Audi RS 6 Avant - MPG, emissions & running costs
Although not exactly eco-friendly, the RS 6 includes a mild-hybrid system to improve efficiency
You don’t buy an Audi RS 6 expecting a great return on a tank of fuel, but at least Audi has offered, by way of mitigation, 48-volt mild-hybrid tech to help ever-so-slightly alleviate the pinch at the pumps.
The hybrid technology includes a system that shuts-off the engine on the move between 34 and 99mph to save fuel. On top of this, there’s also cylinder-on-demand (CoD) deactivation tech that shuts down half the V8 under light throttle loads.
The official combined cycle economy for the RS 6 is 22.4mpg in Performance form, or 23.2mpg in marginally lighter GT trim. We saw nearly 20mpg from the regular Performance version during a drive along some B roads and a short motorway blast, so we expect you could get closer to those figures if you went on a longer run and drove with a little more care than we did. However, utilise this car’s maximum potential on track and those figures will plummet.
|
Model |
MPG |
CO2 |
Insurance group |
|
RS 6 Avant performance |
22.4mpg |
286g/km |
50E |
|
RS 6 Avant GT |
23.2mpg |
277g/km |
50E |
Tax
Your first year’s road tax bill is going to be painful given that the CO2 emissions for the RS 6 range from 277-286g/km. That also means a company car driver (although we doubt any scheme would offer such a car) will be clobbered because the RS 6 is in the highest 37 per cent tax band.
The BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E53 might be a marginally better fit considering their plug-in hybrid powertrains, but the reality is that all these fast estate choices will be very expensive to run. Especially since all cost well over the £40,000 threshold that subjects them to an additional luxury car tax charge, which applies from the second year a vehicle is taxed up for five years until the vehicle is six years old.
Insurance groups
As you might expect with such a premium car, all models are in the top bracket for insurance, at group 50, which is on par with its rivals.
Depreciation
The RS 6 is expected to maintain between 39 to 48 per cent of its original value after three years or 36,000 miles, according to our expert data. The GT is predicted to lose the most, while the regular Performance version should maintain the most value.
To put that into context, the BMW M5 Touring should maintain between 46 to 47 per cent, while the Mercedes-AMG E53 hangs on to between 41 to 43 per cent over the same period.
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