Did Audi Screw The Pooch When They Made The RS4 A Wagon ONLY?

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.

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GermanNut - 6/13/2012 2:29:43 PM

0 Boost

No, Audi didn't screw up by only offering the new RS4 as a wagon. It keeps the RS4 much more exclusive and offers more practicality than the sedan version.

We just need to hope Audi doesn't revert back to its string of RS misses, which included the RS6, RS5, and TT-RS, all phenomenally capable cars in a straight line that ultimately lacked feel and offered little in terms of dynamic performance when the roads twist and turn.

"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."

Sounds like a description you would hear for a Porsche or BMW.

coolBreeze - 6/13/2012 6:00:10 PM

0 Boost

Has the writer ever spend time in Germany or Europe in general? If he had he would know that about 30 to 40 percent of the cars sold there are wagons. The Europeans are smart enough to know that with a sports-wagon they can have the hauling capacity of a SUV and the handling of a fast car all in one. I'm wondering how much gasoline is going to have to cost here in the good-old-USA before the average American citizen realizes that s/he has been led into a swamp by Detroit and the Madison Ave. ad men. And do you know why? Real SUVs are considered trucks by the American government. There are tax advantages for the Big Three when they manufacture trucks here. There is a 25% import tax levied on trucks manufactured outside the USA. That is why Toyota and Nissan build their trucks in Texas and BMW builds its SUVs in South Carolina. That is what keeps VW from bringing their excellent 4-door diesel pickup to the USA.

djo715 - 6/13/2012 9:16:06 PM

+1 Boost

Perhaps.

They screwed up by not making it (or any Avant) available with a manual transmission. What a shame.

quizz - 6/13/2012 11:04:05 PM

+3 Boost

The article lost me when it compared Ferraris and Lambos with an RS4 as "almost the same performance". Really? Why don't you say a Hyundai is almost as luxurious as a Lexus while you're at it, because the differences in performance between a WAGON and dedicated sports coupe is that much different.