Audi RS6 Avant

Lore & Background

In the world of Forza, the RS6 Avant carries a reputation that borders on mythic. Racers in the Horizon open world treat it as the ultimate flex: a car that can cruise through a coastal town, stop at a farmer's market, and then launch down a straight with a V8 howl that makes nearby supercars look like they forgot to bring their engine. The 'Avant' badge—German for 'forward'—becomes shorthand in the community for a philosophy that rejects the idea that performance and practicality must be mutually exclusive.

Audi's RS division, the RennSport lineage, is well represented throughout the Forza catalogue, but the RS6 Avant stands apart because it subverts expectations. Where a player might reach for a Lamborghini or a McLaren to post a fast lap, the RS6 Avant says it can do the same job while carrying a dog in the back seat. This underdog energy resonates deeply with the Forza player base, who love discovering that a 'boring' car can out-handle or out-accelerate a far flashier rival.

The car's Quattro system is a particular point of pride in the series. In wet-weather events or on the mixed-surface roads of a Horizon map, the RS6 Avant's all-wheel drive gives it a composure and traction that rear-drive rivals simply cannot match, making it a go-to choice for all-weather challenges and for players who want confidence in the corners without the twitchiness of a pure rear-drive setup.

In Their Own Story

The rain had been falling for an hour over the moorland stretch, turning the gravel shoulders into slick brown rivers. Mara wiped the mist from her visor and settled into the RS6's sport seats, the quilted leather still warm from the engine bay's heat. She hadn't planned to race today—just a drive to the coastal village for the weekend market. But the rival's orange hypercar had been tailgating her through the last three hairpins, and now it was ahead, its rear wheels spinning uselessly in the spray.

She didn't need to overtake in a straight. She needed the next left-hand sweep, the one where the road crested a small hill and the surface turned to wet asphalt. Quattro locked all four wheels to the tarmac. The V8's low-end torque filled the cabin like a deep breath. She didn't lift. She didn't lift.

By the time the hypercar's driver looked in the mirror, there was only the shape of a dark wagon, its rear lights cutting through the rain, already half a car-length gone. Mara downshifted, let the engine note drop to a lazy growl, and put the radio back on. The market was still open. She would make it in time.

Reader's Guide

The 2017 Audi RS6 Avant (C7 generation) sits in Class E in Forza Horizon 5. Stock, it produces roughly 560 hp from its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, weighs in the region of 1,900 kg, and handles with the composed, planted feel that Quattro AWD is known for—grip-rich but not quite as nimble as a lighter rear-drive car.

Tuning levers are generous. You can swap the stock exhaust for a performance unit, add a high-flow intake, and fit a more aggressive ECU map to push peak power well past 700 hp. A larger turbo kit is available and will add significant mid-range shove, though it increases spool lag and heat. On the chassis side, coilover suspension, stiffer anti-roll bars, and a lighter flywheel sharpen turn-in and throttle response. Upgrading to soft or medium compound tires and a full brake kit is nearly mandatory once you start pushing power past 600 hp, because the stock brakes will fade on repeated hard stops.

The trade-offs are classic: more turbo and ECU power add top speed and acceleration but also add wheel-spin risk and heat; stiffer suspension and lighter components improve cornering but make the ride harsher on bumpy Horizon roads. Weight reduction helps everywhere but is limited by the car's structural mass.

Build philosophy: treat the RS6 Avant as a torque monster, not a rev-happy exotic—maximise mid-range pull, keep the chassis planted, and let Quattro do the work that a sharper rear-drive car would have to earn.

Did You Know?

• The 'Avant' name is Audi's designation for its estate/wagon body style, and the RS6 Avant is often called the 'super wagon' in the broader automotive community—a label that carries over naturally into Forza player cultur
• In Forza Horizon titles, the RS6 Avant is a popular choice for wet-weather and all-weather events because Quattro AWD provides traction levels that pure rear-drive rivals struggle to match on low-grip surfaces.
• The C7-generation RS6 Avant (2013–2018) uses a 4.0-litre V8 with two turbos, a configuration that gives it a broad, torque-rich power band rather than the high-rev spike of a naturally aspirated engine—something that tra
• The RS6 Avant has appeared across multiple Forza entries, making it one of the more 'recurring' performance wagons in the series and a familiar sight for players who have been in the franchise for years.