RS4 - 3000 mile Review

[s4aero]

Hi guys. Thought I would post this for the B7 brigade here...

RS 4 – How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

OK, my apology to The Bard, but the sentiment expressed is valid. In words that hit closer to home today – spoken by my 83-year-old father, “What an automobile!”

It is truly an amazing automobile.

So, without further ado, I humbly submit my second review on the occasion of reaching 3000 miles today. The milestone occurred during our return from our first extended highway trip this weekend.

With some considerable difficulty, I (mostly) followed the break-in procedure prescribed by Audi. I am familiar with the Motoman procedure, and DID employ some of those techniques as well.

At 3000 miles, I have a very strong engine ready to answer my need for speed.

Some basic information:

Miles – 3000
Oil used – 1 quart
Mileage – prior to this trip – 16.9 MPG (primarily rural/suburban driving, minimal hwy)
Mileage – following the trip – 17.5 MPG (adjusted following 500 mile highway trip)
Mileage – during the trip – 23.1 MPG (highway speeds, 75 – 80+ MPH)

Observations:

I am very pleased with the overall mileage to date. I don’t baby the car during my daily driving, although I DON’T waste fuel by downshifting during routine deceleration to a stop. I save fuel when I can to use it when I want.

I am also pleased with the highway mileage. I was not trying to squeeze the last drop of mileage during this trip. There were plenty of rapid accelerations during passing maneuvers and merges. I also had the chance to show an older (2001) A4 what newer Audi technology can do (120+) – much to the delight of the three twenty-something guys in the A4 who tried their best to keep up.

So what is this car – really? Is it a drag car? Is it a track-day car?

As I become more intimately acquainted with the RS 4, I am getting closer to answering those questions.

It really isn’t a drag car, although Road & Track’s 0-60 time of 4.3 seconds and 12.8 second quarter mile puts it in some pretty elite company. As it sits, it really isn’t a track-day car either. I’m sure that I’ll spend some time on the track with it, as will other owners, but at the best part of 4000 pounds it just isn’t designed to be a true track-day car. Strip about 600 pounds of seats, trim, carpet, sunroof, power window motors, etc., and you’d have something. See also M3 CSL…

OK, what is it then?

It is undeniably quick AND fast. I don’t know if I’ve seen 4.3, but with relatively easy launches, I’m sure I can consistently attain the advertised 4.8 zero to sixty time with no problem. When I DO launch it, 4.3 seems very possible. My stoplight sprints against a couple of cars that I’ve played with in my S4 confirm my feelings that the RS is much quicker than my B5.

There is a difference in the way the two generations feel during acceleration. The kick of the turbo is unmistakable in the B5. The B5 SEEMS faster. That is until you look at the rate at which you are building speed. The B7 RS 4 is so smooth across the power band that the feeling of acceleration is less than that of the B5, yet the actual acceleration is greater. It’s a physics thing. The human body feels changes in speed, not the actual speed itself.

Now, before anyone gets their panties in a bunch and races to the keyboard to tell me how fast their Stage III S4 is, I BELIEVE YOU. A built B5 is very fast.

The RS 4 is extremely fast at highway speeds. Without the ability to give it a true Autobahn test in The States, I can tell you that the RS can outrun almost everything on the road (right up to the limiter), and hang with those it can’t outrun. Sure, the Z06 and a few others will run to higher top end speeds, but I don’t care. Most of us will never see 175 MPH on the road.

I’ve been most impressed with the car’s combination of speed and handling. I live in a rural area that gives me the opportunity to test the handling dynamics on a daily basis. This is where the RS truly shines. I have seen exit speeds in turns that I wouldn’t have thought possible. A friend of mine used to have a 360 Modena that isn’t any faster through these same turns.

So, I’ve said that it isn’t a drag-car or a track-day car, yet all I’ve really done is talk about speed and handling. What’s up with that?

When you combine the performance qualities of the RS with the legendary fit, finish and build quality of Audi, you’ve taken the sports sedan genre to a whole new level. It is a luxury-touring sedan that happily eats highway miles in absolute comfort. It is a daily-driver that greets its driver (and passengers) with luxury appointments that few cars can match in a cockpit that a jet pilot would appreciate. No offense SAAB. Yet, the “Mr. Hyde” side of the RS is a toe-tickle away. Drop a gear (or two), plant your right foot, and hang on. Triple digit speeds are split seconds away.

No matter what you drive, there will always be faster cars. I don’t care. The RS 4 is certainly the state-of-the-art luxury sports sedan on the road today. Let BMW and MB take their shots. I’m sure the RS 4 will be the standard others try to match for some time to come.

[ashleyadam]

Great report look forward to your next one!

[makara6]

Excxellent write up with 700klms on mine I agree with everything you say(though I'm still keeping those revs down on mine!),thanks for such a sensible review

[SimonS4MTM]

Great review, thanks

[mjh123]

Great review and thanks for going to the trouble of writing it.

I'm almost at the end of the running in period on mine and I think it's true to say that the car is 2 machines in one. At the lower end of the rev range, a learner or granny could happily driive it. Past 4000 rpm and it turns into a very different beast, as you have described!