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It was hard to imagine anyone going one better than the RS4, Audi's compact
'lifestyle' estate that chews up sports cars and spits them out from its
exhaust. So Audi kindly saved them from the bother, by building their own,
the RS6.

Enabling the RS6 to slacken jaws with disbelief is a 4.2-litre, biturbo V8
motor whose credentials pretty much speak for themselves. Peak power is
450bhp, developed from 5,700rpm, while the torque figure of 413lb ft comes
in at just 1,950rpm (yes, you read it right first time).

Steamrolling autobahns is all well and good, but as we all know, over in
good ol' Blighty the roads are as crowded as Prescott's garage is crammed
with Jags. So it's good to find that the quattro GmbH lot have backed up the
V8 powerhouse with some suitably accomplished hardware, starting with the
brakes. The composite compound discs are ventilated all round and massive
too, with equally huge eight-piston calipers up front getting an unbreakable
hold of the discs. No matter what speed you're slowing from, nor how many
times, the ABS and EBD-backed system can't be faulted, as it tries to wrench
your head off from its comfy perch on your shoulders every time you lean
hard on the middle pedal.

That's always reassuring to know. Because once away from the open expanse of
three-lane motorways, the RS6's potential available performance becomes even
more gob-smacking. Ground can be covered between bends with astonishing
ease. There's so much torque on offer. Way more than, say, an M5, which
would be humiliatingly outpaced by the RS6. Ease the throttle to the floor
and, from 2,000rpm, you are into Ferrari 360 territory. But would the M5
driver be enjoying him or herself more when the straights turn to corners?

Now, this is a tough one to answer. It all depends on how you like your cars
to handle. The RS6 comes with aluminium four-link front suspension and
double wishbone at the rear, boasts tailored springing and damping rates,
and features front and rear anti-roll bars. Together with the quattro
permanent four-wheel-drive system and a new Dynamic Ride Control system,
which eliminates body roll through mechanically operated hydraulic damping,
it is staggeringly accomplished.

Point it at a corner and it just goes round. Flat and fast. There's a
remarkable level of grip and huge ground covering potential. But you know
what I'm going to say, don't you? That it's a bit inert. A bit lifeless. Not
adjustable and playful in the way a hooligan-friendly rear-wheel M5 or
Jaguar S-Type R would be. Right? Well, you'd be wrong.

Because the RS6 manages to be surprisingly adjustable. Throw it into a tight
third- or second-gear corner on a trailing throttle, or with a dab of
brakes, and the tail end shows willing and swings right round, calling for a
healthy dose of opposite lock and a touch of power from the softly
responding throttle.

You probably wouldn't be able to indulge in such antics if it weren't for
the new version of the Tiptronic automatic gearbox. As well as regular Drive
and Tiptronic self-shift modes, there's a new Sports mode, which revs
higher, holds on to gears through bends and changes down earlier. There are
also small paddles on the back of the sports wheel, replacing the previous
buttons, which have a satisfyingly short, sharp travel and will, no doubt,
be the preferred mode of operation.

On the outside, Audi had already got the looks sussed with flared wheel
arches, lowered ride height, 19-inch wheels, a big jutting chin with mesh
covering for the air intakes and a low-slung back bumper with two fat
exhaust tail pipes chucking out masses of heat.

Inside, you're treated to something of a pampering rather than a battering.
Recaro leather sports seats with RS6 logos offer fantastic support and
comfort, while there are more toys in here than you will find under the roof
of Hamleys.

Audi UK suspects that most buyers of the RS6 will already have something
flashy and low slung sat on their driveway at home - the RS6 will be the
day-to-day wheels. Around 500 are anticipated to be sold between now and
2004, with 70 per cent of those being Avants.

My advice to them would be choose black or grey, remove all tell-tale RS6
badging, black-out all chrome trim and treat yourself to a rare insight into
that misunderstood world of German humour.

James Mills