Audi RS4 Review: Why This Everyday Super Wagon Has Car Enthusiasts Obsessed

You know that moment when you need one car to do everything—and every option feels like a compromise? SUVs feel numb, hot hatches feel a bit juvenile, and true sports cars are useless the second you add kids, luggage, or winter to the equation.

What you really want is something fast enough to make your pulse spike, practical enough to swallow a family weekend, and discreet enough that your neighbors don’t assume you’ve joined a crypto cult. That combination used to be fantasy territory.

Enter the Audi RS4 Avant: Audi Sport’s answer to people who refuse to choose between real life and real performance.

The Solution: Audi RS4 as the Everyday Supercar You Can Actually Use

The Audi RS4 Avant is a high-performance midsize wagon built on the A4 platform but engineered by Audi Sport as a fully fledged RS model. It packs a powerful twin-turbo V6 engine, quattro all-wheel drive, and track-ready hardware into a body that looks like a tasteful family car to anyone not paying close attention.

On paper, it’s a performance wagon. In the real world, it’s that rare car that can ferry kids to school in comfort, cruise silently on the autobahn, and then carve up a mountain pass with the kind of pace that embarrasses sports cars.

Why this specific model?

Plenty of cars are fast. Very few feel this complete. The current Audi RS4 Avant (B9 generation and its latest evolution) is the sweet spot in Audi’s performance lineup if you want true versatility without going full size like the RS6.

Here’s what makes it stand out, based on official Audi data and what owners keep repeating in forums and Reddit threads:

• Turbocharged V6 power with real-world punch: The RS4 Avant uses a 2.9?liter V6 biturbo TFSI engine paired with an 8?speed tiptronic automatic. It delivers explosive mid?range acceleration that makes overtaking effortless, yet it’s calmer and more efficient than the old V8 when you’re just commuting.
• Quattro all-wheel drive for all-weather confidence: Audi’s quattro system is standard, meaning you’re not parking your performance car half the year when it snows or rains. You get traction out of tight corners and stability at high speed in bad conditions.
• Avant practicality: The RS4 is a wagon—Audi calls it an Avant—so you get a generous luggage area with a wide opening and low loading lip. Strollers, bikes, dogs, suitcases: it all fits without drama.
• Everyday comfort with selectable aggression: With systems like Audi drive select, the RS4 can glide quietly in Comfort mode, then firm up steering, transmission behavior, and engine response at the tap of a setting when you’re in the mood.
• Subtle but muscular design: Wider fenders, RS?specific bumpers, oval exhausts, and optional large wheels give it presence, but it still looks tasteful. Think executive express, not boy racer.

In short, this isn’t a weekend toy. It’s a deeply engineered daily driver that just happens to be ferociously quick when asked.

At a Glance: The Facts

Feature	User Benefit
2.9?liter V6 biturbo TFSI engine	Strong, responsive power delivery for rapid acceleration and effortless overtaking.
8?speed tiptronic automatic transmission	Smooth shifting in traffic with quick gear changes when driving dynamically.
quattro all-wheel drive	High traction and stability in rain, snow, and on twisty roads, inspiring driver confidence.
Avant body style (station wagon)	Spacious cargo area and flexible rear seats for family, luggage, and sports gear.
Audi drive select	Switchable driving modes to tailor comfort, responsiveness, and character to your mood.
RS?specific design elements	More aggressive stance and visual uniqueness without sacrificing understated elegance.
Advanced infotainment & digital cockpit (availability depending on configuration)	Modern, high-resolution displays that keep performance data and navigation in clear view.

All features and systems listed are based on Audi's official RS4 Avant information; specific equipment may depend on market and configuration.

What Users Are Saying

Spend an evening on Reddit or Audi forums searching for “Audi RS4 review” and you see a pattern. Enthusiasts who actually live with the car are generally thrilled—but they’re honest about trade-offs.

