​What Are The Best Fast Estate Cars?

Audi RS6 Avant (2013-)

The RS6 Avant is capable of accelerating faster than most sports cars, completing the 0-62mph dash in a blistering 3.9 seconds. Bear in mind that this is a car that seats five comfortably ad weighs two tonnes.

This performance is powered by the same 4.0-litre V8 engine you’ll find in a Bentley Continental GT V8, which is actually a downsize from the 5.0-litre V10 in the previous RS6. Despite that, fuel economy and acceleration have significantly improved, thanks in part to losing 100kg of weight as a result of using lighter materials.

The current engine will deliver 542bhp and is limited to 155mph, although rather pointlessly you can opt for the dynamic Plus Package to bring the maximum speed up to 189mph. This is a thirsty engine, though. With a claimed fuel economy of 28.8mpg, you’ll be spending a lot of time at the pumps.

As it’s the top-end performance variant, lots of great equipment comes as standard, such as a BOSE sound system, DAB radio, cruise control and four zone automatic air conditioning. The interior is of the exceptional Audi quality we’ve come to expect, but is set apart from the A6 by sporty features such as a three spoke steering wheel, aluminium switches and pedals and sports seats to hold you in place. A range of optional extras such as a Bang & Olufsen sound system with 15 speakers no doubt proves tempting to many as well.

Despite the enormously powerful engine, the cabin is exceptionally refined, and the ride is comfortable thanks to the adaptive air suspension fitted as standard. There’s a sizeable 565-litre boot, meaning that the RS6 could be a day to day vehicle too. Just one that’ll accelerate to 62mph in under four seconds.

Volkswagen Golf R Estate (2015-)

From the outside, there’s not much to suggest that the R Estate is a hugely powerful and fast estate. Look a bit closer, though, and the 18 inch wheels and quad exhausts suggest something of the monstrous power that’s beneath the bonnet.

This is the estate version of the hot hatchback Golf R, and it uses the same 296bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. Accelerating from 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds, it grips the road and handles corners exceptionally well thanks to its four-wheel drive system. The R Estate isn’t available with a manual transmission; instead a twin-clutch DSG automatic gearbox is standard.

With impressive performance credentials, the R Estate is a practical estate too. The boot capacity of 605 litres expands to 1620 litres with the seats down, and the interior is comfortable and spacious, with room for two adults in the back. Nice interior touches such as blue needles on the dials set this performance car apart, but overall it’s a relatively understated high-performance car.

Fuel economy is better than many in the same class. Press the eco mode button and the power will drop slightly, allowing you to attain a claimed economy of 40mpg.

Mercedes E63 AMG (2013-16)

The E63 AMG is the fastest version of Mercedes’ E Class Estate, and is a solid rival to the Audi RS6 Avant if you’re after a high performance used estate.

The previous model of the E63 AM had a 6.2-litre engine which has actually been downsized to a 5.5-litre V8 in the 2013 model. It’s still immensely powerful though. Thanks to two turbochargers it delivers a frightening 557bhp and will accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds.

This comes at a price at the pumps though. You’ll be lucky to get 20mpg out of an E63 AMG, and CO2 emissions of 232 g/km will leave you with a costly road tax bill.

Nevertheless, this is a two-tonne car that comfortably carries five that handles like a sports car. There’s little lean in corners and it grips the road brilliantly. Sports suspension as standard and excellent refinement insulate the interior from the raw power of the AMG-tuned engine. There’s good levels of standard equipment such as Bluetooth connectivity, automatic lights and wipers and heated leather seats.

You can also fit a lot in to this estate. The 695-litre boot is expanded to an astonishing 1950 litres with the rear seats down, which is a capacity simply not matched elsewhere. Whilst the Porsche Panamera can match the performance of the E63 AMG, bear in mind that there’s just nowhere near the space, either for passengers or luggage.

Fast Estate Cars – for Performance & Practicality

If you fancy combining the load-lugging space of a large estate vehicle with the levels of performance usually found in exotic sports cars, look no further than these fast estate cars. They’re all readily available on the used market, so find the perfect one on Carsnip today.