2021 Audi RS6 Avant Drag Races Itself In Stock Vs Tuned Showdown

High-powered wagons continue to grab our attention as practical machines paired with a surprising amount of performance. The Audi RS6 Avant embodies this with plenty of oomph on tap to lay down some surprising numbers. But for £5,000 ($6,860 at current exchange rates), you can wring even more performance out of the already potent machine, and the upgrade is even noticeable in the real world.

Carwow pitted a stock RS6 Avant against the Awesome GTI-tuned version to see just how beneficial the upgrades are. The stock RS6 sports a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 producing 600 horsepower (447 kilowatts) and 590 pound-feet (800 Newton-meters) of torque. The tuned version makes 800 hp (596 kW) and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque. Both engines pair to the same eight-speed gearbox and all-wheel-drive system, though Awesome GTI had to restrict the engine output when the car launches.

The result is a tuned RS6 Avant that gets off the line even with its stock self, though that doesn’t last. The tuned wagon’s extra power begins putting distance between it and the stock version without any issue. The stock Audi completed the quarter-mile in 11.4 seconds, while the tuned one did it a half-second quicker at 10.9 seconds. It was the same result with the rolling-start race, with the tuned one being quicker. A brake test also went in favor of the Awesome GTI Avant, though it doesn’t have any brake upgrades. Instead, it features different rubber.

The Awesome GTI tune doesn’t have a significant amount of work done to it to make that extra power. It has an ECU tune that pairs with a performance air filter and Milltek exhaust that helps the twin-turbocharged engine make even more power. It’s not exactly cheap, though it does feel like it offers a serious bang-for-your-buck upgrade without breaking the bank.