The common praise:

• Balance of performance and practicality: Owners love that the RS4 can do family duties, commute, and backroad blasts equally well. It’s often called a “do-it-all weapon.”
• All-weather usability: Drivers in regions with tough winters repeatedly point to quattro and the Avant layout as game changers—no need for a winter beater.
• Build quality and refinement: Interior fit and finish, material quality, and overall solidity draw frequent compliments.
• Understated looks: Many buyers deliberately choose the RS4 over flashier alternatives because it flies under the radar.

The recurring complaints:

• Price and options: The RS4 isn’t cheap, and once you start adding desirable options, the price climbs quickly according to owners discussing their build costs.
• Steering feel & character vs. older models: Some long-time Audi fans and ex?V8 RS4 owners feel the current car is extremely fast but more clinical, with less “soulful” engine note and steering feel.
• Firmness on poor roads: Especially with larger wheel options and sportier suspension setups, a few owners say the ride can feel stiff on broken pavement.

Overall, sentiment trends solidly positive: people who buy the RS4 usually know what they’re getting—an incredibly capable, modern performance wagon—and it largely exceeds expectations.

Alternatives vs. Audi RS4

The RS4 sits in a fiercely contested niche: compact-to-midsize high-performance family cars. Here’s how it typically stacks up in the real world:

• BMW M3 Touring (where available): The M3 wagon is a direct rival with a wilder personality—often praised for sharper rear-drive dynamics (especially in RWD or adjustable AWD configurations) but criticized by some for a more polarizing exterior design. If you care deeply about tail?happy track antics, the BMW has an edge; if you prefer understated confidence, the RS4 feels more subtle.
• Mercedes-AMG C63 (current/future generations): Older V8 C63 wagons deliver a more theatrical sound and hot?rod feel but generally can’t match the quattro traction in poor weather. Newer electrified versions shift the formula again, but many buyers still gravitate to the RS4 for its blend of usability and design.
• Audi S4 / S5: If you don’t need the full RS experience, the S models deliver strong performance with a lower price and a bit more comfort?leaning setup, but they don’t have the same visual presence or ultimate capability.
• RS6 Avant: Audi’s own RS6 is the RS4’s big brother: more power, more space, more drama—and more money, size, and weight. For tight cities and narrow European streets, many buyers find the RS4 the more rational sweet spot.

From a brand and corporate standpoint, it’s worth remembering that Audi sits under the Volkswagen AG umbrella (ISIN: DE0007664039). That scale brings access to advanced platforms and technology, while Audi Sport still tunes the RS4 with a clear performance-first focus.

Who the Audi RS4 Is Really For

The RS4 Avant is not the cheapest way to go fast, nor is it the loudest or flashiest. Its appeal is more grown?up—and that’s exactly why its owners are so loyal.

You’re the target audience if:

• You need a single car to cover commuting, long trips, and family duties without giving up serious performance.
• You live in a region where rain, snow, or poor roads are a fact of life and you still want a genuinely quick car.
• You prefer subtle design over shouty wings and vents, but still want enthusiasts to notice the details.
• You appreciate interior quality, technology, and day?to?day comfort as much as lap times.

If you want something that announces itself from three blocks away, the RS4 might feel too restrained. But if your dream car is a stealthy rocket disguised as a family wagon, you’re in the right place.

Final Verdict

The Audi RS4 Avant is one of those rare cars that feels like it was built for real life, not just for spec sheets. It turns the classic enthusiast dilemma—“fun or practical?”—into a simple “yes.”

With its powerful twin?turbo V6, quattro all?wheel drive, and versatile Avant body, it gives you a genuine high-performance driving experience wrapped in an everyday?usable package. User sentiment online consistently points to that balance as the RS4’s defining magic trick: you don’t have to rearrange your life to enjoy owning it.

There are sharper track weapons and cheaper speed machines. There are bigger, louder, and more ostentatious wagons. But few cars feel as intelligently judged as the RS4 for people who want one car to do it all—and do it well.

If that sounds like you, the Audi RS4 Avant deserves a serious test drive. It may not shout the loudest, but once you live with it, you might wonder why every performance car isn’t built this way.

@ ad-hoc-news.de

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