It’s the best one-car solution out there (for me): family car, commuter, executive limo, weekend cruiser, road trip warrior or track-day star, the RS6 Avant could do it all. Okay, off-roading requiring more than a few inches ground clearance is obviously out of the question, and even cresting high snowplow banks might stymie it, but for anything else, this thing is all-conquering.
   Bucket List Drive: The Alps. Click image to enlarge |
Though I drove the RS6 for the least amount of time of all the cars we drove, it made the deepest impression. Just a quick run up and down and back again, and it won me over, heart and soul. It wasn’t even one of those famous passes, just another hill with wider sweeping corners, slightly longer straights and smoothly paved almost all the way, and just dry enough to push it comfortably, feel the massive grip and traction, then the accelerative force of the twin-turbo V8 poured through Quattro AWD as the exhaust crackles and spits fire at every downshift. A truly magnificent and evil cackle, and the interior volume of the Avant seems to echo it that little bit better, though that may have just been my bias filtering into my perceptions. Everything just seems better in the Avant – a beautiful car will do that.
From there it was on to lunch, the Solk Pass back in the RS5 Cabriolet, a fairly steep climb and descent but with curves as well as switchbacks, which we drove twice because it was so amazing. But again, rain and fog kept us from getting aggressive – I didn’t want to drive a brand new RS5 convertible off the side of a road any more than I would the vintage Quattro. After driving the various turbocharged cars, the naturally aspirated V8 of the RS5 won me over again, it’s linear rising power and smoother note the most beautiful sounding of the engines we sampled. I love that engine.
The last two notable passes were Turacher Hohe (at times as steep as 23 percent gradient) and Nockalm Road, but by that point, the never-ending combinations of switchbacks and passes were beginning to blend into one long, surreal dream. In two days, we repeatedly drove roads better than any I’ll see in an entire year, and in cars perfectly designed to handle the tasks of climbing, braking, turning and repeating. At one point, we got lost on a detour, managed to fill up on gas when we were down to reserve despite a language barrier and the attendant looking at us like we landed in an alien spacecraft rather than a convertible Audi.
While there is no question that the event served its purpose. Audi demonstrated the capability, confidence, heritage and appeal of their Quattro GmbH RS cars and introduced the new RSQ3, showing that it can keep up with Audi’s bigger, more powerful sports cars. But the event was so much more than that. Take away the cars, the horsepower, the hotels, the meals and the roads remain. These are driver’s roads in concentration and quantity that no other place on the planet can match. If you love to drive, if you live for the corner, the balance, or even just want to take in the spectacular views, arrange for a reasonable handling car and take to the Alps. It’s the drive of a lifetime and something you’ll cherish forever.
