Audi added the A6 Avant to its growing range of plug-in hybrid models. The spacious wagon receives familiar gasoline-electric technology plus a long list of standard features that includes a sport suspension.

The plug-in hybrid system is built around a turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque; it's the same turbo four that powers the electrified variants of the A7 and Q5 we drove in late 2019. It joins forces with an electric motor connected to a 14.1-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack to send 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque to the four wheels. Audi quotes a 5.7-second zero-to-62-mph time, and a 155-mph top speed, though the latter figure drops to 84 mph when the turbo four is off.

Speaking of driving electric, motorists who leave their home with a full charge can cover about 31 miles without burning a drop of gasoline. Our time behind the wheel of the aforementioned Q5 on Germany's winding country roads revealed the transition between gasoline and electricity happens seamlessly and instantly.

Charging the pack takes about 2.5 hours when drawing juice from a public charger. It's integrated under the trunk floor, but Audi designed the A6 with electrification in mind so trunk space remains adequate. The electrified wagon offers 14.3 cubic feet with five passengers on board and 54.2 cubes with the rear seatback folded flat.

Only seasoned car-spotters will be able to pick out the hybrid in a crowd. The main visual differences are an additional flap that covers the plug and a small, chrome-like e emblem on the hatch. Sport seats for the front passengers, a sport suspension, the S-Line exterior package, and Audi's virtual cockpit all come standard.

The 2020 Audi A6 Avant 55 TFSI e-Quattro is on-sale now in Germany with a base price of €71,940, a sum that represents nearly $78,000 at the current conversion rate. The firm pointed out the gasoline-electric Avant is eligible for a 50-percent company car tax break in its home country. Autoblog learned from an Audi spokesperson that the e-Quattro variant of the A6 will not be sold in the United States, so you'll need to admire it from across the pond. America will receive plug-in hybrid variants of the A8, the Q5 and the Q7, however.

The news isn't all bad for wagon fans. Audi finally decided to bring the RS 6 Avant to the United States, and it confirmed the rugged A6 Allroad will return to American shores in 2020 after a 15-year hiatus.

The highly-anticipated Audi RS6 Avant is now on sale in the US, and to celebrate the arrival of the high-performance wagon on U.S. shores, Audi of America announced the "RS Tribute edition."

A quarter of a century ago, the RS2 Avant kicked off the success story of Audi high performance models. As a tribute to the first high-performance wagon from Audi, the RS6 Avant "RS Tribute edition" with a limited production of 25 units, features unique design elements that harken back to the iconic RS2 Avant.

The RS2 Avant from 1994 established a completely new segment as the first Audi high-performance wagon. With its 315 PS five-cylinder engine, its extravagant interior design, and the vibrant paint finish in Nogaro blue, it made a strong statement that is still considered iconic today.

Unique design elements

The 2021 Audi RS6 Avant "RS Tribute edition" pays homage to the '94 RS2 Avant with unique interior and exterior design elements including:

• Nogaro Blue pearl effect exterior paint color with black optic accents on the grille, side blades, rear diffuser and black roof rails. The side mirrors are body color.
• Standard 22-inch 5-V-spoke trapezoid design cast aluminum wheels in silver with summer tires.
• The steel brake calipers are painted red.
• The interior features carbon twill structure inlays and Denim blue contrast stitching to accentuate the Audi exclusive Valcona S Sport seats, perforated steering wheel, RS floor mats and the leather elements along the upper and lower dashboard.
• The front seats also include lower seat panels in leather with Denim blue contrast stitch.

Classic RS6 Avant high-performance

From design icon to driving machine, the Audi RS6 Avant features a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine capable of 591 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque that can send the Avant from 0-60 mph in just 3.5 seconds.

The 4.0-liter engine produces a full bodied and robust V8 sound, which the driver can adjust using the Audi drive select system. Each Tribute edition is standard equipped with a sport exhaust to further enhance the appearance, and emotion of the high-performance vehicle.

