Is this 174mph mean machine Audi's last V8 gasp?

Audi RS 6 Avant Performance drive by Steve Rogers

Believe it or not this mean machine is a family estate. Sometimes.

Other times it is a 170 mph supercar that would blow kids' minds on the school run.

But is this the last we will see of the monstrous twin turbo V8 with its colossal horsepower and torque? 

There will be a new A6 but with Audi throwing everything at hybrid and electric we shall have to wait and see what form the next RS 6 model will take, if we see one at all.

The Government has, predictably, changed its mind on the deadline for killing off the combustion engine, and even though Audi has started the clear out by dropping the TT the demise of the RS 6 is said to be ‘not imminent’.

For now RS 6 is very much alive and kicking and had an upgrade this year making it even more powerful.

This is the Performance version beefed up to give more horsepower. The bi turbo unit is bigger, increasing boost pressure, while new alloys are 20 kg lighter. These are the sort of lengths you take to make your car faster than the opposition.

The Performance has a self locking differential which ensures max power to all four wheels so there is no scrabbling for grip when the accelerator is stamped to the metal. 

All these elements have shaved nearly half a second off the sprint to sixty. For the record that takes just over three seconds and I imagine another four or five seconds would see you crashing through the 120 mph barrier.

Sounds manic, which it is, but we have to accept that this car is too fast for our speed limits. The car is a hooligan and would be locked up if it was human! 

Just pressing the start button warns of trouble ahead if you are not careful. It has a glorious roar to get the driver in the mood and can leave you spellbound with just one blip of the accelerator. Floor it and you are hurled back into the seat.

Top speed it governed to 174 mph but I'm pretty certain there is another 20 mph under the bonnet with the limiter disengaged. The 850Nm of torque is whopping so no worries about overtaking.

RS 6 has been revered as the world’s fastest estate car, whether it is better than rival offerings from Mercedes-Benz and BMW can only be decided on a track. On public roads the Audi feels immovable, hardly surprising when it is being pushed to a fraction of its limits.

To put it another way, a driver would have to be stupidly reckless to lose control such is the incredible grip from the quattro drivetrain. Apart from that the RS is stacked to the gunnels with driver safety aids and it is not at all intimidating to drive. 

The adaptive cruise control is impressive and came into its own on a drenched motorway where the lack of visibility was scary. Once set the car takes over braking and accelerating from a chosen distance to the vehicle in front. Using traffic sign recognition it automatically slows the car to a lower speed. A new one for me.

As a family estate the RS Avant is sensible, to a point. It easily accommodates five adults with a boot big enough to carry a sizeable piece of furniture with the seats down, or a pile of luggage with the back seats in place. 

In reality an A6 Avant is more realistic as family transport given the £127,000 for the RS Performance, and the costs that go with it. Insurance will be sky high, you need to cough up big bucks for the first year road tax and then there is the little matter of low twenties economy, although I did manage 25mpg over nearly 700 miles. Good job the car has a 73 litre tank.

And you might as well go the whole hog with ceramic brakes. An extra £9,200, you would get a good used car for that money, but my goodness they are immense.

I have been saying for 20 years that none of the other premium brands can trim a car like Audi and nothing has changed. This car is beautifully finished although some of the technology is becoming dated and will probably be refreshed in the new model.

Fast Facts

RS 6 Avant Performance

£126,970 (£140,000 tested)

4 litre V8, 8sp tiptronic; 618bhp

0-62mph 3.4secs; 174mph

22.4mpg combined

285g/km. First tax £2,365

Boot: 565-1680 litres

Insurance group 50

All four mobile phone networks still down in central Llangollen

* EE's signal checker shows a problem with its local service.

All four mobile phone networks serving central LL20 areas of Llangollen are still down after an outage which began late on Saturday.

llanblogger has looked at the online signal checkers for EE, Three, 02 and Vodaphone this morning are all are showing problems with their services to the area.

EE simply points out that it is "aware of the problem with this site".

Three says: "Our engineers are working on masts nearby which means the rest of our network is handling more traffic than usual."

02 at least says "sorry" and explains that a phone mast close by isn't working. But it assures: "Our engineers are on the case."

And Vodaphone's checker is registering "current network issues" with the area's 2G, 3G and 4G services. LL20 doesn't currently have 5G availability, it shows.

There have been lots of complaints about the situation on Facebook. 

* The word from Three.

 * 02's signal checker.

* Vodaphone's outage explanation.

Kaiser Chiefs to return for Llangollen Eisteddfod next summer

* The Kaiser Chiefs. Picture: Cal McIntyre.

Indie heroes Kaiser Chiefs will make a triumphant return to the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Saturday June 29.

Tickets go on general sale at 9am on Friday November 17. 

The announcement follows the news that the band will release their new studio album, the aptly titled Kaiser Chiefs’ Easy Eighth Album, on March 1 next year.

Produced by Amir Amor (Rudimental), Easy Eighth Album sees them return with a fresh and bold new sound. 

From the Nile Rodgers co-writer of new single ‘Feeling Alright’, to the frantic ‘Beautiful Girl’, horn-laden Kaiser Chiefs throwback ‘Job Centre Shuffle’ and joyous punch in the gut that is ‘Jealousy’, these 10 tracks are a true statement of intent from a band that continues to deliver the goods again and again.

The album arrives off the back of roaring success with previous releases ‘Jealousy’and ‘How 2 Dance’, as well as a big UK arena headline tour at the end of last year.

