A4/S4/RS4 [Tests] Audi RS4 Avant

[Human]

We get behind the wheel of the storming new Audi RS4 Avant, which gets 444bhp and four-wheel drive
Rating:4 STAR
Lottery win Ferraris and Lamborghinis might be fun for the odd Sunday outing, but what if you could have a practical, four-wheel drive family car with almost the same performance – and use it every day?
Ever since the original RS2, fast estates like the Audi RS4 have developed a cult following, often finding a space in the garage of super-rich enthusiasts alongside much more exclusive metal. But aside from the R8, RS Audis have fallen off the boil lately. Both the RS5 and TT RS have been disappointments. So how does this third-generation £54,925 RS4 shape up?
This time around, the RS4 is only available as an Avant – Audi reckons buyers of the old saloon and cabrio versions have migrated to the RS5.
We reckon that’s a good thing – the Avant body boasts 1,430 litres of space and it looks fantastic in RS spec. There are big air intakes in the aggressive front bumper, bulging squared-off wheelarches, standard 19-inch alloys and a rear end that features huge chrome exhausts and a roof spoiler.
The technical specification is just as mouthwatering. Up front is an RS5-derived 444bhp 4.2-litre V8, which drives all four wheels through a seven-speed twin-clutch S tronic gearbox. Like the RS5, there’s also a centre differential - which splits torque 40:60, but can send up to 85 per cent to the rear wheels - and a sports rear differential, which varies torque left and right.
That’s not it, though, because engineers have also dropped the ride height by 20mm and fitted uprated brakes. If you want to go a step further, you can add ceramic brakes and the £2,250 Sport Package, which includes Dynamic Ride Control adaptive dampers, dynamic steering, 20-inch ‘rotor’ alloy wheels and a sports exhaust.
On the road, the RS4 Avant is incredibly fast. With 430Nm of torque and a launch control system, it rockets off the line and sprints from 0-62mph in just 4.7 seconds, which is only a tenth down on its closest rival, the 451bhp Mercedes C63 AMG Estate.
The 4.2-litre engine is phenomenal in its response. It really is supercar fast, while the noise it makes is incredible – a sensational V8 rumble, which is punctuated by pops and bangs from the exhaust when you lift off. The seven-speed S tronic gearbox is so swift and smooth that there’s the minimum pause in acceleration as it rips up through the gears.

Where the RS4 really stands out, though, is on twisty, greasy and bumpy road. Here you really feel the benefit of the quattro four-wheel-drive system and all those clever differentials: you can accelerate hard and early knowing that all that punch will be translated into forward motion. A rear-drive car like the C63 would just light up its rear tyres.
Traction is so total on the public road that you’d have to be going very fast indeed to even induce a slide – torque vectoring does a great job in pulling the car around a corner and aiming the car down the next straight. With incredibly strong brakes, this is a fast estate that looks after you every step of the way.
Thanks to Audi’s Drive Select system, you can play with the settings of the steering, throttle, gearbox and suspension. As ever with Audis of late, though, the steering is too heavy and lacking in feel in Dynamic mode, so it’s best to switch it to Comfort, which takes away some of that heft and makes it feel more natural.
The RS4 always feels its 1,795kg weight in corners – as does the C63 AMG – but that heaviness helps make it a great cruiser. It always feels rooted, particularly on the motorway, and if you put the suspension in Comfort mode it soaks up bumps pretty well, even on the optional 20-inch alloys of our test car.
There’s no shortage of standard equipment, either. You get sports seats and a DVD sat-nav, and about the only option you’d probably want is the £1,420 Technology Package, which upgrades the sat-nav to a hard disk-based system with Google Maps and Street View and music storage, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera and lane keep assist.
Is this latest RS4 worthy of a place in a car enthusiast’s dream garage? It offers incredible performance, grip and all-weather usability, which all adds up to a very desirable car indeed.

 

[Deckhook]

The Sports Package is exceptionally good value for money and I'm surprised this wasn't mentioned in the test because with it you get DRC suspension, dynamic steering, sports exhaust and 20" Rotor rims for only £2250 which is a saving of £2425 if bought separately.

 

[Deckhook]

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/audi/rs4/first-drives/first-drive-review-audi-rs4-avant

First drive review: Audi RS4 Avant

The Audi RS4 Avant gets better the faster you drive, and as such makes an excellent RS model


What is it?

