ROAD TEST
RS4 Avant: Audi’s family wagon with a rebel soul
Audi’s new 331kW RS4 Avant is the king of practicality-with-pace
Audi’s fast-car line up in SA was recently boosted with the addition of two new pulse-quickening RS variants. They’re both powered by a 2.9l TFSI V6 twin turbo engine with outputs of 331kW and 600Nm, fed through an eight-speed tiptronic gearbox, and they grip the road with quattro claws. You can order this muscular powertrain installed in one of two bodies: the RS5 Sportback or, if you want to haul 30l more luggage, the RS4 Avant which is the subject of this test. Priced at R1,211,500, it is the fourth incarnation of Audi’s speedy station wagon since the RS4 replaced the limited-edition (and rather legendary) RS2 Avant that was jointly developed by Audi and Porsche in the mid 1990s. I fondly remember blasting along the German autobahn at 260km/h (legally) in the RS2 at the car’s international launch back then. Though it generated a paltry-by-today’s standards 232kW, it was fast and full of character and left a lasting impression. Mostly I liked the dichotomy of it being a station wa...
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