Angrier Audi RS6 Spotted Testing At The 'Ring, Sounds Suitably Filthy

Audi’s signature fast estate is about to get angrier, and probably even faster. As part of a mid-life refresh, the Audi RS6 Avant Performance - now the only version of the RS6 you can buy - will be treated to various tweaks, as previewed by the camouflaged test mule seen here lapping the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Although we’d like to delve straight into the changes, we’re a little distracted by the noise, which is, we think, rather filthy, particularly for something which will almost certainly have a couple of particulate filters stuffed up its exhaust pipes. Those, it should be noted, still have the trademark oval tips, but elsewhere, the new RS6 is looking surprisingly different.

Just take a look at those front wings, which are reshaped and now feature brake ducts à la RS3. The front splitter looks considerably meatier, to the point where we’d be wary of tackling speed bumps at any particular pace, while at the rear, the little boot spoiler of the current model has made way for a reasonably large wing. That wing looks awfully similar to the one Audi stuck on the wild RS6 GTO concept a few years ago, and just below is a redesigned bumper.

We can’t be sure what Audi has done under the bonnet, but at the very least we’d expect the twin-turbo, 4.0-litre V8 to have received a small bump in boost pressure for an even chunkier power figure. As it is, the RS6 Performance develops 621bhp and 595lb ft of torque, making for a 0-62mph time of 3.4 seconds. That eight-cylinder lump certainly has a bit of headroom to exploit, as the version in the Lamborghini Urus Performante chucks out 657bhp.

Expect to see the new RS6 in a more official capacity in 2024.