NEW 630bhp Audi RS6 Performance Meets America’s ULTIMATE Wagons! | Top Gear
In the US of A, you can drive anything. Muscle cars, trucks and particularly the SUV is king. So if you choose to ignore all of that and daily a traditional longroof estate car, you’re… kind of an eccentric.
Curious to dive into the cult of the wagon, TopGear magazine’s Ollie Kew arranged a meet-up with ten of the West Coast’s biggest wagon fanatics, and took along the latest, greatest, fastest Audi Avant yet: the new 631bhp, £110,000 RS6 Performance.
It’s the best RS6 ever, and proof Audi is getting the hang of an entertaining chassis… but at TG’s Festival of Wagon, it was the old-timers (and their owners) that were the real stars of the show.
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:38 What's new with the RS6 Performance?
02:10 Top Gear's Festival of Wagon
03:41 Chevy Malibu
04:17 Mercedes E55 AMG
04:46 Pontiac Safari
05:46 West Coast's Best Car Dealership?
08:51 Volvo V70 R
09:33 Audi S4 Avants
10:42 Audi 'Quattromog'
11:45 Audi RS2
12:42 Audi RS6 Performance driving impressions
17:10 Chevy Bel-Air
17:46 Buick LeSabre
18:34 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon
19:30 Outro
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What's your favourite wagon?
V90 XC, say that as a 3 series touring owner. Love the battlewagon look.
2002-2005 Saab 9-5 Aero. Best looking Wagon ever!
Skoda Superb 3.6l V6. Completely unassuming, but quicker than most hot hatches of the time.
In order, my 1968 Ford Country Squire, and my Dodge Magnum RT, which does everything better but doesn’t t have the character of the Squire. 120” wheel base, huge cargo space, 340 hp, and muscular and menacing looks make for a great wagon. The Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo is a close third. It might be a “better” car, but I have put that side by side with my Magnum, and trying my best to set aside bias, and honestly gasping at the sight of the Sport Turismo, I still chose the Magnum. They nailed it.
G81 M3 Touring. But when living in the States the new M5 Touring will do just fine than you very much.
The car culture was very original. The whole show felt original. cheers to more!!
Car review mixed with awesome car culture… 🔥 Loved this video. Make more of these.
As long as you don’t play kerosene in that rs6 you’re free to have fun in it 💀💀💀
There was a time when wagons were so popular in the US. It's honestly sad that everyone has switched over to SUVs. One would think that wagons would be a lot more popular in the states
Most people don't road trip as much as they should. The wagon is best with tons of luggage and toys in the boot!
The US is so large, and some of the terrain that we have to cover is so rough that a wagon simply wouldn't have the ground clearance, towing capacity or storage space necessary, whereas a pickup truck or SUV would. Most people just get SUVs for the high driving position and perceived increase in safety, but it's not a fluke that the Ford F-150 series pick-up truck is the best selling (as in the most sold overall) vehicle in the country, and in the world overall as well. It also doesn't help that at some point the term " _station_ wagon " was coined, and then incorporated into the stereotypical image of a housewife as their choice vehicle type because of a supposed emphasis on simplicity, safety, and practicality over stylish designs and high speed performance.
The West was settled with wagons. That’s how deep it runs.
@@moogle68you do realize that the continental US has the most extensive highway/road system in the world, right? Look, I hate that SUVs have edged wagons out (I love wagons and hatchbacks), but the whole "I need 4wd and more ground clearance" argument is ridiculous. I'd venture to say that less than 10% of those here who own "off-road capable" vehicles actually use them for those purposes. You can get almost ANYWHERE here in the States with an AWD car with PROPER winter tires. Most of those SUV people could be better equipped with a wagon or van, but somewhere in the last 30 years those vehicle formats became "uncool". Sad. I've spent the last 8 years searching for my 6spd Cadillac CTSV wagon, unfortunately they've become unobtainium because I refuse to pay $75k for a 10 year old car with 50k miles on it. Waiting for a market crash so I can take advantage of my liquidity...
