Audi RS4 Avant - The Lifestyle Review

If Audi ever produced a 'greatest hits compilation, information technology would be no easy feat deciding the summit positions. They've produced so many superb vehicles over the ages, that choosing i over some other would accept a keen deal of consideration. Notwithstanding, you can be certain that a fast estate motorcar would feature near the very meridian, if not at the top of the list. Few manufacturers can piece together the combination of break-neck speed, creature comforts and kick space like Audi tin can.

The question is, does the fast manor recipe still work? Well, we thought we'd find out; the RS4 has been a staple of the Audi fast-manor menu for a number of years, so nosotros asked Audi if they'd lend us their latest release. Audi agreed, and promptly sent u.s.a. a 'Vorsprung Edition' model for evaluation.

Headline figures

Earlier jumping behind the wheel, let's only accept a moment to reflect on the rather staggering figures. 450PS (443hp), iv.one seconds to 60mph, 174mph elevation speed (limited) and all from a turbocharged V6 engine measuring in at just under 3 litres. That's a lot of performance no matter what, allow alone when you consider that it's packaged inside a family manor with 5 seats and a full 500 litres of kick infinite. That's 500 litres with the rear seats up too – drop those and it opens upwards to a mammoth 1510 litres… Yup, it's got room for the kids, baggage and the dog!

In traditional Audi fashion, the power is distributed to all 4 corners of the vehicle via their renowned Quattro system, offering superb traction and acceleration in all conditions. To cap it off, the Quattro organisation is mated to the engine via an 8-speed transmission, offering enough of ratios from which to choose.

Vorsprung Edition

The Vorsrung edition (every bit reviewed) comes in at the top of the RS4 tree, with a plethora of optional extras aimed at making this the absolute cream of fast estates. Eye catching exterior extras include a black styling pack, black badges, panoramic glass roof and 20" 'Evo' way wheels. The end upshot is a rather menacing, stealthy looking estate, which contrasts beautifully with the metallic Sonoma Greenish paint as choice on our test vehicle.

Calculation a cool £18k to the base price of the RS4, yous'll be relieved to hear that the changes on offer with the Vorsprung edition extend far across the outside.  Inside the motel nosotros have massaging seats, a heads upwardly brandish, heated front and rear seats, piano blackness inlays and a B&O 3D sound organization (plus a shed load more!). Put simply, there'southward too much to list or explore in this review, only the end result is a motel infinite that is simply exquisite.

The Vorsprung edition as well offers a number of enhancements that are subconscious abroad from the human center, including dynamic steering, a sports exhaust system and dynamic ride control. All of these certainly add to the 'RS-ness' of the vehicle, unlocking boosted performance or drama for those that consider the base RS4 a picayune 'normal'. The dynamic ride control could be a useful weapon in taming the ride on bumpy UK roads, especially and then given the Vorsprung edition is booted in low profile tyres thanks to those mammoth 20" rims.

The Family Feel

Fire up the RS4 and you're immediately welcomed past the V6 bark as it begins its cold offset routine. It's a glorious sound, with this engine seemingly being one of the few not to take had its aural annotation clipped dorsum by mod-day emissions equipment. In one case the cold showtime is over, the engine tin be kept to a suitably family unit-friendly tone, and it's from this indicate onwards that you lot could be forgiven for mistaking this as existence a 'standard' A4.

With the RS4 fix to 'comfort', the ride softens right off, the engine becomes very progressive and the gearbox incredibly smooth. Cruising along the freeway or through towns is a thoroughly relaxing experience, with the combination of massaging and heated seats an additional bit of icing on the cake. Engine racket never gets boomy or irritating, although none of the vehicle's settings can reduce the number of heads that turn. Put simply, the RS4 pulls lots of admiring glances, and rightly so!

Taking the RS4 for a 600 mile round trip with 4 adults gave plenty of fourth dimension to find whatever irritations in the cabin, simply I'm pleased to report in that location were few (if any) to notice. Leg space in the dorsum is good, fifty-fifty with a long-legged driver pushing the front seat to the rearward limit of its travel. The fit and cease of the Nappa leather are likewise typically fantabulous, with the infotainment system in the centre also providing all the technological animal comforts demanded of a machine in 2021.

