Audi has given its all-wheel drive RS 4 super-estate a mild update for the new model year.
New lights and grille
Basically, the update brings the RS 4 into stylistic line with the rest of the A4 lineup, which was given a thorough facelift earlier this year. The most obvious changes are at the front, where there are new headlights (now without the outgoing A4's distinctive 'notch' but which do have prominent daytime running light 'eyebrows' built into the main units, and which are black-finished for the RS 4) and a new front bumper and spoiler.
The big 'singleframe' grille is also different - it's wider and flatter than before, and being as this is an RS model, it also gets the distinctive honeycomb finish of the RS 6 and RS 7. The big wheelarches are heavily blistered - as is the Audi RS tradition - and are 30mm wider than those of the standard A4.
Same turbo V6 as before
There's been no change to the engine, so you still get a 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo, which develops 450hp and 600Nm of torque. That's less than you'd get from the mighty Mercedes-AMG C 63 estate, but the RS 4 is still no slouch. Thanks to standard quattro four-wheel drive (of course) it will sprint from 0-100km/h in just 4.1 seconds. The top speed is normally 250km/h, but Audi offers an optional RS Dynamic pack, which raises that to 280km/h. Perfect for your morning commute down the Autobahn.
Underneath, the RS 4 hasn't changed much. Still the same multi-link suspension, which sits seven millimetres lower than that of the already-pretty-sporty S4 saloon and Avant. It does use trick dampers though - the RS sport suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) includes clever dampers that, without any electronic control: "Counteracts the movements of the vehicle body with no delay. When the vehicle is turning into and traveling around a bend, the damper response is altered so that the vehicle's movements around the longitudinal axis (roll) and around the transverse axis (pitch) are significantly reduced."
New infotainment screen
Inside, there's a new 10.1-inch MMI infotainment touchscreen, which comes with some RS-specific menu options. The driver can use the RS monitor to call up an overview of drive system component temperatures, maximum g-forces and information regarding tire pressures and temperatures. Likewise, the 'Virtual Cockpit' digital instrument panel includes special RS display options, and even gearchange upshift lights.
On the steering wheel (a flat-bottom wheel, but of course) there are the new RS1 and RS2 buttons, which allow you to pre-select two customised setups for the steering, throttle, and gearbox maps and call them up instantly, if you want to play, or to relax. The new aluminium shift paddles are considerably larger than before. Aside from the steering wheel and the illuminated door sill trims, the RS sport seats with optional honeycomb pattern and the shift gate also bear the RS emblem.
As with the standard A4 Avant, this hot RS 4 is still pretty practical. The boot is a useful 495 litres, expanding to 1,495-litres if you fold the back seats flat.
There are some new colour options too, including Turbo blue and the new metallic colour Tango red. The Audi exclusive program also includes many more customised paint finishes, for example Nogaro blue pearl effect, as used on the original, legendary, RS 2 of 1991.