul but us. Today this is our personal red planet, our playground that does not hide that bewitching siren call that wants us to pay homage at the end of the summer season with a last climb on its winding hairpin bends. After all, with the month of October now close to leaving the scene, the mountain passes are ready to welcome the first snowfalls, which once settled will not go away before late spring.

With a global health situation apparently better than last year, but not yet completely solved, I expected to find someone roaming ‘round here, perhaps looking for a corner of complete solitude, a point on the map far from the world and at the same time on top of it. I chose to climb the Bonette because I consider it one of the best roads in the world, with fast curves, more traditional hairpin bends, but also with an incomparable view that begins to take shape immediately after Jausiers, when the climb takes on the aforementioned orange tints of autumn. And to do this, I have set myself with one of the most anticipated cars in recent years, one of those objects that with each new generation manages to reinvent itself while remaining faithful to its own identity made up of two apparently polar opposites such as performance and practicality. This is the new Audi RS6 Avant.

Available – like the previous one – only as an estate, the RS6 is the maximum representation of a car that unconditionally manages to tick all the boxes that make it the most complete sports car on the market. The evolution compared to the model it replaces is evident and even if performance and engineering peaks previously reached are difficult to overcome, this new C8 does even better. This can be understood immediately, even at first glance, where it is impossible not to be almost intimidated by that threatening look given by a car body that is 80 millimeters wider than a normal A6 and where the only shared panels are the front doors, the roof and boot lid. There are ribs, vents that suck air and convey it where necessary to cool and optimize aerodynamics, a huge dark mouth to incorporate the black logo and a lot of carbon fiber, including front splitter, side skirts and rear air diffuser, expertly incorporated with a profile that accentuates the edges and highlights the two oval exhaust cannons at the back.

Apparently out of the Star Wars saga, the RS6 is a tool that leaves no room for doubt, but the fact is that if driven in Normal mode, it puts 4 of its 8 cylinders to sleep – if conditions allow – trying to limit a fuel consumption which in Dynamic mode becomes appropriately abysmal. Have you ever heard that saying that “to make an omelette, you have to break a few eggs?” – may be, but these days I hear it repeated everywhere and never was an expression more apt to describe what happens when, after Jausiers, the curves begin to outline their most distinctive features. In addition to the classic driving modes, also for the RS6 we have RS1 and RS2, which are two options that allow you to customize the response of the suspension, steering, engine sound and differential. It goes without saying that I have taken care to have a configuration that is as sporty as possible and thus move the 2 tons of the RS6 in the most sudden and noisy way possible.

You are never ready for 600 horsepower, but when powered by a 4-liter twin-turbo V8 that relies on the well-known Quattro all-wheel drive, moving from one point on the map to another becomes incredibly fast. You can feel the 40 hp gained compared to the previous model, but it is the delivery that makes my climb on the Col de la Bonette more surprising than usual. Traction, displaced 40% at the front and 60% at the rear, uses a torque vectoring system which, through the brakes, manages which wheel should have the most traction out of it, while the steering rear axle helps to make the wheelbase virtually shorter, enhancing the glued-to-the-ground effect through curves that can be tackled at high speed. And it is precisely between the bends that the RS6 surprises the most. Yes, because if expecting lightning-fast acceleration with such power is legitimate, entering tight turns as you would with a supercar and exploiting impressive cornering speed is that exclamation point that you do not expect to find having to deal with a 565-liter family car.

Regardless of the gear I’m in, a fraction of a second is enough to be pulled by the 800 Nm of torque available, while to make the race to the top even more frenetic I rely on the new aluminum paddles (finally!) that are easy to reach, even with the steering wheel turned. We said that 4 of the 8 cylinders can be deactivated, but this is not the moment to save petrol or to sail at 45 per hour using the micro-mild hybrid system. The aspects that make the ticking of the RS6 explosive concern an evolved V8, with increased turbos and a pressure range that goes from 1.4 to 1.2 bar. The 8-speed dual clutch gearbox is perfect and allows for greater freedom of action once sequential mode is set. I reach the Cime de la Bonette and at an altitude of 2,802 meters there is still no one around. I turn off the eight cylinders and silence falls upon us once again.