@@maynarddrivesfast804 look, I agree most people don't need SUVs, and same goes for pick-up trucks, but believe it or not, there ARE such things as "farms", and there ARE structures that require more than just a shovel and a bucket to construct. Home renovation, construction work, agricultural work, those are just a few examples of sectors where having something with the capabilities of a SUV or pick up is very useful a d in some cases essential. You seem to have misunderstood my argument, I agree that an AWD hatchback or car is more than capable enough for what 90% of SUV buyers will do, but you clearly have never lived in a really rural part of the country, off the electrical grid or in a family that farms and lives off the land as much as possible. Those places and people exist, and in some of those rural and mountainous regions, there are only dirt roads to access some of the places they need/want to go. Also, just because you don't _have_ to go off-road, that doesn't mean some people don't do so just for fun. Going rock crawling over boulders or mud swamping in a... swamp in a capable vehicle is really fun and satisfying, and in the US, we have some of the most challenging trails/courses out there on which to do those things, so there are more places here that an SUV makes sense than there are generally in Europe partially because such hobbies are very new and we saved spaces in which to do them whereas Europe has been inhabited for so long, and is so overcrowded, that while they have challenging terrain too, it has already been spoken for or is used for more important matters. You really shouldn't presume that you know what everyone else in a country does and what their needs are, btw. The more people you meet, the more ridiculous it feels to make sweeping statements about people you've never met and whose daily needs are totally unknown to you.
This is incredibly fresh compared to normal TG format that has become so over-refined, sterile and soulless. This video brings motorcar journalism back to what it should be. Unencumbered by the need to show a new car, which is far from perfect, to advantage, with bits of culture and fair criticism, this video was very light and enjoyable to watch. Thank you, this is what we want to see
no, we want to see the jeremy, richard, and james
LT4 engine in the Malibu, epic. The Bel-Air and the LeSabre are best of show for me.
I love how cars look with no front plate over the pond.
In some states front plates are mandatory.
I always feel so bad for you guys having to put a huge plate on the front of your cars. I also feel for the motorcyclists & that big, extended plate they have to have. No matter how much they trick it out, they still have to keep that tree hanging off the ass, to show the plate😞
Why over the pond? Many u.s. states dont use front plates. Mine doesnt use them
I'll trade you for healthcare.
@@renaissanceman2868I didn’t put one on my i4 M50 when I got it though it’s mandatory in my state. Even got pulled over once and the highway patrol didn’t say anything about it. Figure I’ll leave it off until i get a ticket. Vanity tax I suppose.
I don't know how he does it but Ollie's videos and delivery is so natural and on point that he manages to speak the language of cars with all the enthusiasm behind it, without going overboard or pulling silly stunts!
Such amazing content! Thanks for giving wagons the spotlight they deserve. What a great mix of wagon owners and I loved every story they had to tell.
Can someone please do a t-shirt with an image of an estate and "I like big boots and I can not lie" written on it 😂
Whew that RS6 is an amazing design. Stunning still.
The Beach Cruiser Buick was sculpted from raw emotion. Stunning.
And where is the Saab Combi?
Yeah it looked incredible
14:07: “if you start acting like an RS Hole….” 😂😂😂
i can already hear the song ☠💀☠
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I felt a bit sorry for Steven's son. I can't imagine having a son who could drive and a car like that and not wanting to share it with them.
Passing it down not while he is alive probably
It's just a joke. My dad has an 80's Porsche 911 that we joke about like that, but he let me drive it all the time, and even autocross it too!!! That is, until I moved 10 hours away.
@@travis3810 Are you sure? The kid _literally_ said "Looking forward to him passing it down to the... next generation... *maybe I'll get a turn at the wheel.* 😅 " I'm not sure how else that sentence can be interpreted other than that the kid isn't allowed to drive the CTS-V wagon at all at the moment... That kind of thing may be a joke in some people's families, but I for one, have a father with a mentality kind of like this guy, where he seems unable to see his son as an equally responsible adult [despite evidence to the contrary]. We can only guess what those Dad's reasoning is, but maybe those types of fathers are just ignorant of how to go about building strong father-child bonds. That sort of knowledge doesn't come naturally to everybody, especially not to those who were also raised by parents that struggled to create those super deep, unbreakable bonds that can only exist between a parent and their child.
