Rent Audi RS4 Avant in Europe

Mighty RS4 has succumbed to the bandwagon with a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 - the same unit fitted to its RS5 coupe cousin. But it’s not all bad, especially on paper. Despite having 1269 fewer cc to play with, the V6 packs near-enough the same power output as the retired V8 block (444bhp) and a whopping 125lb ft more torque, while – most significantly – generating a quarter less CO2 on the test cycle, and eking out an extra 5.7mpg.

As the Quattro badges and widescreen wheelarches (so cool) suggest, all-wheel drive is standard, shuffling the torque split front to rear as required. During typical driving it’s divided 40:60 front:rear, with as much as 85% of torque directed to the front or 70% to the rear as the system detects wheel slip.

An eight-speed Tiptronic torque converter auto is the only gearbox option, in place of the old car’s seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. There's a pair of slightly cheap-feeling plastic paddles nestling behind the feelsome steering wheel, for finger-flicking gearchanges.

Source: carmagazine.co.uk