Unlike a lot of modern cars, which have almost the entirety of the cardinal controls loaded into a affect display, the RS4 is still running a slightly older (in Audi interior terms) split configuration. This ways that you become a large central touch on brandish up top for decision-making vehicle settings and your sound, complemented by a pick of buttons below for climate settings, drive select and hazard lights etc. In a car every bit stiff and fast as the RS4, this configuration works very well, as it minimises the amount of time you need to take your optics off the road to discover control. The buttons are all reassuringly tactile and clicky too, making them a existent pleasure to utilise. It sort of begs the question – should the recent tendency of stripping out buttons be reversed?

For my money, the RS4's interior offers a superb blend of technology and finger-friendly buttons. This makes information technology far less intimidating to 'learn' the interior and get upward to speed. Aside from the controls, the general fit and finish of the interior are exemplary, with the sports seats offering oodles of aligning and the steering wheel fitting the hand beautifully.

RS Engaged

Of course, whilst the family-friendly features are all well and good, anyone buying an RS4 too has their eyes squarely on the functioning they can offer. Bandy the drive select out of comfort fashion, and the alter is palpable and broad-reaching. The suspension tightens up, the steering experience increases, the engine revs more freely and the gear changes are sharper. The friendly family railroad vehicle is at present a fire breathing dragon (figuratively speaking, although the Sonoma greenish paintwork with blackness inlays would be a fantastic colour scheme for a dragon!).

On acme of the increased driver experience, the RS Sports frazzle as well fully opens upwards, producing a fantastic soundtrack from the V6 engine. Subtle pops and crackles too squeeze their way into downwards changes, calculation a bit more theatre to difficult driving.

New for this RS4 edition is an 'RS Mode' button on the steering wheel, assuasive for quick and easy activation of the 2 'RS' driving modes. Both are customisable to the users desire, which makes them an incredibly valuable and efficient way of changing the characteristics of the car. Allowing these modes to be tweaked is very handy on bumpy Britain roads, as information technology permits the nearly dynamic driving feel to exist employed throughout the machine whilst still holding the suspension in the comfort way (recommended… when will the UK authorities sort things out?!).

RS mode also unlocks features such a shift lights (projected onto the windscreen via the HUD or just as part of the tacho cluster), a m-meter and additional information on the cars vital statistics. It's too worth noting that the RS4 does a expert task of looking afterwards itself too, with a 'cold drivetrain' warning low-cal which lets yous know if information technology's too early to be pressing on.

With everything fully activated, the RS4 is mind-bendingly quick and has stacks of confidence-inspiring traction. The point-and-shoot driving capability of this machine is very much a trait carried over from previous generations, merely it seems somehow more than prevalent than always. It took a affair of minutes to experience comfortable behind the wheel of the RS4, with the combination of the ergonomic interior and plenty of roads experience a real winner.

Conclusion

I'm somewhat witting of the fact that this review is almost over and I'thousand yet to selection upwards on any real negative points. The truth of the affair is, the RS4 absolutely blew me away during my time with it. If you had to fault information technology for anything, you'd have to bespeak to the fuel consumption, simply fifty-fifty that isn't bad considering the functioning on offer (I averaged 27mpg over ~800 miles).

Not only did the RS4 blow me away in terms of fast-estate performance, but it also impressed me in terms of overall car operation. Driving friends around with luggage in toe with such ease was beatific – as was having the power to put a great big smile on their faces with a tap of the accelerator pedal. This is such a well-rounded package and probably the best overall vehicle I've ever had the pleasance of test driving. It doesn't come inexpensive mind yous, with the specification as tested coming in at £84,370 OTR. Having said that, the quality and refinement won't disappoint and I think you'd be hard-pressed to detect a car that offers more smiles-per-gallon in such a family-friendly package.

Thanks Audi United kingdom for arranging our loan review.

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