Top 10 Performance AUDIs: 5) B5 RS 4 (1999-2001)

B5 RS 4 (1999-2001)

Undoubtedly the spiritual successor to the Avant RS 2 was the B5 RS 4 Avant, first announced in August 1999 as ‘the most extreme interpretation yet of the high-performance lifestyle estate car concept, a fully-fledged production vehicle which genuinely elevates estate car performance into the realms of the supercar’. Produced only just before the first A4 was replaced by the second generation, this time the engine development was entrusted to Cosworth, whose technology division was a subsidiary of Audi in 1998. Based on the engine of the S4, the 2.7-litre bi-turbo V6 was uprated from 265 PS to 380 PS for the RS 4 by using specially manufactured cylinder heads, bigger (K04) turbos and larger intercoolers, on top of an engine with a stronger crankcase, crankshaft and con-rods. The engines were assembled by Cosworth Technology at Wellingborough, Northants and combined with the Motronic ME7 engine management and two-branch exhaust system with metal catalysts that had been developed by quattro GmbH in Germany, which also developed the motorsport-derived 360 mm front brakes and 312 mm rear discs. In conjunction with a suspension stiffened and lowered by 10 mm compared with the S4, and track widened by about 50 mm, with 8.5 x 18-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels and 255/35 tyres housed under specially flared wheelarches, the RS 4 certainly had the dynamic ability to handle all that power. In conjunction with a 6-speed manual gearbox and Torsen diff fourwheel drive system, the RS 4 was a genuine sub-5-second car from 0-60 mph, with its top speed electronically limited to 155 mph, although it  was capable of nearer to 170 mph. More flexible, tractable and user-friendly than the RS 2, the RS 4 was a more driveable car for the average enthusiast, certainly less demanding of its driver, and inevitably more popular in sales terms. Production commenced in the summer of 2000, with over 6,000 manufactured of which at least 400 were with right-hand drive for UK customers, including notable celebrities like the pop singer Jay Kay, whose RS 4 was recently offered for sale at a specialist outlet in Gloucestershire. Equipment levels were basically the same as the S4, with power steering, ABS, EBD and EDL, electronic climate control, xenon headlamps, Recaro sports seats with electric adjustment, with a choice of standard leather, Nappa leather or leather and cloth, and carbon-fibre or black piano interior trim. Options included satnav, Sideguard airbags and electric sunroof. Some controversy surrounded early problems with the alloy wheels, which seemed prone to bending when subjected to rough road conditions; many were replaced – sometimes several times – under warranty until Audi introduced a stronger construction.  All things considered, though, the RS 4 was an exceptional all-rounder, combining supercar performance and handling along with the everyday practicality of a four-door Avant.