Buy this Audi RS6 while it's still CHEAP!

  • 2 days ago
Transcript
00:00This is a C5 Audi RS6 Plus from 2004,
00:04and I think it is one of the very best hot cars Audi has ever made.
00:08In fact, if you're after a bit of German modern classic performance,
00:11you should forget a BMW E39 M5 and get one of these instead.
00:16And in this video, I'm going to show you why.
00:22What makes this car so special is this glorious thing here,
00:26this bi-turbo V8 engine.
00:28Audi gave its naturally aspirated 4.2-litre 40-valve engine
00:33over to Cosworth in the UK,
00:35who fit two turbochargers onto it,
00:37some intercoolers, loads of other bits and pieces.
00:39The result, 450 horsepower.
00:42Now, that's in the normal C5 RS6.
00:44This being the Plus has an extra 30 horsepower,
00:47so 480 in total.
00:50Also, it has 560 newton-metres of torque,
00:52which comes in as low as 1950 rpm
00:55and stays with you all the way to 6,000 rpm.
00:58It is nuts.
00:59Apparently, 0-60 takes 4.6 seconds,
01:02but we'll find out exactly what I can do with this car
01:04when I launch it a little bit later.
01:07Top speed restricted to 174 miles an hour,
01:10which may seem like a weird number,
01:12but actually, when you convert that to kilometres an hour, it's 280.
01:15So, makes perfect sense.
01:17So, this engine, it's got plenty of performance.
01:19Power builds from around 2,000 rpm
01:22and it just goes to the red line all the way up.
01:24It's so quick.
01:26I mean, you do not need a car to be any quicker than this.
01:30Granted, it doesn't feel quite as insanely fast
01:33as the modern C8 RS6 that I run as a daily driver,
01:36but it's not far behind.
01:39And when you think about how little money
01:40you can actually get one of these things for now,
01:42you are getting so much bang for your buck.
01:45It is a good, strong engine.
01:48Plus, for a turbo, an old turbo like that,
01:51it is really responsive.
01:57Sounds pretty good as well, doesn't it?
01:59But what's it like when you're stationary?
02:01This plus version of the C5 RS6 has an upgraded performance exhaust.
02:05I'm going to rev it up.
02:15Oh, yeah, the good old days where Audis didn't have soft limiters.
02:20Time for a quick history lesson.
02:21So, the C5 was the first ever RS6.
02:25In fact, it was the third ever RS car from Audi,
02:27the first being the RS2, and the second one, the B5 RS4.
02:31It was built from 2002 until 2004,
02:35and for the last six months of production,
02:36you were able to get this upgraded plus version.
02:39Now, it was only available in Avant model.
02:42Avant, obviously, is Audi-speak for estate.
02:45And the car, as well as having an extra 30 horsepower,
02:47had some other upgrades, which I'll explain in a bit.
02:50Now, one of the things about this plus version of the RS6
02:52is that it's quite rare.
02:54Audi only ever made 1,000 of them globally,
02:57and only 77 came to the UK.
02:59As a result, they hold their value pretty well.
03:02So, a good one with about 70,000 miles on the clock
03:04will set you back about £25,000.
03:07This one with 20,000 miles on the clock is brand-new, almost.
03:10Probably going to be around £40,000 to £50,000.
03:13However, don't worry, just get yourself a normal C5 RS6
03:17and save a bunch of cash.
03:19They're pretty much as fast, 0.3 of a second slower than the B5 RS6.
03:22A second slower to 60 miles an hour and has a top speed of 155 miles an hour.
03:27Plus, you can get one from around £10,000 for a decent one,
03:30and £15,000 will get you a really nice one.
03:33Now, if you're thinking about buying an old RS6,
03:35or any used car for that matter,
03:36you're going to need to do a vehicle history check
03:38to make sure that it doesn't have a dodgy past.
03:40You don't want to be buying a car that's been stolen,
03:42it's been written off, it's got outstanding finance on it,
03:44or it's got dodgy mileage.
03:47And to do that, I recommend you use my friends at CarVertical.