The third generation Audi RS4, but this time available only in Avant estate form. Like the last it uses a 4.2-litre V8 motor, but with power raised to the same 444bhp seen in the RS5, up from the 414bhp of the last RS4.
Unlike its forebear, there is no manual transmission option, Audi maintaining its S-tronic 7-speed double clutch gearbox is better in every regard, not least its ability to help reduce fuel consumption by 27 per cent. Audi also claims the new RS is quicker than the last, citing a 0.2sec reduction in 0-62mph time to 4.7sec, though that’s likely to come as much from its seamless gearshifts and launch control strategy as its extra power: it may have an extra 30bhp, but so too must it carry another 85kg, meaning the new car’s power to weight ratio is actually only a fractional 5bhp per tonne better than the last.
Visually all the usual RS cues are there from the enlarged air inlets at the front past the bulging wheel arches and extended sills at the side to the ovoid exhausts at the rear.
What is it like?

If you were lucky enough to know the old RS4 at all, you’re going to wonder where all the vorsprung’s gone, at least at first. Drive it merely moderately fast and the RS4 is quite a remote car, especially if you make the mistake of paying extra for variable ratio dynamic steering, which appears to offer little benefit at speed and is horridly light and overly direct around town.
If you keep the engine operating in the mid-range where its one true rival, the Mercedes C63 AMG Estate is at its happiest, the V8 feels merely pleasantly fast. Moreover the ride is rather firm, even in the softest of its driver selectable settings. The motor is quiet, the gearshifts commendably slick in all three modes and the interior a paragon of ergonomic common sense. But where’s all the fun gone?
Actually the entertainment offered by the old RS4 is there, and with an added dimension, but you’ll need to look – and drive – harder to find it.
First you need to start hammering the V8. Although precisely the same size as the old unit, this is a new engine for the RS5 and RS4 and it needs to be revving at or past its 4000rpm torque peak before it comes alive. But thereafter it only gets better and if you can keep it bubbling between 5500-8500rpm, you’ll believe your keeping company with one of the true greats.
Likewise the chassis. The handling of most RS Audis, including the last RS4, has always deteriorated the harder you try: this one is the reverse. At normal or even mildly elevated effort levels, it doesn’t even hint at what’s to come. But if you turn off all the electronics and introduce with serious intent to a wet Austrian mountain road, instead of understeering everywhere, it turns in crisply, allows any trace of nose push to be neutralised with a lift of throttle and, if you’re so minded and have the space, is not at all averse to a little light drifting.
Should I buy one?

It a slightly strange car, this RS4. On the one hand I applaud Audi’s decision to change fundamentally the character of the car, on the other I have to point out it would be better still if its engine and chassis were more engaging at all effort levels and not just maximum attack.
Then again, others wanting a normal car for every day and a monster for recreational purposes will relish its split personality. And they’re probably right to: fact is this RS4 is the first not simply to look good and go hard but offer something beyond stodgy understeer to serious drivers. And that makes it not just a good car, but an excellent RS.
Giles Newton

 

[Deckhook]

Seems that this time Audi have listened and given an RS which gets better and better the harder you push it.

 

[Monteverdi]

DRIVEN: AUDI RS4

Harris gets to grips with the reborn Audi RS4 - has it kept the magic of the last one?

