Audi RS6 vs Toyota Yaris Cross

What's the difference?

You’ll notice a number out of 10 on this review, you should ignore it.

Not only is it irrelevant because you can’t buy one, but the RS6 Avant GT isn’t a ‘brain’ car, it’s a ‘heart’ car. As much as a five-seat wagon can be, anyway.

Whether you think it’s overkill, overpriced, or overhyped, the GT is a celebration of a car that’s become such an icon for petrolheads. It’s also probably a marker for the end of an era, because we don’t see many V8 family cars getting about anymore.

Well done to Audi, the accounting team in particular, and if anyone who owns an Avant GT is willing to let me have another drive, my in-box is open. 

Or I’ll just keep an eye out.

The Toyota Yaris Cross Urban is a city-savvy SUV that’s easy to park, nimble in traffic, and relatively fun to drive. It’s cute as a button on the outside, but the cabin doesn’t quite match the price, and some of the tech feels a little behind the times compared to rivals. The hybrid powertrain definitely earns it points but is it worth the jump in price over its rivals? A hesitant yes, because who doesn't like efficiency? But it needs a cabin upgrade to stay truly competitive in our market.

“It looks like a toy car you’d get in a Kinder Surprise” was the first comment from my housemate upon seeing the $400K collector's item on wheels.

Harsh, but to anyone unfamiliar with the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO racer, there’s arguably too much going on with the RS6 Avant GT.

The red, grey and black decals, the chunky white 22-inch wheels, the flared and vented front fenders and the wing over the rear window… all of it is a lot to take in, but it’s very faithful to the IMSA car.

As pictured, the 90 quattro IMSA has the red around the bottom lip of the car, on the bonnet, and even its rear wind, the same as the red on the rear of the Avant GT.

Some of the black at the front of the car, where the bonnet and fenders are, is just exposed carbon-fibre rather than a black decal.

Short of the sponsors and racing numbers, the Avant GT does a fabulous job of paying homage to the 1989 race car. It just means you’re going to be the centre of attention anywhere you drive. Or park.

On that note, an alternative paint and graphic scheme in 'Mythos Black' (this car is 'Arkona White') was available to customers and is decidedly more ‘under the radar’. You have to wonder, though, if you opted for the subtle version of a car that pays homage to a fire-breathing IMSA car, would you feel like you took the coward's option?

Besides, you’re either keeping this car in some kind of temperature-controlled bubble, or (hopefully) spending most of your time around it in the driver’s seat. From there, you don’t have to grapple with the question of garishness.

The interior is, while elevated past standard RS6 vibes, a lot more subtle. Dark materials of microfibre, carbon, leather and the smudge-prone piano black (an Audi favourite) are joined by a relatively restrained serving of red in the contrast stitching and seatbelts.

The Yaris Cross is genuinely adorable. It's compact enough to slip into tight city spaces, yet proportioned well enough that it never looks toy-like. Its upright stance gives it a bit of attitude, and the chunky black plastic moulding around the base actually works in its favour, adding a tough, almost adventurous edge.

The rear is one of its best angles, with crisp LED tail-lights and a clean, sculpted shape that gives it more presence than you’d expect from something this small.

Inside, though, things don’t climb to the same heights. There’s a lot of hard plastic throughout, and while the synthetic leather and cloth upholstery looks decent, it doesn't elevate the space. The tech is well positioned and the layout is tidy, making it a pleasant cabin overall but there’s an unmistakable sense of 'nice, but not quite enough,' especially given what you’re paying.

You’ve bought a $400K collectible sports car capable of effortlessly deleting kilometres of highway with your family and enough luggage for a week. Usually a special edition driver's car at this price point is doing well if it has a place to put a phone and a water bottle, let alone phones and water bottles for four people - five if you really need.

Yes, in the performance car world, the Audi RS6 Avant has long been king of the convenience game and the GT holds onto that. 

The seating position and ergonomics remains comfortable, the driver’s seat being manually adjustable means it can sit even lower, there’s decent storage in the door cards, cupholders are able to be hidden, the phone charger is under the armrest, there’s a spot for small items like keys, change or glasses and the rear seats have mostly the same alongside their own individual climate controls and heated seats.

Behind those, a 548-litre boot puts most performance cars to shame, but its 1658L space when the rear seats are folded down is unbelievable for something that you’d want to take to a race circuit.

The front row is easily the best place to be, with the most comfort and creature comforts on offer. Only the driver’s seat is powered, and the controls not the most intuitive to use but both seats have decent padding and single-level heating that makes longer drives more bearable. The new centre armrest feels like an afterthought as it sits too low and tilts too far forward to be truly comfortable.

The rear row is cosy and realistically suited to two adults. Behind my driving position (I’m 168cm), there’s enough knee and head room, but the smaller door apertures may make loading child seats a bit fiddly. You do get two ISOFIX points and three top tethers, but two seats will fit best. My nine-year old loves how light the doors are to open and close, though he isn’t thrilled about the taller windowsills as they block a fair bit of the outside world for smaller passengers.