03:50So, I've put a link to their website in the description
03:52and my pinned comment, and if you use the code WATSON10,
03:54you'll get 10% off.
03:56One of the good things about CarVertical
03:58is that you can often see crash damage photos
04:00if the car has been damaged and then repaired
04:02and put back onto the road.
04:04Here's an example of a car
04:06which was actually put back onto the road after being damaged.
04:09And you can actually look at the photos of when it was damaged
04:11before it was repaired.
04:12And you'd never know, would you?
04:14You'd never know unless you saw these photos.
04:16Now, I'm not saying that that car hasn't been repaired well,
04:18but if you've got the choice of buying a car
04:20that's been in an accident or one that hasn't,
04:21you're going to want to go for one that hasn't.
04:23So, remember, follow the link in the description
04:25or my pinned comment to go to CarVertical
04:27and use the discount code WATSON10.
04:29And I took you around the design of the RS6 Avant.
04:31So, it had a bigger roof spoiler than the standard A6.
04:35You also got your RS6 badging there,
04:37a deeper rear bumper with a fake diffuser lock.
04:42They're faking it back in 2004.
04:44What's not fake, though?
04:46Oval exhaust pipes.
04:47They are 100% real.
04:50My favourite feature of the RS6, though,
04:52are its flared wheel arches.
04:53They look wonderful.
04:55Now, alloy wheel sizes, 19 inches as standard,
04:58unless you're in the United States of America,
05:00then they start off with 18 inches.
05:02That's the first and only time anything coming out of America
05:04has been smaller than you got in Europe.
05:07This being the plus version has the anthracite alloys,
05:10still 19 inches.
05:12It also has black roof bars
05:13rather than the satin finish ones of the standard RS6.
05:17Both cars did get satin door mirrors,
05:19which are actually made out of metal, which is really cool.
05:22And these side skirts.
05:24From this angle, this car just looks so good.
05:27Finally, at the front, you get a more aggressive bumper
05:28than the standard A6 with these big air intakes,
05:31which are all real.
05:32You also get RS6 badging over there.
05:34And this being the plus version,
05:36you get blacks around for the grille.
05:38It also gets the xenon lights as standard
05:40and this beautiful blue paint as standard as well.
05:44Love this colour.
05:45Get in this car, get it in this colour if you can.
05:48Audi gave the plus model an upgraded sharper steering rack
05:51over the standard RS6.
05:53They didn't do anything to the automatic gearbox,
05:54so it's the same five-speed ZF Auto with a torque converter,
05:58which drives all four wheels via quattro permanent all-wheel drive.
06:03I'm sad to say it is the gearbox, which is the weak point in this car.
06:07It really does feel its age,
06:09especially when you compare it to the eight-speed auto
06:11you get in the modern RS6.
06:13So I've just got it in normal drive.
06:14Kickdown's okay-ish, but sometimes it can be a bit thick
06:18when it's deciding which gear to put you in.
06:20Put it into sport, and it's a bit better.
06:22It will hold onto its gears for longer, so you can have a bit more fun.
06:25But really, if you want to have fun,
06:27you probably want to take control yourself and put it into manual mode.
06:30But then it's even worse.
06:31So I'm going to change down a gear, and the response is so slow.
06:35Look, I'm pulling the pedal. Now, change. Now, off we go.
06:40I'm going to do it again.
06:42Change down now, pulling the pedal.
06:43Yep, there we go.
06:44It's just so slow, and changing up is slow as well.
06:47Look, change up now, pull the pedal, and it's like a second delay.
06:51You almost have to factor that in to when you're driving.
06:54It just dilutes the fun somewhat. It's such a shame.
06:57Doesn't completely ruin it, though, because the engine just makes up for it.
07:00The RS6 has double wishbone suspension at the front,
07:03multi-link at the rear.
07:04It sits 20mm lower to the ground than the already sporty S6,
07:09and the Plus model is a further 10mm lower to the ground.
07:12Obviously, the springs and dampers are at rated.
07:14In fact, the dampers have something called dynamic ride control.
