Since the dealer is located in Georgia and I reside in the Tri-states, I rolled out at the crack of dawn on Friday and drove directly to Georgia. In total, it was a mind-numbing 14-hour drive. I counted 13 car crashes within my vicinity, 2 of which were 2-3 cars in front or behind me. I gotta say, I was pretty lucky that I got out unscathed.
Was the RS6 worth the hell-ride? You bet your toches.
I arrived at the dealership the next day to handover my 2018 S4. Paperwork was relatively painless and within half an hour, I was driving that BAMF off the lot.
My plan is to stop in DC overnight and then head back to NYC the next day, which totals to approximately 900 miles. Not a bad way to get to know the car and break it in. The following is my short review of the car that I gathered from my 900 miles trip back home:
City Driving
The first thing I noticed when I gave it some gas and steered was how nimble this car is. The length and girth of the wagon are very deceptive! Parking or U-turns with the RS6 were effortless as it has a really tight turning ratio (thanks to the back wheels).
Comfort mode really complements city driving and you can easily clear any ramps with the RS6 fully raised. I was able to clear some really nasty ramps with the car at its highest with little trepidation.
With the exhaust in "pronounce" mode, you can be sure that pedestrians and fellow drivers will turn their heads because either: A) They are trying to figure why a sports wagon is making that deep rumble sound B) It's the RS6.
The air suspension works really well in cities as well, especially ones with potholes everywhere (i.e., NYC and DC), I didn't really have to brace myself and cringe whenever I have to inevitably confront an unlevel road.
Highway Driving
I'm pretty sure I spent 90% of my trip on highways and lemme tell you, this car is a pleasure to be in for long trips.
The driver compartment is really spacious and never during my 9-hour trip did I feel cramped! The seats are very comfortable and the ventilation function was a blessing (I sweat easily).
For prolonged drives, the Driver's Assistance Package really pulls through. The Audi adaptive cruise and lane assist is really sharp and accurate. It keeps pace between you and the front car very well and it can handle some sharp turns automatically in highway situations; very Tesla-like. Audi pre sense is also sharper than previous generations and it was able to sense some sudden stops in front of me even before I was able to realize it. The brakes were applied automatically, but it also cued me to apply the rest of the force with my foot. Two things here:
1) Maybe it's my driving style, but I feel like the driver assistance technology really complimented me, and the hybrid of tech and human driving was very seamless.
2) The Audi pre sense really saved my behind because a car that was approximately 50 yards in front of me was slammed by another car from the right lane. Pre sense warned me right off the bat and applied applicable braking and passed the baton to me to finish the defensive maneuver.
The power. Ah yes, it is always readily available for you. All it takes is to give the gas pedal a little pressure, and boom! You just got from 70-90 before you can say "holy s..." Plus, there is pleasure in overtaking unknowing BMW M drivers with a sports wagon and seeing their jaws drop.
After I surpassed 600 miles, I was confident enough to be able to demand a little more from the RS6. I did a few rolling launches from rest areas back onto the highway.
This. Thing. Kicks
I can feel my spine and head being pulled back into my seat as I launch the car back onto the highway, leaving other cars that were on the main road in the dust. It was a thrill and it doesn't require much wrangling on the driver's end to make sure you are going on the right curvature.
BTW, try as you may, it is almost impossible to get the RS6 above 23 MPG. I tried my damndest for the first 600 miles but to no avail.
Car Technology:
It was a shock to me how much the technology behind Audi has evolved between 2018 and 2020. This car has more configuration options than my phone.
First, I really appreciate the simplicity and cleanliness of Audi MMI when compared to other high-end automotive manufacturers. While it still takes time to figure out what options are located where, it is still a lot more intuitive when compared to the BMWs or Mercedes.
The backup cameras should be a standard. It provided me 360 degrees awareness and not being familar with the size of the car, I was able to quickly adapt to it by using the tech to parallel park in one fell swoop.
I'm an Android guy, and while I appreciate Android Auto in Audi, I really wished that it was wireless like the Apple Car Play option. Having a cable means that I can't fully leverage wireless charging and reception booster located under the armrest. Additionally, maybe it's my phone, but Android Auto crashed every 2 hours.
I also found that the climate control to be slightly distracting, especially when you need to adjust the temperature.
Interior Quips
It was a pleasurable experience overall, but there were two things that annoyed me. First, the armrest storage is really, really shallow. I had my wallet, EZ pass, chapstick (because we all need one in the car), facemask, and cleaning cloth for the touchscreen in there and it's practically full. There is no dedicated storage for sunglasses so I had to slip it into my door compartment. I really wished that Audi was able to dug a little deeper.
Second, if you opted for the Piano black center console, have fun wiping. It was a smudge-monster. After 9 hours of driving the center console looked like it just came back from a rave party and everybody was touching each other. The cupholders are kinda small as well; I had a medium-sized Dunkin cup and it barely fit. Good luck with fitting a 7-Eleven Slurpee (Really, don't. That's a lot of soda.) I also wished that we had the hidden cup holder option. The juxtaposition of piano black trim and black plastic cop holder frame is somewhat jarring...I don't often replace parts, but this is definitely something that I am going to modify.
^ Something like this would be nice
Overall
I am loving this car. The RS6 is a technological and automotive marvel. I don't think I have to say much about it's exterior look since everybody in this forum is probably already captivated by it. But the technology, the performance, and the comfort are unparalleled. This is a car that was (and is) worth the wait and I am thrilled that I can take my girlfriend, my girlfriend's annoying friends, and my Labrador on road trips and hit them with a dose of warp speed acceleration to balance out the universe. I told my friends and my girlfiend that this will be my last gasoline car (let's be real, E-cars are the future), and I am really happy that I made this choice.
Bonus: Fellow Future RS6 Owner with his current car when I dropped by DC.
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Originally Posted by Ryun43
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