Numbers don’t lie. But they rarely tell the full truth either. Just look at the new Audi RS6 Avant which, numerically, is an absolutely bulletproof choice. Its 4.0-litre V8 generates 552bhp. Thanks to Quattro, aggressively spaced bottom gears, launch control and superglue rubber it can accelerate to 62mph in 3.9sec, accompanied by a whiff of tyre smoke and a faint trace of charger whine, yet the claimed fuel consumption is a remarkably frugal 28.8mpg.
In addition it has eight gears to the M5’s seven, has a cavernous 565-litre boot (45 litres more than the BMW), 21in wheels instead of 20s and 420mm front brakes where the M5 has 400s. If this was a points contest then it’s game over.
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