Those things are REALLY fast. A kid that age would wrap it around a tree while trying to impress a girl, and the ol' man knows that.
I’m with “Dad” all the way!
I don't care how much better the performance figures of the M3 estate are, I'd make room on the Autobahn much hastier for the RS6 if I saw it in the rear view mirror. That thing looks like something Darth Vader would drive! Also, it has decades of Audi wagon awesomeness on its side starting with the daddy RS2. Legend of a car!
Think the presenter not sure of his name but I think he does a great job and definitely adds a positive note to TG. Obviously always look forward to seeing content from a certain Mr. Harris!
Ollie Kew
His hair really fucking irritates me
Yes!!! Thank you for showing the wagon more attention. These were some beautiful cars! 👌🔥
Great video - we need some more wagon/estate love out there! Although nothing fast or fancy like the Audi and some of the others shown... we 'all' had wagons growing up. Our family first was a '55 Mercury, then later a '60 Ford Country Sedan (aka Galaxie, the "exact same" bad guys' car chasing Bond in "From Russia...") and a '70 Ford Country Sedan,...then fairly recently helping a friend realize his custom 61 Corvair wagon. My first car-college ride-was the nifty '61 Buick Special Wagon with the little 215 (3.5) aluminum V8. Still miss that car! Would later come to find out that the E39 5 Series wagon ("Touring"), what I've always held as the paragon of all wagon (and maybe car-"period") virtue, was within a nano-breath of mine, within a half inch in both wheelbase and overall length, though the BMW looks so much brawnier. The 540 version also had an aluminum V8... that's where the similarities ended! Still a bit of validation and "Yes! I know something 'they' don't" quiet fist pump time... something I think just about all wagon owners experience at some point! My experiences associated with wagons as a youth, were all positive, road and camping trips, etc, and yes their share of weekend hauling projects and grocery- getting, so I don't understand the aversion here in the US. "Fuddy duddy 'dads' car" is what you hear... the image of the Griswold's Wagon Queen Family Truckster... if so, does that make all sedans fuddy-duddy 'moms' cars? They didn't even take us on camping trips (very well)....and if so why until the SUV were they so ubiquitous on the highways - from lowly Taurii to Accords to Caprices and Mercedes? With the advent and now near-total market domination of the SUV (I one of the co-conspirators), and from which I grant there may be no return, keeping the wagon in the public eye may be a tough sell, but we can only continue hoping! A great quote from another wagon reviewer, a young (!) owner of a current production car: "...if you are not a wagon person, what are you doing with your life?!" Loved that!
My college car was a 76 AMC Matador wagon :)
I love how he said, "she got knocked up" like he didn't do it.
It's SF! He may not have!
Oh, he definitely didn't 😮
Yea, a real romantic…I’m sure his wife liked that too. No surprise this was in Cali….Who says chivalry is dead?
@@Tmrfe0962lol so self serious. Cheeky comment by that person. Relax
I was shocked when he said it like that, didn't know people still said "knocked up" 😅😂 Jokes aside, much respect to these car enthusiasts balancing their passion with family life
"My husband has a yellow Avant as well, an Imola, except his is a sedan,"
hahaha right?
from that statement, one could conclude that she doesn't know what an avant is
I've watched nearly all of your videos and have enjoyed all of them, but this one...by far the best! Keep it up Ollie!
The best? lmao. Top Gear hasn´t made a single good video since Clarkson, Hammond and May left.
NGL This car is very good for playing kerosene in.
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Wow! What a cool video…the wagons, the venue, literally one of my favorites I’ve ever seen, and what an amazing collection of cars you assembled! Let’s see more content like this!
Very good video. Such good pacing and stories
The styling on this car is perfect. Those wheels look incredible
"My wife and I had a daughter a number of years ago" LOLOL.. Can you put a number on that? :D "My wife and I went camping all the time... Then she got knocked up!".. This video is full of amazing statements.. :)
Literally just saw this car on Rte 495 South in MA yesterday afternoon. It's STUNNINGLY beautiful. ❤
What a great vid! Great to hear people loving their cars for character and not because it's "Expensive" or "The new reg". Thanks for the content, I subscribed 👍❤
Well done TG. I really enjoyed that 😎👍🏻
I have a 13' legacy wagon and I love it so much
*plays kerosene
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OMG what an amazing episode! 👏🏻🎬
My grandfather had a wagon in the seventies. Had those seats all the way in the back. He’d pop open the back and in we’d go. That way you easily fit three generations. He also kept some fishing gear back there. We never really caught anything but he was already ready.
