The coming Avant!

The RS4 doesn’t shout about its credentials but this estate car is still fun

ONE of the highlights of the year so far was the road trip I took around Northern Ireland in May, just as the first of the good weather made an appearance. I went up to the Giant’s Causeway, then followed the Causeway Coastal Route through Ballycastle, Cushendun and Cushendall back to Belfast. If you’ve never been, you really should check it out. The scenery is magnificent, with views to Rathlin Island and onwards to Scotland, though I have to admit I saw most of it in a blur.

That’s because I was driving the Audi RS3, an absolute rocket of a hot hatch that glues itself to the road as the passing hedges turn into one long, continuous green blur.

The RS4 Avant can’t quite match that excitement, but then it’s a very different car – no estate ever is going to feel quite as connected as a hatch (and the RS4 is available only in Avant guise). That it comes close, though, says a lot for this car, which had a lot to live up to for another reason too. The week before, I was driving the 600hp BMW M6, and it’s rare indeed that sitting behind the wheel of a 444hp car feels like something of a comedown.

I got over it pretty quickly. In the week in question, I needed cargo space (my entire life seems to involve shifting junk from one location to another) and the RS4 has lots of it. The boot capacity is 505 litres will all seats in place, rising to a whopping 1,510 litres with the rear bench folded.

The real appeal, though, comes in passenger comfort. This is a beautiful car just to sit in. The cabin is luxurious, with deep sports seats that wrap around you like a hug from an angel. The virtual instrument panel, a 12inch screen behind the steering wheel, can be configured to our own taste, highlighting whatever data is most important to you, though I mostly left it in map mode so following the satnav instructions wasn’t distracting. The wheel itself is compact, with all the usual multifunction operations possible, and there’s an big infotainment screen too.

You get a lot of kit on the entry-level model (you’d be pretty surprised not to, after just shelling out over 100 grand), but the really sweet stuff is going to cost you extra.

In my test car, that meant an extra €1,554 for Navarra blue metallic paint; 20-inch Audi Sport five-double-spoke alloy wheels in brooding anthracite black (€4,016); Audi phonebox with wireless charging (€593); the awesome Matrix LED headlamps with dynamic indicators (€1,239); red brake calipers (€698); carbon styling pack with gloss black parts (€7,946); and rear USB port (a bargain 89 quid to you, sir).

With other bits and bobs, they added €27,049 to the total, which would buy another car, but if you’re in the market for a performance model like this, that probably seems like chump change. Even if I had it, I’d still think long and hard about shelling out, though.

What I liked about the RS4 is that it is understated. The problem with a flash car is that you’re always terrified it will be nicked. The RS4 doesn’t shout about its credentials – instead, it wears them lightly.

It comes with selectable drive modes – I stayed mostly in Dynamic, which felt best on the roads where I live, and delivered a lot of excitement. It’s arguable that other cars in this class feel more spirited in the steering and suspension departments, but they’re saloons. For an estate, I found the RS4 pretty faultless on the road, well able for sharp movements when required.

On the motorway, the cruise was impeccable. If you told me I had to drive from here to Greece tomorrow, I wouldn’t be at all unhappy if you added that it was in this car.

At 8.8 litres per kilometres, fuel economy is pretty good for the performance level, but emissions of 199g/km attract annual motor tax of €1,200. Again, that’s hardly likely to trouble anyone who has the cash for the car in the first place.

Were it not for the space issues, though, I still would opt for the RS3 if pure performance was my main requirement. There’s a connectedness between car and driver there that the RS4, by sheer bodystyle alone, cannot match. But if you’re a wealthy parent who wants to have a lot of fun after you’ve dropped the children to school, then the Avant is the car for you.