Audi RS 4 Avant 2018 Review

The power to perform

It’s been almost 25 years since Audi’s first weapons-grade RS 2 Avant hit the streets. Set to hit Aussie showrooms this month, the fourth-generation Audi RS 4 Avant shares a lot more in common with its forefather than just a badge on the tailgate.

And while swapping out your supercar-sourced 4.2-litre V8 for a twin-turbo V6 may seem like a backward step, the gutsy 2.9-litre engine is a suitable replacement for the R8-shared engine before it. The new twin-turbo V6 bent ups the ante (particularly in torque) to 331kW at 6700rpm and 600Nm from 1900-5000rpm – and is a fitting tribute to the biturbo 2.7-litre V6 of the original Audi RS 4 Avant (1999-2001).

Okay, the new powerplant might lack the astonishing 9000rpm rev ceiling of the outgoing V8 model, but the new Audi RS 4 Avant is a whole lot quicker. It’s 0.6sec faster in the dash to 100km/h, hitting triple digits in a claimed 4.1sec, and can reach an electronically-limited top speed of 250km/h.

Matched exclusively to an eight-speed automatic transmission, the B9-series Audi RS 4 Avant replaces the seven-speed dual-clutch ‘S tronic’ unit of yore, and drives all four wheels via Audi’s revamped on-demand quattro all-wheel drive system and electronically-actuated mechanical limited-slip differential. Drive is split 40:60 front-to-rear in normal conditions, and as much as 85 per cent front or 70 per cent rear as driver intensity requires.

Audi says the RS 4 Avant is as grippy as ever, but in conjunction with weight reductions of 80kg across the board (now 1715kg), the new turbo six powered wagon returns an average fuel consumption figure some 17 per cent better. Now claimed at 8.9L/100km (ADR Combined), the RS 4 Avant also scores a significantly lower CO2 figure, down 45g/km to 201.

Ride height is 7mm lower than the S4 wagon on which it’s based. Four-mode adaptive dampers and RS-specific electromechanical steering (which locks at a ratio of 14:1 in Dynamic mode) are standard issue, as are 375mm front / 330mm cross-drilled steel discs with six-piston calipers. Audi offers 400mm carbon-ceramic front rotors as a performance (and pricey) upgrade.

Twenty-inch alloy wheels with 275/30 profile Continental SportContact 6 tyres are fitted as standard to Australian models.

Practically perfect

We’re not alone in thinking the Audi RS 4 Avant is a practical people hauler. Since it first went on sale more than 27,000 examples of the RS 4 Avant have been sold – including 600 in Australia – all offering much the same level of flexibility as the 2018 model sampled here.

Seating five and offering 505-1510 litres of cargo space (+15 litres more than the outgoing model), the A4 Avant derived 40:20:40 split-fold rear seat and electrically-actuated tailgate are the perfect complement to family life. Audi now also offers the RS 4 Avant with an optional tow hitch, bestowing its sporty wagon with up to 2100kg of towing ability.

The cabin is dressed in high-quality materials and finishes typical of Audi’s RS line-up. All-black upholstery and interior trim define the sporty character of the new RS 4 Avant, so too its deeply bolstered heated leather front seats and flat-bottom multifunction steering wheel.

At night, LED lights trace the contours of the door cards and centre console in as many as 30 colours. Tri-zone climate handles cooling duties.

Passengers benefit from additional legroom, courtesy of a 13mm longer wheelbase (compared to the outgoing model), and up to 11mm of additional shoulder-room. Overall, the fourth-gen RS 4 Avant is 62mm longer (4781mm), 16mm wider (1866mm) and 12mm lower (1404mm) than its predecessor. And let’s not forget those muscular +30mm pumped guards said to be inspired by the Audi 90 IMSA GTO.

Audi’s Virtual Cockpit graces the horizontally-themed dashboard and is bolstered with RS-specific displays that include a lap timer and g-force metre and optional head-up display.

Infotainment comes courtesy of Audi’s 8.3-inch MMI infotainment array with sat-nav, digital radio, 10GB internal music storage, and Bluetooth, USB, WiFi and Apple CarPlay / Android Auto connectivity.

On the safety front, there is the usual array of electronic chassis aids and airbags expected from a premium offering like Audi, as well as a range of safety systems bespoke to the brand – most of which debuted on the current-generation Q7 SUV.

Autonomous emergency braking comes standard on the Audi RS 4 Avant, as does Adaptive Cruise Control and advance lane-keeping technology.

A German, an Italian and an Englishman…

It’s hard to mention the Audi RS 4 Avant without comparing it to its German rivals.

