Audi RS 4 Avant
www.autoexpress.co.uk FIRST UK DRIVE Is downsized twin-turbo estate a winner?
EVEN though Audi Sport has experimented with rear-wheel drive for the first time (left), fast, fourwheel-drive estates like the new RS 4 Avant remain its bread and butter.
This latest model has exactly the same power as the old one, but gets an extra 170Nm of torque. It’s a simple downsizing exercise; lose two cylinders, gain two turbochargers, and achieve a big jump in economy. The 2.9-litre V6 is shared with the new RS 5, but we found it better suited to the RS 4 when we drove it last year (Issue 1,503).
Now we’re trying the car on UK roads, and the 4.1 seconds Audi says it takes it to cover 0-62mph feels conservative from behind the wheel.
Searing cross-country pace is this new RS 4’s most obvious character trait, though. There’s a hint of lag when you floor the throttle, but from 2,000rpm the punch and responsiveness of that new six-cylinder motor is almost relentless, and it’ll keep shovelling power to the all-wheel-drive system all the way to the 7,000rpm red line.
Even in its most docile Comfort mode, the RS 4 picks up pace without breaking a sweat, and the ride quality is almost as supple as a regular A4’s. Flicking the selector into Dynamic ramps up throttle response, while the gearbox holds ratios for longer. The huge pace isn’t that surprising; the big question is how exciting this new car is.
You can coax a rich six-cylinder noise out of that turbo engine, although the optional sports exhaust doesn’t wholly transform the excitement on offer. The steering plays things safe; it’s sharp and decently weighted but, as with most electric systems, short on feel.
The RS 4 seems built to move as quickly as possible with minimal fuss. When pushed, its overriding characteristic is still balance and grip. It still has to be a practical family car, though, and with a 505-litre boot, it’s more spacious than a Mercedes-amg C 63 Estate.
“The huge pace on offer really isn’t that surprising”