Erik
May 27th, 2006, 14:02
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/fastfleet/67387/audi_rs4.html
The perfect car does not exist. However, the car that fits the circumstances perfectly does, and for me that car is the new Audi RS4. Four doors and a big boot take care of the family, while a sorted four-wheel-drive chassis and an extraordinarily responsive and potent V8 tick the boxes for me. One month and 1500 miles in, life with the RS4 is very sweet indeed.
Sitting on the driveway, perhaps the RS4 doesn't look like it costs £50K. All A4s have perfect paint and shut lines that look like they've been drawn on, and many I've spotted are kitted out with big wheels that make them look like RS4s. I don't have a problem with visual subtlety though; for those who care to spot them, the fat tailpipes, wider arches and deeper, heavily vented nose are ample indicators of the RS4's potential.
Besides, any doubts you might harbour regarding value for money are blown away once you're inside. Some of my colleagues think the high-backed, leather-trimmed sports seats are a bit too tight and unyielding, but after a little tinkering with the adjustable bolsters of the backrest and cushion, I felt perfectly at home. The flat-based steering wheel feels great and the driving position is spot-on too, and then you press the starter button on the centre console...
The Volkswagen group has created an exceptional array of interesting engines over the last few years, from narrow-angle V6s and V5s through W8s, V10s and even a W16, yet as far as I'm concerned the RS4's naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 is the finest of the lot. When details first appeared and its 8250rpm rev limit was announced, I was worried that it would be a flat-plane-crank V8 and thus be devoid of the gorgeous woofle that a
sizeable V8 ought to have. Not so. Thumbing the silver start button each morning stirs up a fast-paced, deep-chested burble that exudes confidence and intent.
With good reason. The V8 feels hugely eager right from tickover and punts the car up the road on a tickle of throttle as if it weighs 1400 not 1700kg.
The readout between the main dials advises a 7000rpm rev limit when the engine is cold. After a few miles this changes to a readout of oil temperature, and I like to see 90deg C before working the engine too hard. It's worth the wait.
You can stroke the RS4 along on the torque, short-shifting up through the six-speed 'box, missing out the odd-numbered gears if you want. The gearshift is wonderfully tactile - firm, slick, positive. Indeed, the whole car feels taut, slack-free and solidly muscular, yet it's not harsh or nervous.
Oil nicely warmed, nail it in third from low revs and the RS4 lunges forward hard, which is exciting enough, but most people have no idea that there's a second, more stunning shove to come. At around 6000rpm, just when it should all be winding down, the V8 kicks again and fizzes to the redline. It's awe-inspiring.
My very first go in an RS4 was a brief run on the rough, cambered B-roads near our office that left me gob-smacked. I was astonished by its power and deeply impressed by its poise, which together demolished this wickedly rippled road like no other car I've driven. Yet just as you don't have to wring the V8's neck to be entertained, so you don't have to push the chassis till the tyres howl to enjoy the dynamics. It's this composure and precision at a saunter that makes the RS4 such a satisfying car to run.
The perfect car does not exist. However, the car that fits the circumstances perfectly does, and for me that car is the new Audi RS4. Four doors and a big boot take care of the family, while a sorted four-wheel-drive chassis and an extraordinarily responsive and potent V8 tick the boxes for me. One month and 1500 miles in, life with the RS4 is very sweet indeed.
Sitting on the driveway, perhaps the RS4 doesn't look like it costs £50K. All A4s have perfect paint and shut lines that look like they've been drawn on, and many I've spotted are kitted out with big wheels that make them look like RS4s. I don't have a problem with visual subtlety though; for those who care to spot them, the fat tailpipes, wider arches and deeper, heavily vented nose are ample indicators of the RS4's potential.
Besides, any doubts you might harbour regarding value for money are blown away once you're inside. Some of my colleagues think the high-backed, leather-trimmed sports seats are a bit too tight and unyielding, but after a little tinkering with the adjustable bolsters of the backrest and cushion, I felt perfectly at home. The flat-based steering wheel feels great and the driving position is spot-on too, and then you press the starter button on the centre console...
The Volkswagen group has created an exceptional array of interesting engines over the last few years, from narrow-angle V6s and V5s through W8s, V10s and even a W16, yet as far as I'm concerned the RS4's naturally aspirated 4.2-litre V8 is the finest of the lot. When details first appeared and its 8250rpm rev limit was announced, I was worried that it would be a flat-plane-crank V8 and thus be devoid of the gorgeous woofle that a
sizeable V8 ought to have. Not so. Thumbing the silver start button each morning stirs up a fast-paced, deep-chested burble that exudes confidence and intent.
With good reason. The V8 feels hugely eager right from tickover and punts the car up the road on a tickle of throttle as if it weighs 1400 not 1700kg.
The readout between the main dials advises a 7000rpm rev limit when the engine is cold. After a few miles this changes to a readout of oil temperature, and I like to see 90deg C before working the engine too hard. It's worth the wait.
You can stroke the RS4 along on the torque, short-shifting up through the six-speed 'box, missing out the odd-numbered gears if you want. The gearshift is wonderfully tactile - firm, slick, positive. Indeed, the whole car feels taut, slack-free and solidly muscular, yet it's not harsh or nervous.
Oil nicely warmed, nail it in third from low revs and the RS4 lunges forward hard, which is exciting enough, but most people have no idea that there's a second, more stunning shove to come. At around 6000rpm, just when it should all be winding down, the V8 kicks again and fizzes to the redline. It's awe-inspiring.
My very first go in an RS4 was a brief run on the rough, cambered B-roads near our office that left me gob-smacked. I was astonished by its power and deeply impressed by its poise, which together demolished this wickedly rippled road like no other car I've driven. Yet just as you don't have to wring the V8's neck to be entertained, so you don't have to push the chassis till the tyres howl to enjoy the dynamics. It's this composure and precision at a saunter that makes the RS4 such a satisfying car to run.