*Not into wagons but this video had me hooked! Good stuff!*
Wagons over SUVs any day. I'm an Audi Avant guy myself. My first EV will probably be some flavor of the e-tron A6/S6/RS6 Avant. 👍🏽
Melissa's S4 is very cool. The Buick might be the ultimate surf wagon.
Such a solid video! Really well made.
1 Month later: *Man saw dead, ripped in half in a 300 km/h crash in an Audi RS6, Caused by hitting a truck then spinning in a poll.*
What a great episode. This makes such a nice change
Great video! I have had a B5 S4 Avant, 2 RS4s and two C7 RS6s. My current one has been at the dealership for 6 weeks waiting for a bolt, which they still have no timescale for. The UK dealer network is so hopeless that sadly I probably won’t have another one, which breaks my heart as I have loved them since I grew up watching the Quattros in Group B as a teenager, but I just cannot bear the dealer network.
Where is the Saab Combi
"Oh hey, its my fav song! Korasene! Oh wait..."
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korasene vs kerosene
My family was always shuttling 3 hours between two homes in Colorado. House in Denver, and condo in Steamboat for skiing and everything summer up there. Once my brother and I were born they needed to take a family of 4 back and forth comfortably at least 20 times a year with all our gear, whether it was 4 MTB on the roof, 6 pairs of skis on the roof, and all the gear for either with luggage, they needed a new car and they would never do a minivan and didn't want a giant truck made for hauling families (suburban). My dad needed it to be fast in the punchy get off the line and floor it to pass on 1 lane roads. They ended up with a 1998 Volvo V70. That was dope but then the engine blew up, but it fit the need so well that they got a used (don't know the year) V70XC which was even better! Then they traded that in and got a new Volvo XC70 which was even better with the reversed name. They drove that awhile and then got a new Volvo XC70 that I think was a 2009 model? Even better!! It wasn't until I was off to college and my brother went to school too that they downsized to a 2017 BMW X3 that they still drive to this day because they don't need to haul us around anymore. Moral of the story, the wagon was the answer at every stage. So much so that they did 4 in a row! My mom got the lovely wagon and my dad drove Honda civics to their death (I think 2 during that time). Glad my wife and I have a 2021 Outback Touring XT. It reminds me of the XC70 A LOT especially with the touring leather and the XT turbo punch. That ended up being protracted, but I would be curious to hear others break down how their parents thought about the cars they bought and how you thought about it!
*Kerosene*
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That Pontiac is something else. Estates til I die.
Thank you again, for the great video
Perfect video of stunning machines
Such an awesome video featuring the Bay Area and other wagon enthusiasts
Very brilliant piece!
This is a proper film. Well done TG. More of this.
Anyone in the US born before the late 90s probably remembers long summer road trips in station wagons
Best TopGear video in ages 😊
That orange jag at 8:30 is stunning!
There are a handful of RS6 in Vancouver and I so dearly wish to join that club. I'm sure that the new M3 wagon is better drive, but the Audi is arguably better looking and I've been an Avant fan for a loooooong time. Also, this capture of American Car Culture that is not all muscle this and over bearing tuner that is absolutely amazing. I never liked the old iteration of Top Gear, but between Tom, the Ollie's, Jack and Chris I am a fan. 100% will watch all that comes in the future!!
Depends what ya mean by better drive. Comfort wise no. But track type handling yea. Maybe still even with the rs6 upgraded suspension option
Flashbacks
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Nice content, thanks! I'd take the RS6 in a heartbeat! Nearly as dear as my R8 but that refined engine note!
Man I love these things! One of the nicest wagons
This is the perfect daily... a fast estate 🔥🔥
Wagons are just something else. I daily a VW golf alltrack. Hoping one day to have something like this in my collection.
