Feature Car: RS 6 allroad

What’s that one saying? “If you can’t find what you’re looking for, build it yourself.” … or something like that. That’s what one Pacific German customer did. Some ask, “why didn’t they just buy an allroad?” Others inquire, “why would they do that to an RS 6?” The best answer is always, “why not?”

By: Denis Podmarkov, photos by Pacific German

There’s no rulebook to follow, and a shop like Pacific German, that are known for Audi builds that are well beyond ordinary, seems to be the perfect partner with whom to commission such a project. Pacific German has built a B9 S4 Avant, a B8 Avant with RS 5 drivetrain, things we never got in the U.S. or that Audi never made anywhere. However, Pacific German’s Tyler Setterstrom is quick to point out that not having been built doesn’t mean you can’t build one.

Hearing of this car, we had questions for Tyler and his client, and they were more than happy to provide some answers. Let’s dive in.

What was the idea behind this build?

I live in the inland Pacific Northwest and drive daily to and from our family’s ranch. This involves about 10 miles of dirt roads and poor country roads with snow, ice, washboards, rain breaks, potholes, etc. I moved back about seven years ago from Los Angeles and sold my S4 because the ride was rough, and the car was getting badly beaten up.

I ended up driving a 2018 Ford Raptor as my daily vehicle, covering about 50-60 miles a day. I loved the ride and its ability to handle dirt, snow, and ice well, though I never thought of myself as a truck guy. I’ve always loved Audis.

When Audi finally confirmed bringing the RS 6 stateside, I ordered the first one from our local dealership. I realized that the normal suspension on that car would do okay on pavement, but with 22-invh rims and low ride height, I’d face the same issues as my S4.

I started looking for companies that offered aftermarket suspension for the allroad. I found Pacific German and spoke with Tyler about raising the car and fitting 31-32-inch BF Goodrich KO2s, along with installing a skid plate to protect against rocks, ice and snow.

The idea for the build was to combine Ford Raptor ride quality with an Audi Avant, adding a lift to handle dirt roads and weather conditions, and big beefy tires that won’t puncture on rocks.

The second part was making sure it wasn’t too flashy. I like sleeper builds, and think the overlanding trend is really overdone. This was never meant to be a camping machine or to take it far off-grid. I enjoy mountain biking, and the big thing I added was a stealth hitch with a OneUp bike rack on the rear. Sometimes I add a roof rack for two more bikes. It’s really fun when four of your buddies can go fast up the canyons to go ride. The drive is as fun as the riding.

Last, I added the Baja lights mainly for deer prevention and did the tune plus added intercoolers to ensure the car still had good performance with the greater mass of the tires while cooling the engine down properly.

Have you taken the car on any off-road trips?

Everyday! It’s really fun in the snow and mud. I’ve done some fun high speed bike shuttle missions in it. I think people with trucks are shocked when an Audi comes peeling around a logging road looking like a rally car with bikes on it!

Is this your first Audi?

No, my family is an Audi family. We have probably had 20 different Audis since 1999. My dad has one of the first 2008 Audi R8s, ordered when it was still called the Le Mans… still one of my favorite looking cars.

What was the biggest challenge of the build?

For me personally it was getting the damn car. I ordered this as soon as the Audi order books opened in late 2020 and the car didn’t get delivered until 2023.

If building an RS 6 like this again, what would you do differently?

Good question, I would like to have a real aftermarket coilover kit to use instead of using the OEM allroad suspension. My fear with this car is that eventually the abuse will catch up to that stock suspension so something like a Fox or KW coilovers with remote reservoirs would be awesome.

For someone who is trying to accomplish a similar build, what advice would you give them?

Be prepared to open your wallet.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or acknowledge?

Thanks to Tyler and the guys at Pacific German for creating my dream Audi.

And last but not least, if someone from Audi of America / Audi AG is reading your article, what would you like them to know

Bring over the RS 4 Avant!

We also reached out to Pacific German to get Tyler’s thoughts on the build.

Tyler said: This RS 6 has a great deal of upgrades. Most were sourced from the Audi parts bin to keep the project serviceable by any Audi dealer or independent specialist – I felt this was important since he doesn’t live local to us, and he can drive the car anywhere without worrying about damaging custom one-off suspension parts. Overall, the car was lifted 3-inches from the factory height and the tires are around 2.5-3″ taller than original so we have a good amount of ground clearance in normal drive mode.

The car drives like a stock RS 6 when cruising. If you put the hammer down, you feel the tires fighting for traction to keep the car going – it really does give the RS 6 a different level of fun than what was originally intended. You can swing the rear end out on the street or even light up all four tires rolling into power from a stop. Launch the car? It will leave four tire marks on the ground through first gear. It’s kind of funny from a near 5,000-lb. car with ~700 hp. Its smooth and comfy in the dirt also – a great all-around car. I am beyond thrilled to have been part of this build.

There you have it. It’s an Audi RS Avant with the ride quality of a Ford Raptor. While it might not be for everyone, this RS 6 allroad serves its specific purpose exceptionally well. Porsche has the Dakar. Should Audi build an RS 6 like this?

Specs:

Audi exclusive Mocha Latte paint with stealth PPF

Audi exclusive interior

Carbon optics package

Forgeline 18″ mono block wheels

BFG All Terrain TA K02 tires

allroad air struts, bags, and shocks

RS5 front brake calipers with discs (painted in Audi ceramic gray)

Stainless steel brake lines

Custom suspension tweaks developed by Pacific German

Unitronic Stage 1 engine performance software

CSF high performance intercooler upgrade