By Nick Syn

AUDI HAS TRADITIONALLY been the most understated of German manufacturers, the new corporate look characterised by the in-your-face single frame grille notwithstanding. This sensibility also tends to translate to the high-performance versions of its road cars; with Audi’s S and RS models you’re virtually guaranteed huge performance in the stealthiest of bodyshells.

With the new RS 4, Audi keeps more or less to its traditional brief. Flared wheel arches, fairly discreet new bumpers, understated alloys and two fat exhaust pipes make up the quietly aggressive exterior tweaks.

Like the old RS 6, however, life with the new RS 4 probably won’t be entirely all about speaking softly and carrying a big stick. For one thing, the new car packs a 4.2-litre V8 with direct injection technology.

The big V8 churns out 420bhp and 420Nm of torque, enough for the RS 4 to dispatch the 0-100km/h benchmark in a scant 4.8 seconds. Interestingly enough, Audi has managed to squeeze out all 420 horses without resorting to turbocharging, a feature that has graced all of Audi’s recent RS models.

Crucially, these figures better those posted by the BMW M3 by a fair margin. With the new A4, Audi has made a concerted effort to focus on dynamic characteristics in a bid to close the perceived gap between it and BMW, a manufacturer whose reputation for building terrific handling cars is ironclad.
The RS 4 therefore comes with a whole host of tweaks to ensure that it can hold its own against the M3 when it comes to handling, in addition to simply bettering the BMW in a strict numbers game.

The car gets a new version of Audi’s quattro four-wheel drive system, this new setup allows for dynamic torque distribution between all four wheels and incorporates a fully lockable Torsen differential.

In addition, the RS 4 gets Audi’s Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) system, a setup that should be similar in function to BMW’s Dynamic Drive. DRC basically maintains a watching brief over the suspension components, intervening to maintain body control and to prevent dive. Interior tweaks include sports seats and plenty of tasteful aluminium and carbon fibre trim. The RS 4 also gets a flat-bottomed steering wheel as well as a starter button.

At the moment however, local importer Premium Automobiles has no firm plans to bring the car in.

In related news, an international panel of respected motoring journalists has awarded Audi’s A6 sedan the title of “World Car of the Year”. The award ceremony was held at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto in February.