There appear to be more potential electronic chassis and powertrain configurations of the new Audi RS4 than there are bodystyles for the Ford Transit. With the optional MMI Individual mode and the Dynamic steering fitted, there are 12 different permutations of damping, powertrain, steering and locking differential. How you greet this information will to some degree determine how you respond to the RS4. Anyone who loves to tinker and fiddle, walk this way.
The rest of you, listen hard. The RS4 is in many ways a very good car, but it can also be very frustrating.
You know the basic numbers by now: 450hp at 8,250rpm, 317lb ft at 4,000rpm and an empty kerb weight of 1,795kg. Now it would be ridiculous to suggest any 3 Series-sized car with 450hp was lacking guts, but compare the torque-to-weight ratios of this and the previous B7 RS4 and they don't tell a pretty story for the new car. They share the same 317lb ft - although you waited 1,500rpm longer in the old car - and yet the B7 weighs 80kg less. It's 177lb ft per tonne versus 186lb ft per tonne. That is not progress. For the record, a C63 AMG, even without the power-pack, has 442 lb ft.
All the gear...
Nor, for some people, does the deletion of a manual gearbox in favour of a dual-clutch unit with seven forward gears represent an improvement. The chassis is effectively an updated version of the S4's 4WD system with the clever Sport Differential travelling through lighter aluminium suspension components and some very fancy, optional 20-inch forged wheels.
To these eyes, the RS4 absolutely looks the part - I'm sure it has the showroom battle already won for many people with those blistered arches, that matt chromework and a suggestive shoulder-line. This car does subtle-threatening as well as anything in recent memory. The cabin is standard Audi A4 with extra trimmings and new clock faces - which means in many ways it's beginning to look and feel a bit dated, some of the plastics are unpleasant, but the RS touches really lift it. Our car had the standard seats, but buckets are an option. Good to note that the standard chairs go nice and low.
To me it is a point of great frustration that the new RS4 isn't a one-stop-shop. You cannot just get in it and expect to have all bases covered as you might hope. For starters there's all that configuring going on. There are pre-sets that simply take all parameters and lock them either in Automatic, Comfort or Dynamic but none of them quite hits the spot. I found the best balance on the road was Comfort chassis (Dynamic is absurdly harsh), Dynamic differential, Dynamic powertrain and Comfort steering. But then driven in automatic mode, the 'box was upshifting too late for my parsimonious tastes.
Simplicity, made complex
I have nothing against toys and some level of adjustment theatre, but the RS4 is too complicated for me. This is a car that is supposed to do all things for most people - lump children, dog, grandma and wardrobe and then reward the driver when he or she is alone. That was one of the best things about the last RS4 - it just worked out of the box.
The S Tronic transmission is very impressive and, despite missing the manual, I will concede that for most people it will be a welcome addition. Manual shifts are incisive and delivered with a crack from the exhausts. It doesn't matter if you're outside or inside, this car sounds the business - and there's the option of a sports exhaust too.
The optional Dynamic steering (variable ratio) is probably best avoided. In the heaviest setting it's dead and requires way too much effort and the way it adjusts the amount of lock required according to speed is sometimes counter-intuitive. I didn't get to try the standard electro-mechanical steering, but a man I trust said it was better but still incapable of drawing you into the experience. I want to drive a car on 19-inch wheels and with normal steering ASAP.
Driven to distraction
Strangely, this is a car that actually comes alive when you absolutely grab it by the scruff and hammer it: then you really reap the benefits of that 8,500rpm limiter, the fast shifts and a 4WD system that remains neutral through a turn and then allows some slip from the rear axle. It's not a drift king, but this car doesn't feel front-driven - and that's the biggest advantage it holds over the B7 RS4.
This leaves the RS4 in a slightly confusing situation. Push very hard and it reminds you that Audi's RS engineers are willing to de-specify the brand statement understeer, but at sane speeds this car is both lacking in sparkle and low-effort performance. Ride comfort will be marginal in the UK too - even on the softest setting.
Other stuff? The brake pedal is good for an Audi - we had the normal steel discs that measure 365mm up front. The top speed is limited to 155mph, but that can be lifted to 174mph. Claimed fuel economy is 26 percent better than the last RS4, but much of that must be down to the longer 7th gear and the electric steering. Drive it hard and this is still a very thirsty machine.
For many people the RS4's blend of badge, all-weather performance and brilliant styling will already have sealed the deal. I agree that it's a compelling recipe. But it isn't perfect and in lacking that one-stop omnipotence and not having enough torque for low-pulse devastation, for me it doesn't have the magic of the B7 version. The first time you drove one of those, you just found yourself thinking, "This is pretty much bang-on-the money." The same isn't quite true this time around. Equally, if you just love revving the tits of an amazing V8, this might just be the car for you.
It's a better car than an RS5 though - whose chassis was quietly and successfully updated with these RS4 attributes earlier this year - because it is more practical and therefore will appeal to a wider audience.
http://www.pistonheads.com/roadtests/doc.asp?c=118&i=25850

 

[Deckhook]

Top Gear drives the new Audi RS4

A practical estate with four-wheel-drive. And a 450bhp V8 that revs to 8,500rpm. Tom Ford reports...
Posted by: Tom Ford, 12 June 2012