The RS Tribute edition also comes standard equipped with the Driver Assistance Package, which includes Audi adaptive cruise assist and Audi side assist, the Executive package, which includes heated rear seats, head-up display and power soft-closing doors and the Bang & Olufsen® 3D Advanced Sound System.

Once unobtainable in the U.S. market, the RS6 Avant is now a reality for U.S. customers. The RS6 Avant defies all expectations of what performance can be, while representing the next chapter in the successful history of Audi Sport. The high-performance wagon offers visceral design, exhilarating driving dynamics and everyday functionality for the driving enthusiast.

The 2021 RS6 Avant "RS Tribute edition" is on sale with an MSRP of $136,800.

If you ask Audi, 2020 is the year of the wagon. The A6 Allroad returns to the United States after a two-generation hiatus, carrying the 591-horsepower RS 6 Avant in its wake. The A6's two long-roof options will provide crossover-averse luxury buyers with a midsize alternative that prioritizes style and driving dynamics over maximum size and a higher view out, but will they bite?

On paper, the Allroad is a solid proposition. It’s a midsize, like the A6 sedan on which it’s based, albeit stretched. It also has a staggeringly long list of standard equipment – longer than that of either A6 sedan variant – including Audi's latest MMI infotainment wizardry and Virtual Cockpit digital cluster, positioning the Allroad as the most premium non-S model in Audi’s A6 hierarchy.
The Allroad’s real party piece, however, is its trick suspension. The air setup grants adjustable ride height and firmness, allowing for all-purpose flexibility. When the C5-generation Allroad debuted 20 years ago, this notion was still cool.

Whether this formula tickles your fancy two decades later is up to you, but cool or not, we can say for certain that it is no longer unique. The high-riding wagon concept has gained popularity in Europe, prompting continental automakers to give it another go in the U.S. market. Volvo has doubled down with a pair of Cross Country wagons, Mercedes has finally brought over its E-Class All-Terrain, and the A6 Allroad joins the A4 Allroad that was launched as a test balloon of sorts seven years ago. There's also the European-built Buick Regal TourX, but you wouldn't be alone in forgetting about that.



Like the others the A6 Allroad is a wagon, first and foremost. It boasts 30 cubic feet of cargo space behind its rear seat, which will just about double anything you see from a midsize luxury sedan. And if you need the A6 Allroad to behave more crossover-like when the road gets rough, well, it’s right there in the name, isn’t it? Put the wagon in “Offroad” mode and you get an extra 1.2 inches of ground clearance, for a total of 6.7 inches; a “Lift” mode gives you another 0.6 inches if you really need to get it on its tippy-toes.

Sounds like all of the benefits of a sporty wagon and a rugged crossover put together, right? Well, not quite, as the Allroad’s capability comes with caveats. The maximum speed for these modes is just 21.7 mph, which might sound like a random number, but it's the result of translating 35 km/h into Proper American. Mercedes claims the All-Terrain sits a very meager 5.75 inches above the ground, while the Volvo boasts a whopping 8.3 inches of static clearance regardless of the speed you're going – the clear winner here if tall is what you’re after.

The Allroad also bypasses the A6 sedan’s turbo-four. Instead, it comes standard (and only) with the upgrade 3.0-liter turbocharged V6. It’s good for 335 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque and is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission, Quattro all-wheel drive and a 48V mild hybrid assist system that takes away the usual auto stop/start hiccup and even throws in a little extra acceleration torque. This is more potent than the V90 Cross Country’s 316 hp engine, but gives up a bit to the ‘Benz, which checks in at 362 horses and 369 lb-ft.



And while the Allroad may ride lower to the ground than a full-blown crossover, it’s not exactly a lightweight, nor is it really any more firmly planted, as we discovered once we got it out onto the road. Even with all of the Audi’s various systems set to their sportiest and the suspension sitting as low as it will go, it still feels tippy when pushed. And while it may be lighter than a family SUV, the Allroad is a bit healthier than the A6 sedan, pushing 4,500 pounds unladen.

You’ll pay for that at the pump too, where the Allroad checks in at 20 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway and 22 mpg combined. Both the Volvo V90 Cross Country and new Mercedes E450 All-Terrain better it at 24 mpg combined. We put roughly highway 350 miles on the Allroad during our loan, averaging just over 20 mpg at midwestern turnpike speeds.

