2025 Audi RS6 GT Review: Utterly Excellent, Utterly Expensive

We’re at the end of the road for the Audi RS6 as we know it. No more will the nameplate be used for cars that’ll exclusively draw power from internal combustion engines.

Much like the G90 BMW M5, it’s expected that when the new A6 gets its RS version in a few years' time, it’ll deploy a hybrid V8 powertrain – surely with as much intrigue over the formula as its rival from Munich.

More controversially still, though, it’s rumoured an EV could sit alongside that. No shock given Audi had been planning to only introduce new models of electric cars from 2026 onwards, before recently backtracking on that.

We’ll have to reserve judgment on that pairing until we see them, and indeed, drive them. Regardless, though, the C8 Audi RS6 will go down in history not only as the final pure-combustion Audi RS6 but also for being utterly brilliant.

It’s not going away quietly, either, with Ingolstadt giving it a seriously loud send-off. Welcome, then, to the Audi RS6 GT.

You only have to take a look at its audacious livery to know this is a pretty special piece of kit. That’s a nod to the Audi 90 IMSA GTO, a cult legend racecar that competed through the 1989 IMSA campaign in North America.

Inspiration for the RS6 GT itself comes from more recent history, though. In 2020, the bonkers Audi RS6 GTO concept was built to pay tribute to the IMSA and 40 years of Quattro. It’s more than just a livery, too – it’s remarkable how much of the GTO has inspired the production GT.

For a start, there’s the new front bumper with more aggressive intakes for improved cooling, painted gloss black and with a bit of red striping, as seen on the GTO, for the new splitter. The bonnet is made from carbon fibre, as are the extended front wheel arches and extended side skirts. Then there’s the massive wing plonked on the back, a reworked rear bumper and a bigger diffuser. Rounding out the visual package is a lush set of white 22-inch wheels, which are needed to house the gigantic standard-fit 10-piston carbon ceramic brakes.

Under the partial-carbon skin, the RS6 GT sees its air suspension and adaptive dampers swapped out for a three-way manually-adjustable setup. The tools to tinker with this are included with the car, but we suspect most owners will ultimately leave it in its default settings. All those modifications contribute to a 25kg weight saving compared with the regular RS6.

Elsewhere, a 30 per cent stiffer roll bar sits at the front, with an even beefier, 80 per cent stiffer one at the rear. The diff has had some tuning to dial out understeer, and all of that is underlined with Continental Sport Contact 7 tyres.

For all its chassis changes, there’s no extra attention paid to the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8. It’s still producing 621bhp and 626lb ft of torque, sent through an eight-speed torque converter gearbox. Quoted 0-62mph drops a tenth to 3.3 seconds, though, and the electronic cap on top speed has been raised from 174mph to 190mph.

What the numbers can’t tell you is how much more special the Audi RS6 GT feels, though. In just about every immeasurable manner, it’s better than the car it’s based on to create an altogether mesmerising package.

With that passive damping setup, there’s a greater sense of connection to the road compared with the relative isolation the base RS6 presents. Running it in its factory configuration, it’s brilliantly set up – it naturally rides a touch stiff, but remains composed over bumpy sections and combined with those stiffer roll bars, practically eliminates any unwarranted movement within the chassis when you’re pushing it.

Throw in the extra diff tuning and those ultra-grippy Sport Contacts, and it meets the metaphorical definition of ‘on rails’. It feels more akin to being at the helm of a heat-seeking ballistic missile locked onto the sun than a two-tonne estate.

In spite of the more capable chassis, you’re never left aching for more grunt from the V8. If anything, it feels a little more alive, more at home at the heart of the GT. It feels mind-bogglingly quick from a standstill, likely as a result of that reduced isolation, and continues to deliver consistent thunder up to its 6,000rpm peak. A reminder of how great the combination is, and a bit of a dampener to know it won’t be in production for much longer.

You’re getting a bit more of everything that makes the Audi RS6 a sensational performance car, without really compromising on anything that makes it brilliant.

Sure, the boot is marginally smaller at 548 litres rather than the base car’s 565 litres, but it’s still cavernous and its slightly raised floor does make it a touch easier to get things in. Oh, and it may ride harsher at motorway speeds, but it’s still comfortable, which I can attest to after 500 miles of M1 schlepping over a long weekend.

Little has changed inside to turn this into some track-chasing demon, which its exterior would suggest. There’s more Alcantara, sure, and the carbon-backed seats will have you wincing if you have particularly kicky rear passengers, but otherwise, it’s all normal Audi RS6.

So you’re expecting me to tell you this is the only Audi RS6 you should consider, and that you need to go and buy one immediately? I’d love to, but there are three pretty seismic stumbling blocks.

First is availability. Just 660 units of the GT have been built, and only 60 of those are destined for the UK.

Then there’s the asking price – £176,975. Which is to say, almost £57,000 more than a regular RS6 Performance, or, for the purposes of context to follow, about 47 per cent more.

Finally, there’s the actual price. Ah, you see, the combination of the above two factors means the Audi RS6 GT has become one for the car flippers out there. As I’m writing this, there are three listed for sale as far as I can see. Pretty impressive for five per cent of a total allocation already to be on the second-hand market.

Oh, and the cheapest of those? £199,950. Yep. About 66 per cent more.

So to have an Audi RS6 GT, you’ve got to either be exceptionally friendly with a local dealer to get yourself an allocation at list price, or be prepared to part with £80,000 over the asking price of a base car.

Yes, the Audi RS6 GT is a more special car than the standard one. But about 10 or 15 per cent more, if you have to measure it. Not 47 per cent more worth it, and certainly not 66 more.

The answer to ‘Should you buy one?’ comes with two questions of my own. Is money not a factor, and do you simply want the absolute best version of a sensational car? If the answer is yes, then do it.

Does price even remotely come into consideration, though? Then there’s no shame in sticking to the regular Audi RS6. You won’t be left disappointed. Provided you don’t see a GT at a set of traffic lights…