A fast Audi Avant. There's a joke about a surprised Labrador coming somewhere in here isn't there?
If we were sticking to the script, then yes. We'll see. The RS4 Avant is only coming in this estate form this time (last generation also included a saloon and a convertible), ostensibly because Audi doesn't see the point when the RS5 Coupe/convertible deal with the kind of issues that those customers might face. It gets a single-frame front grille, the shiny new headlights from the recent facelift, bumper tweaks front and back, side skirts and rather lovely squarish-squircle arches so beloved of Audi RS fans. It's subtle like it should be, but tough. Got some punch too: it may be a practical estate, but it's a practical estate with a naturally-aspirated V8 that revs to 8,500rpm, hits 62mph in 4.7 and 155 or 174mph top end depending on which limiter you pay for.
That's quick. I guess we're talking Quattro four-wheel drive to make it work?
Yup. As you might have guessed the RS4 is more of the same from the RS brand, so you get all-wheel drive with a basic 40/60 torque split front to rear. Get slip from either end and up to 85-percent of the shove can be shovelled to the rear wheels, or up to 70-percent to the front. There's also a sport differential that allows torque-vectoring across the rear axle - which also operates when you come off the throttle - so you get a measure of self-steering dynamics if you're on a surface with varying grip levels. It works. Grip is huge - especially in steady-state, long corners, and you can make it oversteer if you so wish. Well, a bit. It's a bit understeery if you just lob it too-fast into a corner, but hey-ho - you expected that, right?
Manual or auto? Which to choose?
You can't. Choose, that is. The RS4 comes only with a re-jigged version of Audi's ‘S Tronic' dual-clutch gearbox with little paddles behind the wheel. It's great in auto, fun-ish in manual mode (paddles or sequential lever) and blips the throttle on downshifts. It also gets launch control, which is a reliable way of kicking sand into the face of hot hatch owners without actually needing to be very good at driving.
Gallery: the new Audi RS4 Avant
Bet it sounds good though, because RS cars always do...
Pleasingly, rev this thing hard and it sounds ace. Not quite as deep and thrumbly as the old RS6, but once the exhaust flaps have flopped open, a raspy bellow that chuckles through the exhaust on the overrun. It's lovely. Sounds best through the optional sports exhaust - it's the one with the black tips to the tailpipes.
And that engine?
Is... interesting. Now that this car only comes as an estate/Avant, you start to question the relevance of a super-high-revving V8. One of the few cars that feels, oddly, like it could do with a turbo to give it some real depth of shove lower down the rev-band. Max torque is at a relatively high 4-6,000rpm (when a diesel engine has usually dropped off), and max power is way, way, way up at 8,250rpm (redlined at 8,500rpm), so the delivery is strange in what is a big - 1,795kg - estate. You really have to hammer the shenanigans out of it to get it to go. Fast as flip when you do, but crikey, it takes some working.
Options?
Carbon brakes save a bit of weight (4.5kgs) but probably aren't worth it for the road. The ‘Sport Package' offers Dynamic Ride Control, dynamic steering, a sports exhaust and 20-inch rotor alloys for £2,250. That's definitely worth it - option all the bits individually and it saves you nearly three grand. I liked the sports seats. Everything else was just very ... black. Other stuff? Everything you can get in any other Audi saloon, you can get in here.
So should I buy one?
Ugh. This is a toughie. I'm just not sure the delivery suits the car. This is a collection of very lovely elements that just don't quite gel together. When you roar around in a C63 AMG Estate, you feel like it's part muscle car, part wardrobe - the RS4 really needs it's neck wringing. Which doesn't - somehow - feel right. It's an impressive bit of kit, but the RS6 feels somehow more convincing with a bit more deep-chested brawn. If you live somewhere that regularly gets snow, then the RS4 might make a deal more sense, because traction and delivery are exemplary. But I must have mislaid the keys to my house in Switzerland... and I don't have a dog. Anymore, anyway...
The cost
Price: £54,925
The numbers
4,163cc V8, 450bhp@ 8,250rpm, 430Nm@4-6,000rpm, 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds, 155/174mph top speed (limited/higher limiter), 26.4mpg (combined), 249g/km, weight: 1,795kg

 

[Deckhook]

I want to see a test on stock suspension and standard 19" rims to see whether the £2250 for the Sports Package is a necessity.

