OK someone has just woken me up !
RS2 vs RS4 - quite hard to compare as they way they go about things is very different.
The RS4 is very smooth and very rapid without the excitement of a sudden surge of torque @ 3000 rpm, it just gathers pace almost seamlessly.
The noise from the V8 engine is fantastic and makes up for the torque kick, as it is equally addictive.
The main advantage of the RS4 is the handling and agility. It feels like a much smaller car than the RS2 and much more chuckable with real steering feel that makes you feel much more directly involved in the drive, in doing so it inspires confidence. Cross country it would take a very good driver in a well sorted RS2 to be able to keep up with an RS4 driven by an average driver. Fast A-road / autobahn driving there is nothing between them, i.e. it would take a true supercar to beat them
Comfort wise there is not much between them, the RS2 is more spacious inside, particularly in the back. The RS4 ride is slightly firmer without being harsh and is beautifully damped giving a feeling of tightness in the responses.
The RS2 is easier to drive smoothly around town, thanks to the long travel of the throttle and the ability to be off boost. The electronic throttle of the RS4 is short in action and requires careful modulation to be smooth at low speeds.
The gear change on the RS4 is much shorter in throw but still a bit notchy, but you still have to be quick at full attack as it is so easy to hit the limiter at 8250rpm. It revs so quickly and cleanly all the way to the limiter, you just want more
Brakes on both are excellent, I had the big red set up on the RS2. The pedals on the RS4 are much lighter in use than the RS2 which required a much firmer foot, but the effect is much the same, i.e. you can shed speed rapidly.
Toys - the RS4 is full of them, which is great and I would not want to have to live without things like auto adaptive lights now. 12 years of technology truly separates the two here.
Fuel economy - my long term average RS2: 19mpg, RS4: 20mpg Well there is progress
Do I miss my RS2 - yes. If you ever come to sell yours you will probably regret it, I do.
The RS2 is a superb car and very very special. I just wish I could have found a way to keep both - I should have just sold the wife's Golf. She misses the RS2 and so do the kids, the kick of acceleration is highly addictive and great fun and I miss it like anything. But we all love the RS4 for different reasons. If someone were to offer me a mint rhd RS2 in RS Blue tomorrow, I would be speaking to my bank manager and clearing out the other half of the garage
I don't want to sell my RS4 I just want the RS2 back!
for a couple of months now and just love it.