Brand 2018 Audi RS4 Avant

This review is a bit bittersweet, as the Audi Avant is one of Europe’s most interesting cars that will likely never sell in North America, and that’s in part to Americans dislike for the station wagon. (Remember the ill-fated Dodge Magnum? Shut up, I liked it) But don’t worry, it shares many of the same mechanical similarities to the RS5 coupe.

Highs

Smooth yet aggressive acceleration, high top speed, and tight chassis

Lows

Only available in Europe

The A4 Avant is produced with a lower stance and wider body panels than the regular A4 Avant. The extra body allows Audi to fit this car with sport run flat tires on 65/35R-19 or 275/30R-20 rubber. This option also comes fitted with Audi’s full RS Dynamic package which turns this family wagon into a fire-spitting dragon, thanks to torque-vectoring and the additions of a twin-turbocharged and intercooled 2.9 liter V-6 engine producing 450 horsepower under the sleek hood.

The engine was developed in partnership with Porsche and it exhibits Porsche signature muted tones, which can be enhanced using the Dynamic mode.

Audi says the RS4 Avant can reach zero to 62 in 4.2 seconds, that’s thanks in part to the all-wheel-drive system which is rear biases for maximum performance feel.

As any modern performance car, the R4 does offer custom options which allow you to tailor the settings of the suspension and sound in order to deliver the right feel of driving for each and every driver.

Both the driver and front passenger get to enjoy nicely equipped sports seats, that fit snug without making you feel like an F1 driver. One welcome addition is Audi’s new 12.3 inch Virtual Cockpit TFT instrument cluster which is a common site now on the TT Roadster and much more expensive Audi R8. For those who aren’t aware of this new system, it allows the driver to access everything from vehicle setting to maps, calls and much more. This new system is often referred as nearly flawless, and I certainly agree. In fact, the only infotainment system that comes close is the from the brand new Mercedes-AMG E63.

In Europe, Audi plans to sell this sleek beauty for a little over 95k. What does this mean to us here in North America? Nothing, as I mentioned at the start of this review, we cant buy it. So unless you are planning to travel to the UK to drive it, odds are you will never get to see one. For that reason, this article was really useless, I’m happy I was able to waste your time. But again, that’s why CarHeroes exists, to give you the news you need, although it might not always apply to you directly.

So what do you think, would you drive one if you could?