Storage is better than expected up front with a mid-size glovebox, a storage tray underneath the air-vents and climate control panel. There are two cupholders and drink bottle holders in each row and the rear also gets a single map pocket.

The 8.0-inch media display shares is straightforward to use and the touchscreen is responsive. It’s easy to connect to the wireless Apple CarPlay and it maintained a steady connection all week. The basic sound system can sound a bit tinny when you’re full-pelt on the highway but is otherwise sufficient.

You miss out on a wireless charging pad on all grade levels, which I really missed, and the only two USB-C ports in the car are up front.

Boot space depends on the drivetrain. The front-wheel-drive Urban has a decent 390L, which feels competitive. The Stonic can take 352L. The all-wheel-drive version offers less at 314L, which is smaller than the Juke (422L).

In real-world terms, groceries, school gear and my son’s extracurricular chaos all fit without complaint. You also get an adjustable boot floor, a temporary spare wheel (not always a given in a hybrid) and a powered tailgate for extra convenience.

The Yaris Cross range spans four grades, and for this review we’re in the second-from-the-top Urban. The GR Sport is technically the flagship, but the Urban feels like the smarter pick as it carries most of the premium features without climbing the price ladder just to wear a GR badge. A badge that doesn’t mean as much here as it does elsewhere in Toyota’s line-up. A GR performance hot hatch it is not.

Priced from $36,930 before on-road costs, the Urban front-wheel drive is pricier than some of its closest rivals. The Nissan Juke Ti is a touch pricier at $37,940, while the Kia Stonic GT-Line is a much cheaper $32,480. Both competitors also offer rear USB ports, and the Juke adds dual 12.3-inch displays and a much larger boot, so the premium you’re paying here really comes down to the Urban’s hybrid powertrain.

Other hybrid rivals include the freshly launched Suzuki Fronx (from $28,990) or the slightly larger Chery Tiggo 4 hybrid ($34,990 drive-away for the Ultimate).

This model-year update brings a modest bump in equipment, now including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cloud-based satellite navigation, an armrest up front and illuminated vanity mirrors.

The practical bits are covered with a powered driver’s seat, keyless entry, push-button start, a temporary spare tyre, single-zone climate control, and a powered tailgate.

A few bougie touches like the cloth/synthetic leather mix and heated front seats help lift the cabin, too.

Tech-wise, you get an 8.0-inch touchscreen, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, a coloured head-up display, digital radio, Bluetooth, steering-wheel controls and a 360-degree camera system. A standard audio setup rounds things out.

All up, it’s got enough but only just.

Audi’s venerable 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 engine remains at the heart of the RS6, though in the GT there’s no more power than the RS6 Avant Performance.

That means 463kW of power and 850Nm of torque delivered to all four wheels via an eight-speed torque converter automatic and Audi’s ‘quattro’ all-wheel drive system, making the RS6 Avant GT capable of a 3.3-second sprint to 100km/h, according to Audi. Top speed is a blistering 305km/h.

All this in a car I took to Coles.

All Yaris Cross variants share the same 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid setup, producing 85kW of power combined and 120Nm of torque from the petrol engine. Toyota does not provide combined torque figures for its hybrid powertrains.

On paper, those numbers look a bit anaemic but in practice the hybrid system does a good job of masking the low torque. Around town, it feels livelier than you’d expect, with that electric assist giving it just enough punch to feel almost spritely off the line.

Our test car is the front-wheel-drive version, but you can opt for all-wheel drive for a couple of grand extra.

Compared with rivals, the Yaris Cross lands in an interesting middle ground. The Nissan Juke makes 84kW of power, while the Kia Stonic sits at 74kW.

And that’s really where the critique lands, because while the Yaris Cross feels zippy and eager at low speeds thanks to the hybrid boost, once you’re outside the city the torque deficit becomes harder to ignore. Overtaking and keeping up to speed aren’t the real issues - it’s more that the engine starts to whine like it’s under a bit of duress when you ask for more.

Do you care about this section of the review if you’ve bought one? Surely not. 

Anyway, Audi claims 11.8L/100km in terms of fuel consumption and you’d better believe it’s 98 RON minimum. 

It’s got a 72-litre fuel tank, which was depleted rather rapidly on test. While driving conditions weren’t ‘fair’ in terms of the test given the content demands of a short-term loan, there’s probably a realistic figure somewhere between the claim and the 17.9L/100km I achieved over a few days.

The Urban FWD has an impressively low claimed combined fuel consumption of 3.8L/100km, and with its 36L fuel tank, you’re looking at a theoretical driving range of up to 950km, which isn't bad for an urban trawler. In real-world use, including longer highway trips and everyday city errands, I averaged 4.4L/100km, which is still very efficient.

By comparison, the Nissan Juke Ti uses 5.8L/100km with a 46L tank, while the Kia Stonic GT-Line sits at 5.4L/100km with 45L. The Chery Tiggo 4 Hybrid uses 5.4L as well.

