A second generation RS6 was launched at the Frankfurt Autoshow in September 2007, which positions the car ahead of its main competitors, the BMW M5 and the Mercedes E63 AMG in terms of horsepower and torque.

Initially the new RS6 will only come as a five-door Avant version and be powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.2-litre V10 with FSI. The engine produces 580 bhp at 6,250 to 6,700 RPM and 650 Nm (~482 ft·lbf) torque from 1,500 to 6,250 RPM.

The RS6 comes with quattro® four-wheel drive as standard, and an asymmetric 40:60 front-to-rear torque split. Drive passes through a six-speed Tiptronic gearbox, complete with paddleshift mounted behind the flat-bottomed steering wheel already well-known from the RS4 (without paddles), and the R8.

Official performance figures: 4.4-second 0-100 km/h, 14.9 seconds 0-200 km/h and top speed is electronically governed to 250 km/h.

Standard are 19-inch wheels, with optional 20-inch wheels. Only with the larger wheels are ceramic brakes optional: they’re as impressive as the engine’s outputs with 420mm (16.5 in) discs up front and 356mm (14.0 in) discs at the rear. Also on the options list is a sports exhaust and a three-stage magnetic damping system.