This time around the $152,900 (plus on-road costs) wagon-only RS 4 competes with the sedan-only BMW M3 and its M4 Convertible and Coupe counterparts (themselves a direct rival to the RS 5), and the Mercedes-AMG C 63 Convertible, Coupe, Estate (wagon) and Sedan line-up.

BMW’s M3 Pure (from $129,900 plus ORCs) is the obvious bargain of the trio and makes 331kW/550Nm from its 3.0-litre in-line ‘six’, or 50Nm fewer than the RS 4 Avant. For the three-pointed star brand it’s a starting price of $157,210 (plus ORCs) for the sedan, the Estate asking $159,710 (plus ORCs). Both Benzs are powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 cranking 375kW/700Nm, or 44kW/100Nm more than the Audi RS 4 Avant.

Of course, rivals exist outside of German showrooms, too. The sizzling Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde (QV) is a terrific option for four-door-only buyers, and at $143,900 (plus ORCs) is – comparatively speaking – a bit of a bargain.

The Alfa runs a twin-turbocharged V6 displacing 2.9 litres, and makes a zesty 375kW/600Nm, or 44kW more than the RS 4 Avant. While there’s no news of a Giulia wagon in the wings, eventually there is a very rapid QV variant of the Italian marque’s Stelvio SUV due down under in 2019.

BMW’s tuned-up Alpina B3 Biturbo wagon is also worth a look, and at $160,900 (plus ORCs) is competitively priced. Making 301kW/600Nm it’s also a great way to squeeze a little more torque from your spend, and offers wagon practicality and its own unique look for around the same coin as the RS 4 Avant.

A balancing act

Balancing the composure of a family wagon with the cornering tenacity of a sportscar is a hard ask, yet the RS 4 Avant seems to take it in its stride. The standard-issue adaptive dampers soak up even the most challenging of surface imperfections in Comfort mode, then turn their hand to providing impressive stability in the firmest Dynamic mode.

The ride can be a little choppy if you forget to switch back to Comfort when the fun stuff is done and dusted, so Auto mode is a happy compromise – trimming the suspension, engine mapping, transmission and steering so well that you might as well leave it engaged all the time, and focus on enjoying your time at the wheel.

It’s a similar story with the eight-speed auto’s Sport mode. Although the RS 4 Avant is equipped with paddle shifters there’s really little need to employ them as the transmission sorts itself with near-intuitive levels of gear selection in even the most demanding road conditions.

The ZF-sourced gearbox happily downshifts into corners when brake and steering parameters command, then clicks rapidly back up the cogs as the loud pedal is sunk to the floor.

And while the new twin-turbo ‘six’ might lack the aural character of the 4.2-litre V8 before it (geez I loved that engine), it’s nonetheless a willing accomplice to piling on the haste. Indeed, it’s very easy to find the speedo needle well north of legal – and the effortlessness of the Porsche-developed V6’s torque delivery is a big contrast to that of the highly strung bent-eight (which made just 430Nm between 4000-6000rpm).

Downsides to the RS 4 Avant? Well, there aren’t many. But the first of the two is crucial.

In hard runs from corner to corner we found brake heat was a serious issue. The car never ran out of brakes, mind you, but the pedal feel changed significantly enough to cause a moment of alarm. If you plan on driving the RS 4 Avant to the fullest of its abilities, then the optional carbon ceramic stoppers may well be worth the investment.

The second issue is more a matter of taste. I found the standard-issue Audi Sport exhaust is ‘boomy’ on downshift in Dynamic mode. There’s a deep, almost percussive, tone through the front floor-well every-single-time the car dropped back a gear that I could do without.

The ‘brown note’ effect of the exhaust in this scenario might seem funny at first, but after a couple of hundred kays becomes rather tiring.

The verdict

Excusing my gripes with the brakes and exhaust, the Audi RS 4 Avant really is an amazingly talented performer. It takes all the is right with the RS 5 Coupe and packages it into not only a more practical package, but one I think possesses even better front-to-rear balance.

Perhaps it’s the extra weight over the rear-end that keeps the RS 4 Avant planted in the bends – or perhaps it’s just a hunch. But having spent considerable time in the coupe, I can tell you I prefer the feel-at-the-wheel in the wagon. It really is beautifully balanced.

The engine too is a sparking performer – that accessible torque offers effortless corner-exit and straight-line performance that’s far better suited to a road car than the V8 before it.

It’s an easy car to drive quickly, yet still so very rewarding.

In fact, it is one of those RS models I reckon we’ll still be talking about in 25 years’ time – just like the RS 2 Avant that kicked off the genre.