Audi S6 (2006) CAR review

After the rapturous reception given to the brilliant new RS4 we've got high hopes for the S6.

As well you might. All the ingredients are there: V10 Lamborghini engine, grippy Torsen four-wheel drive transmission, special 19-inch rims, four tailpipes and various S6 and V10 badges dotted around. There are even daytime LED lights mounted beneath the headlights - one for each cylinder to let people know you're driving something special.

But you have to admit it looks like Audi has save the best stuff for the RS6.

Yes, even with those tweaks, the whole is so subtle that the chances of being mistaken for a 3.0 Tdi are not small. The V10 has been detuned from the 450bhp it makes in the S8 to keep the marketing men happy too. When the RS6 arrives it will do so with a twin-turbo version producing over 520bhp and probably get to 62mph nearly a second quicker than the 5.2sec it takes the S6. It will also come with massive wheelarches even bigger than the S6's 14mm flares, and the clever Dynamic Ride control system from the RS4 and the old RS6+ that connects diagonally opposing dampers so the car doesn't bounce along the road like this one. But then the S6 costs £55,375; the RS6 is likely to command a £10k premium.