The Yaris Cross not only sips fuel but makes the most of its smaller tank, which means the hybrid powertrain wins this round.

There’s something unfortunate about how good the Audi RS6 Avant GT is from behind the wheel. That’s knowing how few people will properly get to enjoy it.

Not just because only 660 were built, but also because the majority of those 660 owners will be too worried about how much they’ve just spent on an automotive rarity to properly take it for a burn on a road, or even a track.

The RS6 was always an icon of Germany's penchant for subtle-looking cars that just happen to be capable of embarrassing much more brash vehicles, but the GT does away with the pretence and sharpens its teeth a little.

The specifically tuned rear differential makes for a more rear-biased driving experience in Dynamic mode, which means more agile cornering and a more natural balance compared to the way the RS6 sometimes feels - like a family wagon.

Its rival, the BMW M5 Touring, can go full rear-drive, but the Audi doesn’t need that as an option. It feels more capable and composed; ready to obey commands without fuss. A set of Continental SportContact 7 tyres (285/30) help there on the grip front.

The suspension underneath, adjustable coil-overs with three settings, is unique to the GT and lowers the ride height by 10 millimeters. It’s stiffer, 30 per cent at the front and 80 at the rear, and you notice it.

There’s more control and much less body roll, but the trade-off is the RS6 Avant GT is a little less comfortable on Australia’s particularly rough roads. Its 22-inch wheels don’t help.

It’s not, however, crashy or rattly. The suspension still does a fine job of stopping the driver being jostled around, but there’s a decidedly firmer response to the surface underneath. Again, still very composed.

With the new suspension, steering the GT feels easier than memory would suggest and the baseline was already good. There’s no unnecessary weight, but there’s still decent feedback from the front wheels and accuracy is bang-on.

Throttle adjustment in the corners, too, is easier with the rear differential, and it means anyone who still had reservations about Audi and understeer can be proven wrong.

The drivetrain remains unchanged from the Performance, which is a good thing. The effortless acceleration, even in the more aggressive 'Dynamic' setting with the transmission set to 'Sport' is smooth but seemingly unending.

Fortunately, the 4.0-litre V8 under the carbon bonnet sounds delightfully burbly, so getting to the speed limit or overtaking is a little treat every time. While the steering wheel paddles are there if you really need to drive in anger, the eight-speed is fine left to its own devices.

A 2.0-tonne family wagon with a V8 up front, easy communicative steering, and sporty suspension that settles well over bumps but allows enthusiastic corner attacks?

The RS6 Avant GT is in limited company.

Power delivery is crisp and punctual, and while the engine can sound strained when you push it on the open road, it rarely translates into any noticeable lag. You won’t feel deep reserves of power, but there’s enough to keep up with traffic and overtake when needed.

Ride comfort is better than expected, with suspension that soaks up smaller bumps, and it corners confidently without too much body roll. The cabin picks up a lot of road noise, and there’s an annoying electric whine at lower speeds but it's easily drowned out with music.

Steering is on the lighter side but remains responsive, making the Yaris Cross genuinely easy to drive. It would make a great first car, or a simple, fuss-free choice for an older couple.

Visibility is excellent, giving you a solid sense of the car’s dimensions which is a big help when manoeuvring and that's even before you look at the 360-degree camera feed. Add in the small 10.6m turning circle, and parking this SUV is almost effortless. If you struggle, it’s not the car’s fault.

The Yaris Cross has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2021 and has eight airbags, including a front centre airbag, which is good for the segment. It scores well across individual assessment sections with an 86 per cent for both adult and child protection, 78 per cent for vulnerable road user and 82 per cent for its safety assist systems.

There is a healthy suite of safety equipment including lane keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, safe exit assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and auto high beam. There are also seatbelt reminders (audio/visual), two ISOFIX child-seat mounts and three top-tether anchor points.

The adaptive cruise control is fairly well calibrated, although it can occasionally slow down too much on a corner, and none of the safety systems are annoyingly intrusive. A welcome change as it’s been a while since I’ve been in a car that hasn’t yelled at me.

The Yaris Cross has autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with car, pedestrian, cyclist and intersection detection which is operational from 10 - 180km/h but it is more common to see this feature operate from 5.0km/h.

Audi’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty is below industry par, though most premium brands are in the same boat.

Twelve years of bodywork warranty against corrosion is also included, as is a five-year run of free Audi roadside assistance.

Five-year service plans can be purchased, or customers can buy back-to-back two-year extensions for the warranty, servicing and roadside assistance.

The Yaris Cross comes with Toyota’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, extendable up to seven years if you stick to servicing at a Toyota centre. That makes it more competitive as the Nissan Juke offers a 10-year term and the Kia Stonic comes standard with seven years.

Servicing is also straightforward and affordable, thanks to Toyota’s five-year capped-price program, with each service costing just $255. Intervals are well spaced at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.