Audi Sport marks hot estate’s anniversary with sterner chassis and yet more power
ILLYA VERPRAET
TESTED 4.6.24, ANDALUSIA, SPAIN ON SALE NOW
Audi likes a special edition, so as the current generation of the A4, A6 and their various derivatives enter their final few months on sale, Audi Sport’s cannon is glowing red hot.
We’ve recently seen Performance versions of the RS6 and RS7, there’s an RS6 GT on the way and the RS4 and RS5 got Competition variants last year. The latest are the RS5 Performance Edition and this RS4 Edition 25 Years – which, as the slightly clunky name suggests, celebrates 25 years since the first RS4 was launched. Of the 250 that will be produced, 50 are UK-bound.
Like the original, it’s available in gloriously eye-searing Imola Yellow. You can have it grey or black as well, but you would be missing the point.
The 25 Years is based on the RS4 Competition, getting tweaked versions of that car’s KW coilover suspension and 20in wheels, plus a 20bhp power bump for its twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre petrol V6.
The suspension certainly sounds pretty hardcore: it comes from the factory 10mm lower than the standard RS4, and with the help of a spanner set, you can lower it a further 10mm. The dampers are passive and have a fixed rate that’s stiffer than on the Competition.
The wheels aren’t quite the same as on the Competition, as they’re finished differently and have a lower offset, pushing them farther out for a more purposeful stance.
Other changes include stiffer front control arms and an additional 2deg of negative camber at the front, while the rear subframe is solidly mounted, instead of on rubber mounts.
Ultimately, the stiffness is relative. The BMW M3 Touring’s adaptive dampers aren’t notably softer, even in their Comfort mode. Sure, this RS4 rides firmly, and with the 30-profile tyres you shouldn’t expect any miracles, but it takes bumpy roads in its stride and nicely rounds off the corrugations.
It’s a similar story for those subframes: you can feel a bit more graininess coming from the road surface than you might expect from an RS4, but it’s not horrendous. Overall, this most hardcore of A4s remains remarkably civilised.
Handling is classic fast Audi: modern style with a smidgen more focus. The aggressive camber on th