The good news is that the Allroad is never wanting for power. Audi says the big wagon will hit 60 in just 5.1 seconds, and we’re inclined to believe it. And thanks to the V6’s relatively generous displacement, all of that oomph is available pretty much the instant you get on the throttle. The A6 Allroad may not be svelte but it’ll certainly get out of its own way, and it packs quite a bit more punch than the Volvo, though the A6 Allroad’s power advantage comes with a 300-pound weight penalty.



Inside, Audi has gone with a two-tiered infotainment system, with the primary display screen sitting high atop the center console and a secondary control screen residing beneath it. This division of labor frees up more space in the primary screen for information you actually want to see and interact with, while controls (such as vent and temperature settings) are relegated to the lower unit. While the tech is robust, it suffers from many of the same drawbacks as other touchscreen-dependent systems, and smaller UI elements can prove especially challenging to use while on the move. Many of the settings for the driver-assist functions are also buried deep in various system menus.

Yes, options are good, but unlike Volvo's Sensus, which puts just about every toggle on one easily accessible screen, Audi’s customization features are buried comparatively deep within its MMI interface – a fault shared with Mercedes-Benz. Hit the road before you get everything just right, and you’ll probably have to pull over to dig through menus looking for whatever you forgot – or didn’t realize you needed to begin with.

Despite this steeping learning curve (and lengthy setup), we found the MMI interface to be generally intuitive and almost infallibly responsive. Kudos on both fronts. Even after hours behind the wheel, we found the Allroad’s cabin coddling and serene, allowing us to put hundreds of miles behind us with only minimal fatigue.

But what of the wagon things, you ask? Well, we’re happy to report that it does those pretty darned well. The Allroad’s rear seat is comfortable and spacious, yet easy to stow when it comes time to haul large or abundant cargo. We managed to put three sets of spare wheels (two still shod with tires) into the back with enough vertical room left to utilize the rearview mirror.



So, it’s a wagon, it’s comfortable, it’s luxurious, it’s feature-rich and it’s versatile enough to play the roll of a soft-roader when called upon. What’s the catch? Well, it ain’t cheap.

A 2020 Audi A6 Allroad 55 TFSI Premium Plus with zero options is a $67,000 car. A Prestige package car like ours with the Soho Brown paint finish checks in at $73,040 (including $1,045 for destination). Our loaner likely had some other odds and ends we can’t easily account for, but it’s safe to say that to get one close to this spec, you’re going to shell out approximately seventy-five grand. The Audi and Mercedes-Benz are pretty evenly matched on price, but the less-powerful Volvo V90 Cross Country pretty much tops out where the Audi begins.

You know what else is $10,000 cheaper than an A6 Allroad? Audi’s own Q7 crossover, which offers three rows of seating, more cargo room and more ground clearance. Yeah, you get less power with the base Q7, but the Allroad’s V6 is optional on Audi’s big three-row too, and for about the same money.

So maybe the Q7 makes more sense on paper, but we suspect that potential buyers of a luxury wagon like the A6 Allroad may not care despite being well aware of any practical shortcomings relative an SUV. Perhaps they like the look, lower ride height or just being different than the SUV-buying masses. Maybe they just know it'll fit in their garages better. Either way, we can promise you this: If you want a comfy European luxury wagon with plenty of punch and cargo space galore, there aren’t too many options. Fortunately, the 2020 Audi A6 Allroad is a good one.

Flipping ‘eck. Hands up if you weren’t quite ready for this. We weren’t. This is the Audi RS6 GTO, and it’s barking mad in the very best sort of way.

“Is there anything the Audi RS6 can’t do?” we asked recently. This tremendous concept car is evidence that there isn’t; even roleplaying an iconic 1980s racecar isn’t beyond the remit of Audi’s monstrous two-tonne estate. Wowzers.

