Command performance

Due in Australia in the second quarter of 2018, the new RS 4 Avant is a worthy successor to the famed RS badge.

Now in its fourth generation, the Audi RS 4 Avant has built a strong international following, and the all-new incarnation more than lives up to expectation.

22 December, 2017


Audi has always been a brand that challenges the accepted order of things – usually with extraordinary results. The genesis of the RS 4 Avant was just such an occasion, when in 1994, Audi produced the world’s first high-performance car in a ‘wagon’ configuration – the RS 2 Avant.

High-performance enthusiasts were a little confused initially. ‘How could a wagon (Avant in the the Audi lexicon) boast 232kW from a 2.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-charged engine and demolish the sprint from 0 to 100km/h in 5.4 seconds?

Add to that equation, quattro permanent all-wheel drive for unbelievable handling and road holding, and the eyebrows were raised ever higher. Surely this sort of handling and performance was the exclusive province of diminutive two-seater sports cars and low-slung supercars?

Not any more.

In 1999 the successor to the RS 2 was released – the first RS 4 Avant – and the legend was born. The model recently presented to the motoring press in Spain represents the fourth generation of this icon performance special and it is more than up to the task of carrying the famous name and reputation into the future.

As with the other RS offerings from Audi Sport, the Australian buying public has been staunch supporters and the expectation surrounding the imminent arrival of the new RS 4 Avant is intense.

Although obviously a very different style of car in terms of its dimensions and Avant configuration, the new RS 4 has a great deal in common with the new RS 5 Coupe which made its Australian debut only weeks ago.

Like the RS 5 Coupe, the RS 4 Avant is now powered by a 2.9-litre, bi-turbo V6 engine, producing 331kW and a massive 600Nm of torque available from 1900rpm right through to 5000rpm. That equates to incredible acceleration, seeing off the standing 100km/h spent in 4.1 seconds – some 0.6 of a second quicker than the V8 of the previous model.

"The new RS 4 has a great deal in common with the new RS 5 Coupe which made its Australian debut only weeks ago."

"The RS 4 Avant is elegant and understated, but there is no missing the attention to detail  and luxury appointment of the form-hugging sports seats, the flat-bottomed, multi-function wheel or the elegant dash and door inlays."

Linked to an eight-speed tiptronic transmission and with power down to the blacktop through all four wheels thanks to quattro, the RS 4 Avant displays the handling characteristics and athleticism that built the legend in the first place and makes this such an extraordinary car. Comfortable accommodation for up to five adults, and room in the back for golf clubs and luggage (505 litres or 1510 litres with the rear seats folded flat), the RS 4 Avant still performs and handles like the aforementioned, dedicated two-seater sports car. 

Despite the specious interior and storage, this new RS 4 Avant is lighter than its predecessor by 80kg. It’s physically larger than before, and although smaller than its big brother the RS 6 Avant, the RS 4 Avant has a real presence and more aggressive styling from tip to toe. The front end features the same huge air intakes as the RS 5, born on the brutal IMSA GT race car, and the wide honeycomb Singleframe grille and distinctive LED lights give a sharper look to the front end and of course provide superior lighting once the sun goes down.

The silhouette is long and smooth, incorporating more of a coupe feel than an Avant, with a roof spoiler and rear diffuser and those massive oval tailpipes. It rides on 19-inch aluminium wheels as standard (20-inch wheels will be offered as an option), that nestle within the flared wheel arches which are a cool 30mm wider to accommodate the rolling stock. 

The overall impression, as with the previous incarnations is one of a purposeful, performance car, but in true RS tradition, there is no need for garish advertisement, spoilers like towel racks or tacky decals. Purists will know and onlookers will get the sense that this is something special.

Inside too, the RS 4 Avant is elegant and understated, but there is no missing the attention to detail  and luxury appointment of the form-hugging sports seats, the flat-bottomed, multi-function wheel or the elegant dash and door inlays.

The state-of-the-art virtual cockpit takes pride of place and is complete with RS-specific touches like the G-Meter and lap timer, as well as tyre pressure and temperature readout – none of which are for show if you really want to push the RS 4 Avant. Accelerating hard on tight, twisty mountain roads, the corners tend to arrive so quickly that there is little time inspect g-forces, but this function and the lap timer will come in handy for track days.

Of course, the bulk of the RS 4 Avant’s life will be spent on freeways and in daily driving situations, and to that end it is perfectly suited as an elegant, luxury daily driver. With room for the family, or work colleagues as well as luggage or the aforementioned golf clubs etc. There’s no doubting the lifestyle appeal of such a car, but it’s the fact that it can go from luxury tourer, to track monster in the blink of an eye that makes it so special. 

With the drive select switched to ‘comfort’, the ride is supple though firm, the steering light and the myriad infotainment options the perfect accompaniment to daily driving. Come the weekend or just the right road, and the whole dynamic changes as the pressure of the right foot increases on the loud pedal. Indeed, once behind the wheel, the five-door Avant configuration is forgotten, as the scenery on either side of the car becomes a blur and the entry to the next bend races up with astonishing speed.

The exhaust note is more pronounced (with the vehicle in ‘dynamic’) and whether you choose to select the gears through the paddles on the steering column or let the RS 4 Avant do it for you with the shifter in ’S’ for sport, the transformation is astonishing.

The legend created by the first RS 4 Avant is alive and well and in spectacularly good hands with this new model, which is set to arrive in Australia in the second quarter of 2018. Final specification and pricing is yet to be confirmed, but with a price tag expected  in the mid $150,000 range and given the impressive standard specification of its stablemate, the RS 5 Coupe, the new RS 4 Avant promises a happy new year for performance enthusiasts.

"The legend created by the first RS 4 Avant is alive and well and in spectacularly good hands with this new model."