Great video, only thing missing when travelling all the way to San Francisco meeting so many enthusiasts and showing off the amazing car collection I’d have expected to see a brief homage to arguably the greatest car chase of all time…a 10min sequence from 1968 film Bullitt featuring Steve McQueen in the Ford Mustang chasing suspects in a Dodge Charger driven by race driver Bill Hickman through the streets of the Golden Gate City !
beautiful american wagons. i am shocked how little exhaust sound comes out of the rs6p. that being said, i'd still want one over my c63 wagon
LMAO, that 30 extra HP really helped on that hill.
Buick Lesabre is such a beautiful shape. 😍
RS6 and CLS63 Shooting Brake, my ultimate wagon dream oh maybe zagato shooting brake too!
That Chevy Bel-Air is beautiful
Is that a Nomad (the green 2 door)?
1:02 the shot of the car driving has the “frame” sign, that’s my dads shop lol sick to see in top gear.
hey TG if you wanna keep chasing the summers, drop down under for an east coast tour and be sure to include hatchbacks in your theme.
Great video and location!!
I love fantasy junction. For those in the area who don't know, about a block away every first Saturday there is a Porsche meet, mostly of air-cooled examples, but plenty of water cooled as well. And fantasy junction opens at 9:30 to explore after.
Wagons will always be the unforgettable love
The best TG video in a long time.
Great vid! Great cars too!
I love wagon. That lifted/safari style wagon is my favorite.
I have a 1973 RX3 wagon. I love wagons great video
Damn that Buick LeSabre 😍
Car review like this was awesome.
I'm absolutely a wagon-boy. Get the short boards in the back, the long's on the roof, long road trips? Wagons got you covered. Volvo's and Audi's are my main-stay but some of those classic Murican' wagons appeal. Dream wagon? Maybe an RS2, the CTS-V is very cool as well, and very rare here - speaking of rare a Nissan Stagea perhaps.
“My husband has an Avant but it’s a sedan” lol Avant means wagon in Audis product lineup. Proud owner of a 2017 Audi S4 Avant. Performance, practicality and comfort all in one.
This video left me drooling. I have a 2005 Dodge Magnum RT with 305k miles on it. I need to start working on it....
Always loved Audi, especially both the sedan and estate car versions of the RS6. 💪 As a side note, best interiors in the business. Thanks for the content. 👍
I had the sedan in sepang Blue in 2009. That V10 was something else
"It's all manace, and muscle, and shoulders..." Oh! It's Derek from More Plates, More Dates! 😅
I'm so surprised that no one showed up with the late great 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon CE the very last of the GM B body cars
19:50 coolest preschool teacher
Beautiful video
I live in SF, and man there are some great driving roads around here! Does anyone know, what roads where they on at the 15 min mark? Looks epic!
My 1986 Peugeot 505 Turbowagon. I'm the original owner & I fall in love with it more every day.
Let's just hope no one's playing kerosene and driving through an Autobahn
THAT WAS AWESOME, TOP GEAR!! ❤❤❤😘😉🤗
Regarding breaks being too sensitive: the hint is this: you don't need to use the breaks if you prepare before a turn. Anticipation. Just take your foot off of the pedal.
Loved this video. Make more of these.
I've lived in America for 40 years and I'm the only person I've ever known here that likes wagons.
You should've driven this car on Autobahn with Kerosene theme
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"...in Emeryville, San Francisco." LOL! But Fantasy Junction is amazing. While I was at Pixar I worked on my 500 Club membership, which they grant to people who visit 500 times without buying anything.
Thought I was the only one that noticed that
I LOVE ALL WAGONS! Even hearses.
"this is where having that extra 30bhp helps" Bro the car already had 600bhp it would eat them hills all day xD
It also cuts a lot of weight off of the normal C8 RS6. I think each wheel is 5kg lighter than the old 22 inch wheels. That's 20kg per corner before taking in the carbon ceramic brake weight savings.
that'sthejoke.jpg
Flashbacks, anyone?
Just saw one of these yesterday, creepy that the algorithm knew to show me this video. Anyway, the car has a lot of street presence.
Loved this content. Keep up this great quality ❤❤❤❤