The Audi RS4 is a 5-door Avant (estate/wagon) from Audi, built from 1999 to 2025, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. Under the bonnet: 2.7 V6 biturbo. Erwin Leo Himmel drew it.
Where it came from
The Audi RS 4 is the high-performance variant of the Audi A4 range produced by Audi Sport GmbH for AUDI AG, a division of the Volkswagen Group. It sits above the Audi S4 as the fastest, most sports-focused car based on the A4's "B" automobile platform. The RS 4 was reintroduced in 2012, based on the A4 Avant instead of the sedan as did the original model. The original B5 version was produced only as an Avant, Audi's name for an estate car/station wagon. The second version, the B7, was released initially as a four-door five-seat saloon/sedan, with the Avant following a short while later.
A two-door four-seat Cabriolet version was subsequently added. The "RS" initials are taken from the German RennSport—literally translated as "racing sport", and is the Audi marque's highest trim level, positioned above the "S" model specification of Audi's regular model line-up. Like other Audi "RS" cars, the RS 4 pioneers some of Audi's latest advanced technology. It is only available with Audi's Torsen-based "trademark" quattro permanent four-wheel drive system. RS4 models have been produced for every generation of the A4 since 1999, with occasional gaps in production (2001-2006, 2008-2012 and 2015-2018) Its main market competitors include the BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG, Lexus IS-F (formerly) and Cadillac ATS-V (now Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing).
Under the skin
Power comes from 2.7 V6 biturbo. It weighs 1620 kg. It shifts through a 6-speed manual. The layout matters: drive goes to all four wheels, which is what lets the power be used on a wet road. The wheelbase is 2607 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Audi RS2 Avant; its successor was the Audi B7 RS 4; assembly was at Neckarsulm, Germany. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Toyota Yaris, the Škoda Auto Škoda Fabia, the SEAT León — show what else the money bought that year. Nearby in the Audi catalogue sit the Audi 200 and the Audi 225.
What it costs now
EPA combined economy is 24 mpg, about $3,600 a year in fuel at the EPA's assumptions. Condition, mileage and specification move any single car a long way from a headline figure.