Audi is celebrating a quarter of a century of the RS4 Avant by giving the performance wagon a limited-run special edition. It’s more than just spraying the car in Imola Yellow and calling it a day since there’s a notable upgrade underneath the hood. The RS division is gifting the twin-turbo V-6 more power, albeit the BMW M3 Touring remains the stronger of the two German super estates.
The 2.9-liter mill has been massaged to deliver an extra 20 horsepower, now at 464 hp. Torque remains unchanged, at 443 lb-ft. Its rival from Munich continues to outpunch Ingolstadt’s fast family car by offering 503 hp and 479 lb-ft from a twin-turbo, 3.0-liter inline-six. Audi claims the RS4 Avant edition 25 years takes 3.7 seconds to hit 62 mph. That makes it 0.4 seconds quicker than the regular sports wagon and also 0.2 seconds quicker than the RS4 Avant Competition. The M3 Touring does the job in 3.6 seconds, so it’s still a tenth of a second quicker.
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Flat out, it hits 186 mph, an increase of 6 mph over the Competition model. That makes it faster than the also-not-for-America BMW. Flat out, the beefy wagon from M is electronically capped at 174 mph. When it’s time to stop, the standard ceramic brakes are up for the task. Audi also fits the anniversary RS4 Avant with an RS sports exhaust with matte black oval tips and a better soundtrack.
Compared to the regular RS4, the special edition sits 0.4 inches closer to the road courtesy of a stiffer suspension setup. Owners can manually lower the car by another 0.4 inches for even better handling. Audi says it has tweaked the software of the eight-speed, torque-converter automatic transmission for quicker shifts. Only this version has stiffer control arms and a two-degree increase of the negative chamber on the front axle for better grip.
Speaking of grip, the family-friendly RS gets Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires with 20-inch forged wheels borrowed from the RS4 Avant Competition. Bundled with the car is a second set of exclusive 20-inch matte black wheels shod in P Zero Trofeo RS semi-slick rubber. To sweeten the pot, Audi throws in a pair of gloves you’ll want to use on a track.
Audi is selling the RS4 Avant edition 25 years exclusively in Europe where just 250 cars will be available to order from June. If Imola Yellow is not your cup of tea, the Four Rings can alternatively paint the car in Nardo Gray or Mythos Black. The desirable wagon costs €142,905, which works out to about $155,400 at current exchange rates.
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