It’s the work of twelve third-year apprentices in Audi Sport’s Neckarsulm facility, and it’s here to display their creativity when it’s not stymied by the dullness of production viability. It’s also here to celebrate 40 years of Audi’s Quattro four-wheel-drive tech.

Motorsport nerds will immediately recognise it as a visual tribute to the Audi 90 quattro IMSA-GTO racer – driven by the likes of Hans Stuck and Walter Rohrl – while everyone else can appreciate it as the by-product of a 3D printer tripping on class As.

“The RS6 GTO concept of our apprentices has turned out to be an incredibly great car. I am very proud of them and the results of their work,” says Helmut Stettner, Neckarsulm plant manager and possessor of one of the most German names on the planet.



“The passion and energy of the young colleagues is impressive - as is the vehicle itself. Our location can look forward to young, committed people who contribute their ideas, talents and potential and actively support our team.”

‘Young’ is a bit of a key word. Because show an RS6 to a bunch of apprentices and they don’t see a family car on steroids, they see a 600bhp supercar laden with boring old back seats. Thus the rear bench has been slung out and replaced by an almighty roll cage, while the front seats are switched for extremely slender Recaros with minimal padding and geek-pleasing Schroth harnesses.

The outside is where they’ve gone most berserk, though. The side-exit exhausts, the wild scarlet wing, those vented wheels… it’s a feast for the eyes. Or an assault on the senses. We’re still taking it all in, really.

Audi won’t put it into production, of course, but we can look forward to the influence of its creators on Audi Sport cars to come. Which bit do you want most on your next RS?

The Audi RS6 Avant is a hot car, and short of buying a wrecked one, you're going to be hard-pressed to find Audi's fastest wagon for under $100,000. That's some serious sticker shock, but it hasn't stopped many dealers from charging even more.

Today, we've found the craziest markup yet. At a dealership in Nevada, an RS6 Avant—not even a fully-loaded one, for the record—has been marked up a full six figures. Yes, this particular wagon is listed for a whopping $240,845 thanks to a $100,000 "Market adjustment." I need an RS6 Avant so I can drive very quickly off this planet.

The dealership, Audi of Henderson, is located just a few miles southeast of Las Vegas. Along with this RS6 Avant, it sells a variety of other new Audis, although none quite as expensive. The RS6 in question is Matte Navarra Blue, and features the Carbon Optic and Driver Assistance packages. It is currently the only RS6 Avant the dealership has on the lot, though four more are in transit to the dealership from the factory according to its website.

We contacted Audi of Henderson to see if they had any comment on why this particular markup is so high, and we were told that this markup was a "moonshot" to try and ride the wave of high car prices, especially for more expensive exotics like the RS6 Avant. The dealership's Certified Pre-Owned Manager told The Drive that the markup is likely to be reduced down to $35,000. However, shortly after this article was published, we received another message from the dealership:

"Thank you for the publicity," an official from Audi Henderson said via email. "We just sold the car. We appreciate it."

Dealer markup for desirable vehicles has always been a thing, but it's hit stratospheric levels in recent years. Some Toyota dealerships have been caught marking up Supras by as much as $40,000, and even vehicles like the RAV4 Prime see "market adjustments" to the tune of $10,000. Some automakers crackdown on these markups as Ford did last week with an overpriced Mach-E, but typically, they get swept under the rug.

With 591 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 and Audi's legendary Quattro AWD system in a wagon body finally available to Americans, it's no secret that the RS6 Avant is desirable. When the German automaker announced the vehicle would make it to the United States, there was fanfare: finally, a fast wagon from Audi back on American shores.

Looking back on it, though, we probably should've seen the dealer drama coming.

Electric powertrains are gradually spreading to Audi's mainstream models. The next-generation A6 will be electric-only, though the current gasoline-burning model will carry on, and a concept named A6 E-Tron unveiled at the 2021 edition of the Shanghai Auto Show gives us an accurate idea of what it will look like and what it will be powered by.

Audi built the A6 E-Tron on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture it developed jointly with sister company Porsche. It's a highly modular platform, so it can underpin a relatively high-riding model, like the next-generation Macan, and a low-slung sedan, like the Shanghai-bound A6 concept. It can only serve as the basis for electric cars, however, so there will not be a gasoline-, diesel-, or hybrid-powered variant of the next A6.

