[s-cars] RS6 vs M5

[Pram]

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Chris:

As far as I am concern, any sedan/wagon which will humiliates an M5
(according to the article below) is good enough for me (regardless what
R&T or C&D says).  I hope that R&T or C&D review will not be to
favorable to the RS6 so as not to create a overdemand and undersupply
problem.

Pram
92S4

The following is according to Top Gear mag:

Audi - RS6 - Roadtest	[June 01 2002]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


On Tuesday, June 25, 2002, at 03:23 PM, Chris Covington wrote:

> Until they get a stick or an SMG RS6, or else compare the RS6 to an auto
> M5, it's somewhat apples and oranges, I think.  Or, I can see it now,
> knowing R&T and especially C&D, they will compare the two and have the
> BMW win just because it's a stick and therefore "much sportier, etc."
>
> Cov
>
>
> On Tue, 25 Jun 2002 UrS492 at aol.com wrote:
>
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>> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
>> So have there been any magazine articles written yet on a head to head
>> comparison between the RS6 and the M5.  If so, please let me know so I
>> can
>> look them up.
>>
>> Thanks everyone,
>>
>> Mark in UT
>> '92 S4
>> Past
>> 86 Coupe GT
>> 92 100 S
>> 97 A4T
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