07:17So, what you've got there is the left front damper...
07:20It's connected to the leg bone.
07:23...is connected to the rear right damper,
07:25and the right front damper is connected to the...
07:28Arm bone.
07:30...rear left damper.
07:31And the pump actually moves it all about between them
07:34to stop the car pitching or diving under braking and accelerating
07:37or rolling in the bends.
07:39The car is also fitted with beefier anti-roll bars than the standard A6.
07:43At the back, you've also got an electronically controlled
07:45limited-slip differential.
07:47So, this generation of performance Audi had a reputation
07:49for being a big understeery mess, but is it?
07:53Doesn't seem to be.
07:54It actually turns in really sharply.
07:56The nose just darts into a corner.
07:58Look, here's another one.
08:00Turn it in, grips, a bit of understeer on the Porsche,
08:02then accelerate out.
08:04Stays completely flat. It really does.
08:07No, it's not an understeery mess.
08:09I'm actually surprised how much better it is than I thought it would be.
08:12This car is fun through the bends.
08:15OK, so it's not quite as playful as an M5,
08:17but you can't fault the performance and the way it steers.
08:22Back in the day, this was probably criticised for being numb,
08:24but I'm feeling so much of the road.
08:25You can feel it, like, talking to you.
08:27You can feel the bumps because it's a hydraulically-assisted system
08:30and all the little bumps in the road are fed back through to your fingertips.
08:33The modern electric systems just dial all that out.
08:35You don't feel any of it.
08:36So, there is a really great sensation that you get from this car
08:39when you're driving it. It is fun.
08:42A big, powerful car such as this needs some big, powerful brakes,
08:45and it's got some.
08:46So, you've got 365mm discs up front,
08:49gripped by eight-piston Brembo calipers.
08:51At the back, you've got 355mm discs gripped by single-piston calipers.
08:55If you get the Plus version of this car,
08:57it has cross-drill brake discs for added performance,
09:00but then it's slightly heavier
09:01due to the fact it has some more kit as standard.
09:03It weighs in at 1,880 kilos,
09:06compared to 1,865 kilos for the standard C5 RS6.
09:11For normal driving, the brakes are pretty good.
09:14They're not grabby. They're quite smooth and progressive.
09:17When you're actually on it, though, let's say you're on a really twisty road,
09:21after a while, heavy brake use does cause a little bit of fade,
09:24so you've got to watch out for that.
09:26Anyhow, let's see just how good the brakes are
09:29when it comes to stopping from 60 miles an hour.
09:31So, I'm going to do a full emergency stop.
09:34Oh, a bit of squirmage.
09:38How long did it take?
09:4133 metres.
09:43That's actually really good.
09:45Got to say, I love the inside of this car.
09:47It doesn't seem too dated, considering it's, like, 20 years old.
09:50Well, apart from the infotainment system there.
09:53Old tech never looks good, but build quality is solid.
09:56I think it's actually better than current Audis.
09:59This was when they were at their peak.
10:01Now, the RS6 had some upgrades,
10:02such as a perforated leather steering wheel with the RS6 badge on it.
10:05And I also like the fact there's no buttons on it anywhere.
10:08The steering wheel is just for steering.
10:10You've also got an RS6 badge there on the rev counter.
10:13Some carbon fibre, look, carbon fibre here as well.
10:15I like this, the carbon fibre cover for the manual parking brake.
10:21Oh, yeah, handbrake turns are possible in this car
10:24if you turn the stability control off.
10:26And how's this for an old cup holder?
10:29But even that feels solid. I like it.
10:32Speaking of which, check out the door pockets.
10:33Look at that. You've got two.
10:35That must be expensive to make.
10:38Anyway, back to the upgrades on the RS6.
10:40So, you've got RS6 on the kick plates
10:42and these gorgeous Recaro sport seats with Alcantara inserts.
10:46They really do hold your body very snugly indeed.
10:50I also like this Alcantara headlining and Alcantara on the door inserts.
10:55Want a nice thing to show you?
10:56How period is this? A small sunroof.
