Avants guard the top slot
Is it worth spending more than $30,000 extra on the mighty Audi RS 4 versus the lesser S4? Nile Bijoux finds out.
Audi is perhaps the most well-known maker of fast wagons. In fact, there are four different Avants (Audi-speak for a wagon) on offer right now, the S4, S6 and the high-power RS 4 and RS 6. We’ve already looked at the bonkers RS 6, regarded as the benchmark in fast wagons, but what about the 4 family?
The body of the 4 twins is less rambunctious than the bigger 6, with fewer vents and more subtle flares.
I prefer this sort of understated look, which largely belies the performance hiding underneath. Even more so with the slightly updated S4, which I drove in this sleek gloss black. It looks exactly like the fast executive wagon it should be.
The only real changes for this year include a new single frame grille at the front, an updated MMI interface packaged into a 10.1-inch floating display and fully automatic Matrix LED headlights.
Just because the 260kW/ 500Nm 3.0-litre turbo V6 is the same as last year’s S4 doesn’t make this a slow or boring car. It’ll haul that big booty to 100kmh in a claimed 4.8 seconds, and, as sports suspension comes as standard, the S4 can hustle around corners, too.
Not too much, mind, since Audi’s habit of overweighting the front is prevalent and quattro won’t route more than 85 per cent of the power to the rear, which all translates into understeer at the limit.
Though, to be fair, you have to be doing pretty silly speeds to find that limit.
Tug the gear selector back into S mode and the powertrain really comes alive. While D mode keeps the quartet of exhaust pipes at the back fairly quiet thanks to a valve on each side, S mode unites them all in a crackling symphony.
So the S4 is good, then, despite getting on a bit. I’d argue it’s more than good, it’s a fantastic piece of kit, but what about that grey thing?
That’d be the RS 4, the big daddy of the 4 lineup. Like the S4, power comes from a V6, though this one is a bit smaller at 2.9 litres, and has an extra turbo sandwiched inside the cylinder banks. That means it produces a healthy 331kW/600Nm, and you really do feel the difference.
Some 70 extra kilowatts and an extra hundred Newton metres of torque means the RS 4 is handily faster than the S4, by nearly a second in the 0-100kmh metric. There’s more punch when exiting corners but you’d be hard-pressed to separate the two on a technical Kiwi road, despite the RS 4’s higher-specced suspension.
The RS 4 sounds gruffer in S mode, its engine spinning up to just under 7000rpm, with more bangs and pops off-throttle, too. Push the gas and the rumble turns into a howl before the snap of the transmission resets the soundtrack, which retains its eight-speed automatic. You don’t find yourself wanting a dualclutch unit, the shifts are so fast in Sport mode and the take-off from standstill isn’t nearly as jerky.
Unfortunately, the steering in the RS 4 leans too far in the way of neutrality, which ultimately translates into a lack of feeling. It’s weighted nicely so you do know where the front wheels are pointed but it’s a bit too digital for me.
So, is the RS 4 worth paying north of $30k over the S4?
Not in my mind, though that says more about how good the S4 is. If you decide you can’t live without the RS badge, the RS 4 will sate that thirst, even against the bonkers RS 6. Or, you could consider the really rather good BMW M340i and the forthcoming M3 Touring.