RS4 – bargain supercar or pricey toy?

Powered by a 309 kW 4,2-litre V8 mated with a six-speed manual gearbox, the Audi RS4 dismisses BMW’s M3 and Merc’s C55 AMG and fixes its sights squarely on the M5. On paper, the R598 000 RS4 offers a lot of firepower for its price, but is it a little dear for what’s essentially a powerful, tricked-out A4?

Powered by a 309 kW 4,2-litre V8 mated with a six-speed manual gearbox, the Audi RS4 dismisses BMW’s M3 and Mercedes-Benz’s C55 AMG and fixes its sights squarely on the M5. On paper, the R598 000 RS4 offers a lot of firepower for its price, but is it a little dear for what’s essentially a powerful, tricked-out A4?

By Mike Fourie, Editor

As a laaitie, my old man and I used to sit near the hairpin bend of the Aldo Scribante circuit and watch the racing. One of my first racing heroes was Port Elizabethan Terry Moss and I vividly remember “The Animal” throw a Group N Golf GTi 16V, modified Audi Quattros and various touring cars from the Ingolstadt-based manufacturer around the Eastern Cape circuit. So, when “The Animal” recently accompanied me for a tour or so around Aldo Scribante in Audi’s rip-snorting RS4, I “lapped up” every morsel of driving advice the once-wild Moss could dispense in less than four minutes of what was, frankly, unadulterated driving bliss.

I have driven my personal 228 kW sports car in anger in various conditions, put other high-powered vehicles through their paces throughout my career as a motoring scribe and completed a high-performance driving course a couple of years ago, but I have realised that I’m not the world’s greatest driver… Then I crossed paths with the fire-breathing RS4, and for a handful of laps, I temporarily changed my mind. Now is the true power of the RS4!

Audi claims a 0-100 km/h time of 4,8 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 16,6 seconds, and a limited top speed of 250 km/h, for the RS4. With such performance figures, the über A4 compares favourably with the C55 AMG (270 kW and 510 N.m), but costs R10 000 more, and is R53 000 dearer than the now discontinued BMW M3 (252 kW, 365 N.m). However, the RS4 punches well above its weight as is only 0,16 of a second slower from zero to 100 km/h than the R850 000 V10-engined BMW M5 and completes the sprint almost 0,2 secs faster than the brutal R861 500 Mercedes E55 AMG.

For all intents and purposes, the RS4 is arguably without rival, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. The C55 AMG is getting a bit long in the tooth, E90-generation M3 has yet to be unveiled and the E-Class AMG offering is about to be updated. How does the RS4, which is essentially an A4 saloon with a powerful engine and transmission, suspension and look-faster aerodynamic mods… compare with pukka sports cars? Moreover, does the RS4 have the presence of the (admittedly more expensive) Porsche Cayman S, 911 Carrera or Mercedes SLK55 AMG – and could it draw admiring glances in the way that a bold coupé such as a brand new M3 would?

Then, there is the issue of resale value… If you bought an Audi S4 in late 2003, when it cost R507 000, it would have a trade-in value of about R310 000 today. Few – if any – cars can be regarded as investments, but the higher the sticker price, the greater the devaluation… And an expensive Audi A4 may be a case in point!

Does the RS4 justify its sticker price… or is that an irrelevant question if you consider the newcomer from Ingolstadt is arguably the most wieldy (production) sports saloon ever to bear the four-rings badge?

Click here to read more about the new Audi RS4 and view the gallery.