Audi RS4 Avant review: Performance and practicality combine in this potent package

Audi bosses recently promised to make sure their RS models retain a distinct character as the brand shifts from petrol-powered performance to electric energy.

Addressing fears that electrification could see the famous badge become just a slightly quicker trim level, Audi’s Sport team vowed they would do all sorts of clever things with motors, drive modes, chassis controllers and sound synthesisers to make sure their flagship models continue to stand out in the way their current cars do.

Cars like the RS4 Avant tested here, which is a brilliant reminder of what breadth of ability you can attain if you’re willing to work at it. 

It isn’t a hugely complicated recipe - take one sensible, handsome family estate car, inflate the bodywork, cram a big turbocharged engine under the bonnet and tweak the suspension, brakes etc to keep the extra power in line. Do it right and you’ve got a beguiling blend of pace and practicality that’ll apply to family folks that still like to get in touch with their yobbish side. 

Aud hasn’t always got it quite right with the RS4 in the past but this latest (and likely last) generation ticks all the boxes. 

The regular A4’s body has been stretched and strained, with bespoke panels to cover the performance model’s widened track, and bigger bumpers and skirts. But it has been carefully done. There’s a low, broad stance, hunched over those big 20-inch wheels, and deep honeycomb grille that creates a purposeful presence without being desperately attention-seeking. Like a second-row forward in a nicely tailored suit it’s imposing without being overtly intimidating, hiding its muscles just beneath the surface.

And what muscles it has. This latest iteration uses a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 that produces a fulsome 444bhp and 443lb ft. And this being a performance Audi that’s all channelled to the road via four-wheel-drive and an eight-speed auto. 

On paper, that means 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds and an autobahn top speed of 155mph. In real life, it means a breathtaking combination of acceleration, grip and control. Set everything to dynamic and this big, sensible estate can still shock you with its pace whilst astonishing you with its composure. The way the quattro system lays down the power and maintains traction in all conditions is confidence-inspiring and the adaptive dampers work hard to keep the body settled whatever the road throws at you. Matched to hugely powerful and progressive brakes it makes for thoroughly usable performance. 

The steering is incredibly direct but slightly lacking in communication - point it somewhere and it’ll go exactly where you tell it to but it won’t tell you much back. Nonetheless you can eat up countryside confidently in it, soundtracked by a wonderful engine note that’s a deep but subtle rumble in calmer moments and a gloriously muscular bellow as the revs rise. 

Balancing that powerful, focused experience is the RS4’s calmer side where you can knock everything back to comfort mode and pootle around like this is any other A4 estate. It won’t be quite as comfortable - the sports suspension retains a slightly hard edge even in its most relaxed setting - but the school run and garden centre trips can be dispatched just as easily. 

There’s tonnes of passenger space up front and while rear seat passengers aren’t quite so well catered for, there’s still comfortable space for four adults. Thanks to the 495-litre boot, you’ll also fit all their luggage. Or you can flip down the rear seats and sling a couple of bikes or a whole heap of DIY essentials in. 

This generation of RS4 has been around since 2018 and despite a midlife update, its interior does feel half a generation behind the very latest Audis. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means it’s not overburdened with touchscreens and haptic feedback panels but instead has well positioned and tactile controls for most functions. If it wasn’t for the lack of rotary infotainment controller, this might be peak Audi interior, thanks to its logical layout and faultless build quality. 

Like the outside, there are touches to remind you of this car’s potency but there’s nothing too shouty. A subtle RS badge on the three-spoke sports steering wheel and some big metal shift paddles mark this car out, as does the RS stitching and honeycomb stitching on the nappa leather sports seats. Those seats are some of the most comfortable and supportive I’ve encountered, with enough padding and space to make long journeys ache-free but enveloping enough to hold you firmly in place on twisting roads. 

It’s that balance of abilities that makes the RS4 Avant such an appealing prospect. The BMW M3 Touring or Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio are perhaps the sharper performance tools but as an all-rounder offering pulse-quickening dynamism mixed with practicality, style and comfort, the Audi is the complete package. 

Here’s hoping its all-electric successors are just as capable and entertaining. 

Audi RS4 Avant

• Price: £73,920 ((£79,340)
• Engine: 2.9-litre, V6, twin-turbo, petrol
• Power: 444bhp
• Torque: 443lb ft
• Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive
• Top speed: 155mph
• 0-62mph: 4.1 seconds
• Economy: 28.5mpg
• CO2 emissions: 224g/km

Rivals: BMW M3 Touring, Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Mercedes-AMG C-Class