11:00That's hardly panoramic, is it?
11:02I love the fact that even in the rear of this car,
11:04the quality hasn't decreased like it does on modern cars.
11:07You've still got the same soft-touch materials.
11:10You've got the same lovely sport seats.
11:13There's so much room back here as well and it's very, very comfy.
11:16I like the fact that the rear windows are huge.
11:18They seem bigger than on a modern RS6.
11:20So, you get a better view out.
11:22However, it feels brand new because it's done so few miles.
11:25This has got to be one of the lowest mileage,
11:27nice example, RS6 Pluses in the world.
11:30The only thing that really gives away its age is this cigarette lighter
11:35and, of course, an ashtray there as well.
11:382004, lots of people were smoking still.
11:41This is a proper practical performance car.
11:43The boot capacity is 455 litres.
11:46Now, wait a minute. That's 100 litres less than the current Audi RS6.
11:51Still, it's going to be big enough for most people.
11:53You see, I'm average in size.
11:56So, if I can fit in here, so can most people.
12:01As a daily driver, this is pretty easy to live with.
12:03Visibility is great and the car feels pretty small on the road as well.
12:07Smaller than a modern A4.
12:09It's just nice, easy to manoeuvre, to drive quick down a twisty road.
12:14There is one thing that's a problem, though, and it's the suspension.
12:17So, back in the day, Audi's performance cars were really criticised
12:20for having quite jarring suspension
12:22and it's as though they filled the shock absorbers with wood rather than oil
12:27because it does just pick up imperfections in the road.
12:30It just doesn't isolate the bumps as well as the modern RS6.
12:33So, the CA I had would actually glide over bumps far better than this,
12:37even though that was riding on 22-inch alloy wheels and this is on 19s
12:40with much more sidewall on the tyre.
12:42Economy's not great on this either, so you're looking around 20 miles per gallon.
12:46But then, the price you pay for all the performance.
12:50That's the thing to do, launch the car.
12:52So, let's see how close I can get to Audi's claimed 0-60 time
12:55for the C5 RS6 Plus of 4.6 seconds.
12:59Specialist timing gear here. I'm going to brake boost it and go.
13:05Oh. Now, traction control just kicked in there and killed everything.
13:09So, that's going to be slow. 5.73.
13:12I'm going to try again with the stability control off.
13:15That was better. What are we going to do?
13:205.30. Still 0.6 of a second off the pace.
13:25I'm going to give it one last chance. More brake boosting is required.
13:29Right, one last go. Full brake boosting.
13:32That's better. Much better.
13:34Come on!
13:36Sloppy gear change, though.
13:37Oh, take that, Conor!
13:40Oh, that's a bit too much.
13:42Sloppy gear change, though.
13:43Oh, take that! Can't complain at that!
13:460-60, 4.65 seconds.
13:51That's impressive, especially when you consider
13:54how little you can get one of these cars for.
13:56Well, the normal version, but they're not much slower, really. So, wow.
14:00Okay, my final word. Overall thoughts on the Audi RS6 Plus.
14:04I've always loved this generation of RS6. It just looks so cool.
14:08And I'm surprised just how quick it still feels today,
14:11even by modern car standards.
14:13What surprised me the most, though, the handling.
14:15It drove way better than I thought it would.
14:18It is a genuinely good fun car to drive.
14:21I reckon you need to buy one and buy one quick
14:23because these are only going to go up in value.
14:25Just get the normal one. Don't bother paying the extra for the RS6 Plus.
14:28That's if you can find one anyway.
14:30And, of course, get the history checked by using my friends at CarVertical.
14:34Links in the description and the pinned comment.
14:35And use the code WATSON10 for a 10% discount.
14:39Now, let me know some other modern classic cars
14:41you'd like me to review on this channel.
14:43Put them in the comments. I'll read through them for inspiration.
14:45Also, make sure you subscribe to this channel by hitting that box there.
14:49All right? The more subs I have, the more reviews I'd like to do here.
14:52And if you click on the video windows, you can watch some more videos.
14:55Thanks for watching.