Around there is only a continuous concert made by the most incandescent components of the RS6, the fan of the cooling system that turns on and a few gusts of wind that help to keep the clouds away, gifting us with a day so peaceful that I can distinguish the entire horizon of rippling rock. From here everything has a different perspective and every moment is emphasized by the uniqueness of the situation and by the fact that being above everything you have to retrace the same path to descend. The engine remains off for a few minutes and starts back again, entering that gut of curves, between the ruins, bunkers of the Second World War and the following stage, postponed for two years due to continuous work on the road that leads to the Col d ‘Allos.

There is no difference that makes the way down less exciting than the way up, especially when you can count on a braking system with 420 mm carbon ceramic discs at the front (or even 440 mm) and 370 mm at the rear. What changes is that instead of aiming for the top, we head downstream, passing the Col du Restefonde, Jausiers again and then Barcelonnette. Finally it’s up to the long-awaited Col d’Allos, but the road becomes much narrower than before and also thanks to the presence of a handful of interruptions due to maintenance and restoration works on the road, we proceed slowly, finally taking advantage of the comfortable side of the RS6. We are still talking about a car based on a model designed for everyday coexistence, where it is necessary to make movements for people and things comfortable, offering latest generation technology as well. On this subject, the presence of three screens, two of which are responsive touch screens located in the center of the dashboard and join the Virtual Cockpit that allows you to keep the car, navigation and multimedia parameters under control, underline the construction quality of a point of reference model.

I travel several kilometers and after a lot of excitement I find the time to realize how much the seats are comfortable, the same as those at the rear now equipped with integrated headrests. And without even realizing it I reach the 2,250 meters of Col d’Allos, which at least from the point of view of involvement disappoint me for a narrow track and curves with little visibility. Time to continue and head in direction of the fabulous village of Colmars, a destination that would be worth a much longer stop than the one I was able to dedicate, maybe visiting the beautiful old village. The climb to the Col des Champs along the D2 almost seems like the entrance to a villa hidden in the deep vegetation, but after a few kilometers under the claustrophobic tree branches, the scenery opens up and the bare rock takes over showing all the majesty of the border between the valley du Var and the Alpes de Haute Provence.

Not yet completely at high altitude and despite a rather winding road, I cover some of the most exciting kilometers of the day, discovering that the colossus of the four rings manages to move with an agility that you would not believe possible, especially by observing its side profile with its exaggerated 22-inch wheels. inches. They fill the arches giving it an imposing image, an authentic magnet for the eyes, and wrapped in 285/30 tires elevates the aggressiveness of a model that takes on all the characteristics to be defined iconic. At the top of the pass, at an altitude of 2,087 meters, I turn off the engine and let myself be captured by the hitherto unknown images of the Col des Champs. The daylight is now dimming and the expanses around me are taking on an even more orange color. Once again it seems to be on Mars and the absence of people and animals now almost certainly in hibernation, outlines the forms of an adventure that will remain etched in my heart for a long time.

In the total absence of any sound, my harmony with the new Audi RS6 Avant takes the form of something that goes far beyond a splendid day of driving spent at the wheel of a 600 horsepower epic sports car. In this case, we cannot limit ourselves to simple figures, to a 0-100 kph of just 3.6 seconds and a maximum speed that – if not electronically limited to 250 per hour – allows you to touch 306 or even 323 kph. The RS6 is otherworldly, indeed Martian. This is why it feels so at ease in this environment more typically prerogative of lighter sports cars or those who do not need to load arms and luggage for your holidays. Yet in the midst of this upheaval of roles, everything finds a perfect sense, especially when I still have 5 hours of road ahead before reaching home and I decide to do it using the longest way, where after having carried out another stop at the petrol pump will give me yet another emotion that you cannot understand until you spend time face to face with this fabulous spaceship. The merit of the new RS6, a direct descendant of the legendary Audi-Porsche RS2 Avant, is not only its innate ability to connect the dots on the map, but rather that of combining definitive performance and total luxury with the desire to isolate from the world and immerse – body and soul – in the quintessence of one of the best cars ever. Perhaps it is because it comes from another world – from the red planet maybe – or more simply because once at the wheel it allows us to feel in another world.