 

[south]

Seems that this time Audi have listened and given an RS which gets better and better the harder you push it.

Too bad that's something you hate, cars that need to be pushed hard to be really good. Or has this changed now that Audi managed to do it?


Best regards,
south

 

[Betty Swollocks]

cars that need to be pushed hard to be really good.

As far as I can tell that's not what Deckhook is saying.

 

[Deckhook]

Too bad that's something you hate, cars that need to be pushed hard to be really good. Or has this changed now that Audi managed to do it?


Best regards,
south

I was only making an obversation of what these first reviews have been said, in the passed they constantly complained that Audi's got messy beyond 8/10th but this time the opposite is true.

You are obviously trying to twist my words in a very Sunny manner.

 

[Sunny]

^^What he has said previously (and what South is referring to) and I paraphrase was he didn't like M3 cause he had to rev it to go fast.

But yea, that was M3, I am sure RS4 will be different -

Is... interesting. Now that this car only comes as an estate/Avant, you start to question the relevance of a super-high-revving V8. One of the few cars that feels, oddly, like it could do with a turbo to give it some real depth of shove lower down the rev-band. Max torque is at a relatively high 4-6,000rpm, and max power is way, way, way up at 8,250rpm (redlined at 8,500rpm), so the delivery is strange in what is a big - 1,795kg - estate. You really have to hammer the shenanigans out of it to get it to go. Fast as flip when you do, but crikey, it takes some working.

You are obviously trying to twist my words in a very Sunny manner.

I can't help if you find being reminded of your own words from the past very discomforting. Or maybe you just prefer footie manner of making shit up.

 

[Deckhook]

^Thats definitely true about the M3, a brilliant machine but really needed to be revved hard to get the full enjoyment of the engine. But I've driven the RS5 and I have said numerous times that it feels stronger low down than the M3, this mightn't be reality but it's definitely the impression you get which ultimately is what counts.

 

[Giannis]

Let's not drive this thread off topic, shall we?

Thanks...

 

[Guibo]

It seems to be what the reviews were saying.

I, for one, can appreciate that Audi have offered something very different in the class, and not just via the benefit of AWD. Perhaps a fitment of lower-grip all-season tires might help make it more enjoyable in the dry, while also improving its winter capability. Probably not much can be done about the steering though.

 

[Sunny]

^Thats definitely true about the M3, a brilliant machine but really needed to be revved hard to get the full enjoyment of the engine. But I've driven the RS5 and I have said numerous times that it feels stronger low down than the M3, this mightn't be reality but it's definitely the impression you get which ultimately is what counts.

Sure, and I am sure you will have the same impression of the RS4 too, though that impression might be unique to you -

but at sane speeds this car is both lacking in sparkle and low-effort performance.

You really have to hammer the shenanigans out of it to get it to go.

really needs it's neck wringing. Which doesn't - somehow - feel right.

 

[Giannis]

Let's not drive this thread off topic, shall we?

Thanks...

Not gonna ask it a third time

 

[Sunny]

Not gonna ask it a third time

Hey, I am just quoting the very relevant parts of the review posted here that is contrary to certain 'impressions'.

 

[Deckhook]

It seems to be what the reviews were saying.

I, for one, can appreciate that Audi have offered something very different in the class, and not just via the benefit of AWD. Perhaps a fitment of lower-grip all-season tires might help make it more enjoyable in the dry, while also improving its winter capability. Probably not much can be done about the steering though.

Steering feel has never been great with Audis but at least they are accurate and precise. On rwd cars this lack of feel would be more of an issue in my opinion but with quattro you don't need the same level of feel because you always know the grips there.

 

[Deckhook]

I've only driven the RS5 with DRC suspension but I noticed the RS4 comes standard with sports suspension that has damper control, I wonder what this is, do you still have different ride setting i.e.comfort, auto, dynamic?

 

[Guibo]

Steering feel has never been great with Audis but at least they are accurate and precise. On rwd cars this lack of feel would be more of an issue in my opinion but with quattro you don't need the same level of feel because you always know the grips there.

"Always" sounds like a pretty strong word, based on how many AWD cars can still be driven into ditches, but I get what you mean. One could also argue that because an AWD vehicle might likely be used more often in inclement (or otherwise unpredictable) weather, you might still want to get a good idea of what the tires are up to. The R8 has quattro, but its steering has often been praised for feel.