Wagon

To call this car a "wagon" just seems wrong. Sure, it has the shape of an Audi RS6 wagon, but with the amount of power and torque it has, I am declaring this something more. When a 10 year old takes karate, his hands are called, hands. If you study it for 30 years, your hands are lethal weapons. A 9mm Glock, that shoots a bullet, is called a gun. But when the NAVY builds something that shoots 3,000lb. shells up to 26 miles, it's called artillery. The Essing Diesel Tuning RS6 is just that; a 5-door, AWD piece of artillery.

Let me start by saying Essing Diesel Tuning is not the usual German tuner that has been stuffing big power into four-ringed grills since man learned he could pee standing up. They're in the Netherlands; land of bikes, clogs, windmills, tulips...a bit different than Germany, no? They are are also known for their tolerance, a class Germany has to re-take. A shop building this in the Netherlands is like 2 guys in an apartment in San Francisco building the world's biggest monster truck.

For most drug dealers wanting to transport some serious weight, an inconspicuous cargo van or low-key SUV would be the drive of choice. But not everyone uses this same logic. One particular man was recently caught driving 133 mph (213.8 km/h) in an Audi RS6 Avant, (one of the baddest super wagons on the planet) along the stretch between Huelva and Seville in Spain. This in itself might not seem like anything to write home about, but it turns out this bandit was transporting a heavy load of hashish.

Naturally, with a twin-turbo V10 with 580 hp at his disposal, putting on the turn signal and slowly pulling over to the right was not this guy's first thought when the police gave chase. The driver pegged the throttle and moseyed on up to about 149 mph (240 km/h) along a 20 kilometer stretch of the A-49 highway, leaving smokey in the dust. But low and behold, he later hit a traffic jam and his massive engine was no longer an effective tool for evasion. The man took off on foot.

While GM is struggling with...everything, one thing they've gotten right is building a super-sedan; the Cadillac CTS-V. Slaying its more expensive foreign-accented foes left and right, this American four-door with 556 horsepower has shown the world we can make a mean sports sedan. People love super-sedans, and why not? They have the thrill of a sports car and the practicality of a sedan. It's an automotive version of “Kujo.” Why make a journey to Willow Springs only a trip for 2 when it can be done with 4? Well now you can bring your dog too (please don't) because Cadillac will be offering a wagon version of its current family-hauling-brawler. Introducing the Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon.

Up until now the “Uber-wagen” was a class of car that GM couldn't compete with. These aren't wood-paneled behemoths or play-it-safe Volvos. These are 500-plus hp, 170mph family-friendly fighter jets. It's a niche that's been dominated by the Germans for years; Mercedes makes the E63 AMG Wagon, BMW makes the M5 Touring, and Audi makes my personal favorite, the beautiful and planetary-rotation-stopping RS6 Avante. Sure, Dodge made the Magnum, but comparing that to an RS6 is to put me at bat against Clemens. It just lacks in too areas to play at that level. But the German cars are brilliant. I think high-horsepower SUVs are useless while these cars exist. They perform better, get better mileage, carry plenty, cost less and look way better. Any of these 3 cars makes a Porsche Cayenne look like a hump-backed leper.

This is our first introduction to German tuner MFK Autosport. From what we can tell they have a yen for old school Audi wagons. Their latest project involves the previous generation C5 Audi RS6, which was produced from 2002 to 2004, and featured Quattro GmbH's powerful 4.2-liter twin-turbocharged V8 good for 444 hp. The MFK Autosport Powercar Audi RS6, gets a host of aerodynamic and engine upgrades, including a remapped ECU which boosts the horsepower to 520 hp.

Wicked wagons that propel their occupants at breakneck speeds have been around for a while. We've seen our fair share of modified saloons such as the 700 hp Kicherer Audi RS 6 Avant and 585 hp Vath V63RS Clubsport Wagon. But German tuner Manhart Racing has pulled off something quite unique by fully converting a BMW E91 3-Series Estate wagon to resemble the M3 but with the added horsepower of its bigger brother.

Turning a base BMW E91 into a suburban rocket is no easy task and first requires fitting the front fascia, front fenders, side skirts and signature powerdome hood from the M3. The wagon then benefits from Manhart Racing's special treatment with flared wheel arches and a new rear fascia to house the stainless steel exhaust system with four exhaust tips. The 5.0-liter V10 from the BMW M5 is then shoehorned into its engine bay along with the seven-speed SMG transmission. A limited slip differential is installed in the rear.

The new VATH V63RS CLUBSPORT Wagon is a suburban dynamo for lightning quick returns from the supermarket with frozen goods, just in time delivery of the kids to soccer practice (after arriving 20 minutes late to scoop them) or when there is a stuck-up Porsche 911 Turbo driver next to you who you are dying to smoke. This model is based on the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate which is already a rocket. VATH added their tuning know-how to up the engine outut to 585 hp, which gives the V63RS Wagon a top speed of 202 mph.

Kicherer joins a crowded space of RS6 Tuners, but impresses with it's RS-Street offering. 0 to 60 is accomplished in 4.3 seconds with a top speed electronically controlled at 173 mph.

A new exhaust systsem, lowered suspension, rear air-diffuser, front lip spoilers and carbon fiber skinning add to the incredible performance and impressive esthetics. But it's the black and white custom paint job and 22 inch wheels make it really stand out.

Source: Kicherer