Audi RS6 Avant (2013-2018) review - Interior, design and technology

The RS6 Avant’s lines are incredibly aggressive and give the low-slung estate serious presence on the road. Audi’s designers have enhanced the standard A6 Avant’s lines with a deep, tarmac-skimming front bumper, huge, flared wheelarches and 20-inch alloy wheels. Even with more understated paintwork, it demands serious attention.

A crease running back from the headlamps follows the shallow window line to the rear, giving the body a more menacing look. Meanwhile, at the rear there’s a pair of fat tailpipes and a gloss-black bumper insert.

Audi has made the RS6’s light signature very distinctive – the car gets LED headlamps with a sharp running light design that’s reflected in the tail-lamps. There are also LED indicators that sweep in the direction you’re turning. Together, this makes the Audi easily recognisable in the dark.

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Like the exterior styling, the interior design is very precise and crisp, with lots of high-quality materials covering the dashboard and doors. You sit low down in the Audi’s deep bucket seats, while the dash wraps around with a sweeping profile that incorporates the neat pop-out multimedia screen and, lower down on the centre console, the climate controls.

Go for the RS6 Performance, and you get a few subtle styling upgrades. On the outside, the silver trim is coloured in matt titanium grey, while an exclusive 21-inch wheel design is standard. You also get privacy glass as standard and quilted honeycomb leather seat trim.

As you’d expect from an Audi, refinement and quality are brilliant. All the controls feel solid and expensive, while touches like the RS dials, aluminium pedals, extra carbon-fibre trim detailing and diamond seat stitching give the interior a proper sporty feel.

With prices closing on £80,000, you'd expect the RS6 Avant to be packed with kit, and Audi delivers, as there are plenty of gadgets on offer. LED headlamps, cruise control, nav and heated seats are all standard, but a reversing camera and keyless go are optional.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The Audi RS6 comes with MMI Navigation Plus, which is a HD-based system with a topographical/3D map display. The navigation system works well and is easy to control using the rotary metal wheel behind the gearlever, but this interface definitely feels a generation older than the new TFT display in the latest Audis - like the latest TT - that replaces the dials with a digital screen. This upgrade would improve the RS6's interior even further.

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The standard audio set-up is a Bose surround sound system with 14 speakers and 600 Watts, but for the princely sum of £6,300 a 1,200 Watt system by Bang & Olufsen could be added and is worth seeking out on used examples.