If you remember I bought my RS4 on the back of the feature I did when the new M3 was launched last summer (I drove EVO's RS4 down to Marbella for the comparison). It's been everything I thought it would be, an excellent daily companion, good to cruise in but also rewarding to drive quickly along my local twisty b-roads.
Some of the downsides of RS4 ownership have been how stealthy it has been in the UK. It seems a lot of drivers suffer from myopia and cannot see its bulging haunches and lowered stance. It's strange to have Passat Tdi drivers thinking they qualify for a challenge, when the same thing rarely happens in an M-power car.
However, the exact opposite was true when driving in France or Italy where I found my mugello blue RS4 was treated like a rock-star. At one point on our return trip from the Alps last month we had a group of young French locals ask us if they could photograph themselves next to our RS4. We then proceeded to watch them for 15 minutes or more take group photos, with lots of smiles and hand gestures to signal their awe at being next to such an icon. Very strange, and had we not insisted on ending their impromptu photoshoot I'm sure they'd still be at it. All through France and Spain, I had complete strangers asking me to rev the engine and let them photograph it, so the complete opposite to how the RS4 is received in the UK.
Another high point in the RS4's time with me was when I compared it to the R8 I was planning on buying. To my surprise I found the RS4 better in several key areas. The RS4 felt sportier, the engine was more torquey and its steering was more positive and feelsome - not what I initially wanted to discover. Consequently I decided not to continue with my R8 purchase since it just didn't feel worth the premium over the already capable RS4.
Finally, I took our RS4 skiing a few weeks ago and despite the pessimistic assurances of Audi, I actually found that YOU CAN fit snow chains to the RS4 (Weissenfels Clack and Go Quattro, if you're interested) and our RS4 proved a perfectly capable companion on the 1600 mile journey, and tackling the snowy roads once we reached our destination.
So, what would I change? Well I still think that Audi have engineered a better 'bottom end' to the power delivery in their S5, and the S5 also turns into corners with more assurance and bite. I would like the quattro set-up to emulate the R8 in being rear-biased, and it would be great to switch of ESP and not end up with bucket loads of understeer.
But otherwise, it's been a great car and probably the best car Audi have ever built (along with the R8 ), so hopefully I might own another RS car in the future.
Moving forwards, I'll certainly be driving plenty of Audis. Some of you may already have heard that Chris Harris of Autocar, and Richard Meaden and Jethro Bovingdon of EVO have recently left......
Well they've joined me in a publication that I've set up which will bring you all much closer to the enjoyment that I've experienced over the years, whether testing cars or learning about the next great experience in driving.
The next Audi I'll be driving is suffixed with LP640, so maybe I won't be missing my RS4 after all! (well, that's almost an Audi isn't it?)
Steve
