Audi has announced the first official details of its new RS6 Avant, the first of four new RS models which are due out next year.
And the big news is that the new RS6 is actually less powerful than the car it replaces.
Audi has ditched the Lamborghini-derived 5.0-litre V10 which was fitted to the old RS6 and replaced it with the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 already used in the S6, S7 and S8. Power is down 28bhp on the old model at 552bhp, but the performance figures tell a different story.
0-62mph takes 3.9 seconds -- seven tenths quicker than the old car -- and if you tick the option box to remove the speed limiter, the RS6 will carry on accelerating all the way up to 189mph.
These impressive figures are partly down to the RS6's new eight-speed automatic gearbox which features close ratio lower gears for rapid acceleration and a tall eighth gear for good fuel economy. Audi's boffins have also put the RS6 on a diet and the new model is a full 100kg lighter than its predecessor.
This weight saving also pays dividends in the economy department. The RS6 returns 28.8mpg and emits 229g/km of CO2, figures which are helped in part by the fitment of stop-start and cylinder deactivation technology which shuts down four of the car's eight cylinders when they're not needed.
The RS6 is the first Audi RS model to feature adaptive air suspension which lowers the car by 20mm, although firmer sports suspension is available as an option. Underneath the car's massive 21-inch wheels you get similarly massive brakes, and buyers will also have the option of speccing 420mm carbon-ceramic anchors.
The Audi RS6 Avant will go on sale here in the UK in July 2013, with prices expected to start from around £77,000. The new RS5 Cabriolet, RS7 and Q3 RS will follow later in the year.
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