The Perfect Family Vehicle for a Gearhead

2024 Audi RS6 Avant

Being a gearhead with a wife and kids, comes with a dilemma, because most proper sport cars are either only two seater vehicles or two door coupes with back seats that are non-existent, as they can't really fit passengers. The Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) brought about a solution to this problem of having to choose between ones car and his/her family, as these comfortable 5/8 seater vehicles have become almost as fast as some proper sport cars. Nonetheless, most SUVs are too big and bulky to thrash around a race track.

Spot the difference between a wagon (below in grey) and a sedan (above in blue)

Then came along the chosen one, the King Arthur of vehicles who pulled the sword out of the stone. This certain King goes by the name, Audi RS6 Avant. The Audi RS6 Avant is a wagon, meaning it is like a stretched out sedan with a long and spacious boot space. Wagons in general combine the best of both words, as they are small and have a low center of gravity like sedans, while also being just as spacious as an SUV. This combination of features makes them perfect for taking the kids to school on weekdays and racing around the track on weekends. However, out of all the wagons on the market, the Audi RS6 Avant stands out as the best money can buy.

A Little History

My Dads 2006 Volkswagen Golf Wagon

I grew up liking wagons because my Dad likes them just as much. At this point, one would say that I  mention my Father in almost every blogpost and they would be right, because he unknowingly influenced my love for automobiles. Anyhoo, my Dad has had at least three wagons that I can remember and they were all Volkswagen (VW) Golf Wagons. Two out of the three VW Golf wagons were 1999 models. A few years later, he then purchased a 2006 model (pictured above). In as much as I really liked this car, I had always wished my Dad got the Audi Wagon instead, which unknown to me then was the Audi RS6. I remember that one of my friends Dad had the Audi Wagon (pictured below) and it looked cooler than my Dads Golf  Wagon, which made me like it so much.

2005 Audi RS6 Wagon

Unlike in the West of Nigeria, the Audi RS6 Wagons are more common in the South side, especially in Edo state where I grew up. You can’t drive for ten minutes in Benin City without seeing an Audi Wagon. These cars are common on the roads of Benin City because they are reliable, fuel economical, powerful and spacious, hence they are mostly used as transport vehicles. The base model 2005 Audi RS6 Wagon came with a 1.8 liter inline-4 engine that made 170 horsepower, while it's Avant counterpart came with a twin turbocharged V8 engine that made 597 horsepower. With these stats you realize that the Avant option was a bargain, as the power bumped up almost three times to that of the base model. However, it came at a price, as the Avant option costs significantly more than the base model.

Base Audi Wagon as seen in Benin City, Edo State

Fast forward a few years to 2019, the fourth generation RS6 Avant was released and boy was it a beauty to behold! It came with a sleek, sporty look, having very sharp angles and a low center of gravity. I remember seeing this car for the first time on an episode of Top Gear in 2020 and it was love at first site. The 4th generation Audi RS6 Wagon comes with the Avant package as standard, meaning every RS6 Wagon produced today comes standard with a 4 liter twin turbo V8 engine making about 620 horsepower. For a family car, that's an outrageous amount of horsepower. For comparison, a 2019 Dodge Challenger which is a two door sport car makes about 700 horsepower, which is not so far off from that of the RS6 Avant. 

A family car with steeze

One would think that with such outrageous amount of power, the RS6 Avant would loose it's functionality of being a family car, but that is not the case. The RS6 Avant is extremely spacious and can comfortably seat a family of five. It also has a boot capacity that matches those of some SUV's. With these stats, you realize that the RS6 Avant does not compromise performance for practicality. However, the RS6 Avant does not come cheap as it starts at about $127, 000 which is already in the proper sport car territory. So, if the RS6 Avant costs more than a Dodge Challenger which is a muscle car, why should I get it? I will answer that question in two words, “practical performance”. The RS6 Avant is a better investment as you can easily outrun the cops with your wife and kids comfortably sleeping during the entire chase. 

Family Getaway Vehicle

In conclusion, the Audi RS6 Avant combines the compactness of a sedan, spaciousness of an SUV and power of sport car, all in one package. Therefore I hope that with these few points of mine, I have been able to convince and not confuse you that the Audi RS6 Avant is the perfect family vehicle for a gearhead. Thank you for reading and always remember to Turbo that engine!