2003 Audi RS6 is Equal Parts Legendary and Notorious
Audi shipped this RS6 to the U.S. for only one model year, but that was long enough for it to show its strengths–and weaknesses.
Many cars age well. Some age poorly. They all age honestly. After enough time goes by, every car’s strong suits and shortcomings become obvious. Every. Car. Even low-volume, high-performance sedans such as the C5 version of the Audi RS6, which only came to the U.S. for the 2003 model year. As YouTube star Doug DeMuro points out in this video, there was – and still is – a lot to like about Audi’s uber four-door, but those highlights have dark shadows. According to him, “Everybody loved them, but nobody wanted to be responsible for owning them.”
To make the RS6 compete with the E39 BMW M5 and W211 Mercedes-Benz E 55 AMG, Audi stuffed a twin-turbo 4.2-liter V8 under its hood. It was a monster at the time, generating 450 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque (and routing it through quattro all-wheel drive, of course). According to DeMuro, those stats made the RS6 “the fastest sedan in the world at the time” (it had company in the top spot: the supercharged W211 E55 AMG).
There were major tradeoffs to all of that forced-induction fury. It’s easy to see the engine takes up a lot of real estate. That means access to many vital parts is so problematic that a lot of problems can only be fixed after you drop the engine out of the car. The turbos definitely qualify as essential hardware and they certainly are problematic. DeMuro states they often fail. Getting to the battery is easy, though…because it’s in the trunk.
One of the great things about the RS6’s amount of power is that only people who know which car they’re looking at know it can smoke certain sports cars. It’s about as understated as a 450-horsepower performance sedan gets, using a few badges, slightly different wheels, fender flares, and a different rear diffuser to stand out from A6s of its era.
It’s just as low-key inside. Aside from the solar panels embedded into the sunroof above it, the interior is simple and elegant. Unfortunately, it’s where two of the RS6’s biggest problems are most obvious. As understated and tasteful as the cabin is, it’s hard to enjoy when the suspension goes out, which DeMuro says it’s prone to doing. The shift lever for the Tiptronic automatic is connected to a gearbox that’s not capable of handling the twin-turbo V8’s torque and, as a result, has torque converter issues.
Fortunately, DeMuro’s test car is in perfect running order. Despite its heavy steering, the RS6 is shockingly nimble and toss-able. The rapid acceleration comes as no surprise, though. The RS6’s German contemporaries had plenty of power as well, but the RS6’s combination of subtle styling, understated interior, and ample output makes it DeMuro’s favorite. “Not only is it rarer, but … everything about it I truly love.” Many RS6 owners probably feel the same way…until things start to go wrong.
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