Exterior dimensions are the only common link between the current A6 and the A6 E-Tron. The design study stretches about 195.2 inches long, 77.1 inches wide, and 56.6 inches tall, measurements that make it approximately an inch longer, three inches wider, and an inch lower than the sedan currently in showrooms. Tellingly, it's almost exactly the same size as a Tesla Model S, which will be one of the production version's closest rivals.

While the A6 is a three-box sedan, the A6 E-Tron wears a fastback-like roof line reminiscent of the A7. Its front end falls in line with other electric members of the Audi range thanks to styling cues like a body-colored insert where we'd normally expect to find a radiator grille and sharp headlights with LED accents. Viewed from the side, the concept's most striking aspect is the black trim added to the bottom of the doors to reduce visual mass. The bulky battery pack is stuffed under the passenger compartment, so the doors are taller than on a gasoline-powered car.

Horizontal OLED lights that stretch into the quarter panels dominate the rear end, though designers also added an air diffuser to help the A6 cheat the wind. It has a 0.22 drag coefficent, which is on par with the Porsche Taycan.

Audi calls the paint Helio Silver, and it didn't choose this color randomly. It's a shade that reflects the thermal radiation found in sunlight to help keep the cabin cool. Users rarely need to use the air conditioning system, according the company, which helps maximize the A6's driving range by reducing draw on the battery pack.

Lighting has played a significant role in defining Audi's design language for years, and the A6 E-Tron takes this feature to the next level. Its exterior lights are customizable, like the Q4 E-Tron's daytime running lights, and the concept gives new meaning to the term "projector headlights." In addition to illuminating the road, the digital matrix LED lights can project media (like a video game or a movie) onto a wall, which allows occupants to pass the time while they wait for the car to charge. Audi designers even developed a video game specifically for the concept.

Whether drivers will have time to beat the game depends on how and where they charge. Built on a 100-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, the A6 E-Tron uses an 800-volt electrical architecture that's compatible with 270-kilowatt fast-charging. Audi says it takes about 10 minutes to zap the battery with around 186 miles of range, and roughly 25 minutes to charge the pack from five to 80%. Maximum driving range checks in at 434 miles, though keep in mind the A6 E-Tron is a concept, and the aforementioned figures remain hypothetical for the time being.

Several powertrain configurations are possible, ranging from a rear-wheel-drive variant with one electric motor and a seven-second sprint from 0 to 60 mph to an all-wheel-drive, dual-motor version that puts 469 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque under the driver's right foot. Audi quotes a sub-four-second sprint to 60 mph for the quickest version, a time that places the A6 E-Tron in the same ballpark as the recently unveiled E-Tron GT.

Autoblog learned the A6 E-Tron won't change much as it morphs into a production model.

"[This concept is] very close to production; we'll keep about 95%. Of course, there are always elements that we'll need to change, this is a show car and it's quite accentuated, but we are very close to what you will see in serial production. The 5% that we'll change are the door handles, for example," Audi designer Wolf Seebers told us.

Audi and Porsche will begin building PPE-based cars in 2022, both in Germany and in a new production facility located in China, and the production version of the A6 E-Tron concept will reach American showrooms before the end of 2023, likely as a 2024 model. When it lands, it will join an electric crossover called Q6 E-Tron, which will make its debut in 2022 and go on sale in 2023, before the A6. It hasn't been unveiled yet, however.

Looking ahead, Audi hinted it plans to bookend the A6 E-Tron with smaller and bigger models built on the PPE platform. It did not provide specific details, but the current A6 is positioned between the A4 and the A8 in the company's sedan range. Reading between the lines suggests both models will get EV replacements in the 2020s.

What happens to the current A6?

Motorists who don't want an EV aren't out of luck — at least not yet. The current A6 will stick around for several years even after its electric successor arrives. Porsche is following the same path with the Macan.

"In the mid-term future, we will continue to offer C-segment cars with a combustion engine," Audi told Autoblog.