AUDI RS6 Lease

Up front, you get a 560PS twin turbocharged V8 sending drive to all four wheels in Audi's time-honoured quattro tradition with a ferocious punch that makes the car as quick to 62mph as a Lamborghini Gallardo. Yet there's space for five and 565-litres of luggage space in the back. Your Labrador may not like the result of this highly compelling technological package, but the driver in you certainly will.

Does the luxury estate segment really need contenders offering the option of supercar performance? Audi thinks so. The third generation RS6 is the quickest model of its kind – as all its predecessors have been.

The 'world's fastest estate car' billing kind of clues you in to what to expect from the Audi RS 6, but even knowing that fact ahead of driving it won't prepare you for quite how brutal and inexorable its power delivery is. Nothing can. Not even the aggressive body styling or subtle sporting cues like the flat-bottomed steering wheel and hip-hugging seats oversell this car's ability. If anything, this is a model that masks its performance somewhat, a supercar in disguise if you will. With a mask that will drop as soon as you press the throttle pedal to the carpet?

It’s true that the RS 6 must walk a fine line when it comes to exterior design, subtle enough not to draw unwelcome attention but aggressive enough to please those in the know. Job done I’d say. To the uninformed, it looks like a big Audi estate with some shiny bits. True enthusiasts though, will spot the numerous RS-specific design details, like the matte black honeycomb radiator grille at the front with its matching matte-aluminium door mirror housings.

Moving round to the side, you get a set of handsome 20-inch seven-spoke forged alloys as standard, although there is this 21-inch option that I'd personally forgo for the sake of ride quality. The subtly blistered wheel arches and side sill extensions give the car a planted, pugnacious stance, while the small roof spoiler is a nod to the RS 6’s trademark high speed stability. The finishing flourish is a rear diffuser framed by a pair of oval tailpipes. If you want to go really stealthy, badge delete is a no-cost option. I'm not sure how much Audi would charge for a 1. 6 TDI badge.

And inside? Well there are so many slick pieces of design here that it's hard to know where to start. Build quality is faultless and everything hangs together without appearing cluttered or overly complicated. Certainly the view from the driver's seat is something quite special. You're gripped by the delightful prominently side-bolstered monogrammed RS super sport Valcona leather seats, trimmed with honeycomb quilted finish. They're heated and electrically adjustable for height, upper backrest position and lumbar support, as well as the usual back, forth and tilt functions.

Other highlights? Well there’s the rubber and metal pedal set, the illuminated door sills, the fold-out 7-inch LCD display that pops from the dash and the meaty flat bottomed steering wheel that contains all the controls you need and none you don't. Through it, you glimpse a purposeful set of instruments with black faces, white dials and red needles. Drivers choose between carbon, matt-brushed aluminium or piano black interior inlays, though if you want to go further, a show-stopping pinstriped aluminium and Beaufort black finish is a pricey option.

And for rear seat passengers? Well access isn't quite as good as it could be if the doors opened a little wider, but that’s something you'll really only notice when lugging baby seats in and out. Once inside though, it feels very nice indeed, provided that you’re not stuck on the hard central seat. Thanks to the wheelbase increase of this generation A6, owners of the previous generation RS 6 will notice leg and headroom improvements that enable a couple of six-foot adults to stretch out in comfort.

As for the boot, well there’s the option of a hands-free opening system that enables you to wave your foot beneath the bumper and raise the tailgate even when your arms are full of shopping. Inside, there’s 565-litres on offer and to help owners make the most of it, Audi has installed cargo floor tracks upon which owners can fit either a luggage net or movable posts with telescopic arms set between them, enabling easier separation of your eggs from your Iron Bru. Plus of course, you can also expect to find the usual lashing eyes, side restraining straps and bag hooks, plus an optional ski hatch.

This may not be the most powerful estate car in the world but in every meaningful respect, it’s the fastest, exactly as it was designed to be. Speed, it seems, is not directly relational to power and by shaving the weight, increasing the torque, improving aerodynamics and reducing friction in the engine, Audi has managed to do more with less. Quite how much more only really becomes apparent when you exercise the throttle pedal with intent.

The RS6 has a charisma of its own, an incredibly special interior and looks like a supercar's evil henchman from outside. Best of all, that devastating power never, ever loses its appeal. The result is an astonishing machine - and a monumental force to be reckoned with.