The Sport Wagon Enthusiast

The C6 Audi RS6 Avant is one of the greatest sport wagons of all time. Powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.0L V10 engine—which produces a healthy 580 bhp—the RS6 is the most powerful production wagon in automobile history. And with those two snails, this four-ringed uber-wagon has invited countless tuners to improve Ingolstadt’s recipe. We’ve highlighted efforts by MTM (with their 214 mph RS6 R), B&B, Abt Sportsline, and Kicherer, but have not given Essing Dieseltuning the attention they deserve.

The Dutch firm stands out for one big reason, and one big number: 950 bhp. Of course torque has also been increased…by nearly 70% —to an astronomical 711 lb-ft. With this kind of power, Essing’s RS6 is more than an M5 Touring killer—it’s a Veyron-killing grocery getter.

Thanks to extensive internal engine modifications, Essing’s hyperwagon claims a 250 horsepower advantage over nearly every other tuner-modified RS6. The devil really comes down to the details—specifically Essing Dieseltuning’s extensive experience tuning and engineering sophisticated engines. In addition to several technological innovations unique to the company, the Dutch firm has done extensive Formula 3000 and Formula 1 work for Ferrari, Honda, and Toyota.

Where MTM and Abt Sportsline left the stock turbos alone, Essing swapped both for two Garrett competition ball bearing turbos, capable of spinning at 230,000 rpms. Each of the RS6’s 40 valves (4 vales per cylinder) were swapped for higher-performance competition valves. In addition to a performance exhaust, new custom down pipes and K&N air filters were added for better breathing and exhaling. A seven-stage ECU-tuning process optimized these enhancements, with the end result actually being a lower compression ratio.