Where 2019’s Duck straddled the tide between Northern-Soul euphoria and early ‘00s antithesis, 2024 will see Kaiser Chiefs stepping into a renewed spotlight; a hook-heightened universe in which Ricky Wilson, Andrew “Whitey” White (guitar), Simon Rix (bass), Keyboardist Peanut and Vijay Mistry on drums, come together to create what they craft best; breakthrough hits for the world’s dancefloor.  

And with a band almost two decades in the game, armed with an extensive back-catalogue of stadium belters, and record-breaking success, fans at Llangollen Pavilion can prepare for a nightfilled with anthemic hits such as ‘Oh My God’, ‘I Predict A Riot’, ‘Everyday I Love You Less and Less’ and ‘Ruby’. 

The headlining Llangollen show is the latest to be announced as part of a new partnership between the Eisteddfod and Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor. 

Kaiser Chiefs, who headlined Llanfest in 2018, join indie superstars Manic Street Preachers and Suede, BRIT award-winning artist Paloma Faith and disco legends Nile Rodgers & CHIC among the artists to be announced so far for the iconic peace festival in 2024. 

Lead Programmer &Production Manager of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod Dave Danford said:“We’re delighted Kaiser Chiefs will be returning to Llangollen. They went down a storm in 2018, and we’re so pleased that they’ll bring their anthems back to North Wales in 2024.  

“This is just the latest announcement as part of our exciting new partnership with Live Nation promoters Cuffe and Taylor, with more to come in the next few weeks” 

Cuffe and Taylor co-founder Peter Taylor said: “Kaiser Chiefs are a brilliant live band. We’ve presented multiple shows with them over the years so we can’t wait to bring them back to Llangollen for what will be a really exciting show for everyone involved.”

* For more information and to purchase tickets go to llangollen.net and www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Crowds brave heavy rain for town's annual Service of Remembrance

A large crowd braved heavy rain to watch and take part in Llangollen's annual Service of Remembrance in Centenary Square earlier this morning (Sunday).

Led by Father Lee Taylor of St Collen's, the service included the traditional sounding of the Last Post by a bugler from Llangollen Silver Band, the two minute silence and the laying of wreaths on the square's two war memorials which commemorate local people who died in both world wars and other conflicts.  

The ceremony ended with a parade of service organisations, led by their standards, along Castle Street and round the town centre.

* Service organisations on parade in the square.  

* People brave the heavy rain to watch the service.

* The parade arrives in the square led by standard bearers.

* Father Lee Taylor leads the worship.

* A Silver Band bugler sounds Last Post. 

* This picture and those below: wreaths are laid on behalf of various local organisations around the war memorial.

* Dave Hennigan and Allison Davies with the wreath they laid on behalf of the Eisteddfod. 

* At the conclusion of the service the parade leaves the square along Castle Street.

* Youth organisations take part in the parade.

Woman from Ukraine sets up her own business in Llangollen

The Denbighshire Free Press is reporting how a woman from Ukraine who left the country for Llangollen following Russia’s invasion last year has set up her own candle business with her host family.

Maryna Ustymenko, 27, has created “Ornate Candles” with Kim Evans, who she has lived with since moving to North Wales in May 2022.

* For the full story, see: Woman who left Ukraine for Llangollen sets up bespoke candle business | Denbighshire Free Press

Plaid Cymru chooses its candidate for new Clwyd East seat

* Paul Penlington will fight Clwyd East for Plaid Cymru at the general election.

A former Denbighshire county councillor has been selected as Plaid Cymru's Parliamentary Candidate for Clwyd East.

The new constituency, which includes the towns and surrounding areas of Llangollen, Ruthin, Mold, Holywell and Prestatyn, will come into being at the next general election.

Carrying the Plaid banner will be Paul Penlington, a former councillor for Prestatyn North who has worked voluntarily in the charity sector and teaching further education at Coleg Cambria.

He said: “I’ve always lived and worked in this constituency and only applied to be the candidate for the area I am already committed to. I wouldn’t want to stand anywhere else.

“This is my home, my family have lived here for generations and I hope will do so for generations to come.  

“I’m not a career politician, I’m an active member of my community and want to continue working as a representative of our community in Westminster. The main reasons I originally became interested in politics have been consistent throughout; supporting those in need, protecting our environment and seeking fairness for all of us.

“This new constituency encompasses a wide range of communities but all of us deserve a fair deal from Westminster which we’re currently not getting. 

“As just a few examples, we export more energy than we produce but have the highest energy bills in the UK, we have the highest levels of child poverty and the worst performing NHS.”

He added: “Llangollen is a beautiful town but still has a lot that needs addressing. The River Dee is virtually dead and is the worst river in Wales for sewage pollution, air pollution, particularly in the summer, is as bad as an inner city, public transport is appalling, there are very few opportunities for young people and smaller communities in the area are largely forgotten. 

“Yet nothing is done. Westminster and the Welsh Government do nothing to protect our environment and public health and offer no practical support to improve and develop services for our smaller towns. 

“This is all symptomatic of how Wales is unfairly used to drain our resources with nothing returned. We deserve so much better and need a local voice to fight for us in Westminster, as a member of a Welsh party not a London-centric party.

“We have always been governed by Labour and Tory. I don’t want to govern, I want to represent my community and fight to get the best for us not a party based in London. 

“My record of public service is easily googled, I’ve always worked hard as a voice for residents. I am ready to take other parties on nationally. I’m standing now as, at the end of the day, I’m the only local candidate and who else will actually stand up for all of us?”

Body found at Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, says story

A story in the Leader reveals that police have confirmed a body was found at Pontcysyllte Aqueduct yesterday (November 9).

North Wales Police said it received a report of a body being found at the aqueduct shortly after 3.30pm on Thursday.

* For the full story, see: Body discovered at Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, police confirm | The Leader (leaderlive.co.uk)