We like the Audi RS6 Avant’s kid brother. But the sharper, more responsive handling delivered by the Competition Plus package makes it even better.
here, the RS4 Avant's two-door coupe and four-door hatchback cousins that are about the same size as the wagon and mechanically identical. Would the more practical, less expensive and—dare we say it—cooler RS4 Avant really be an RS too many for this market?Audi of America product planners obviously think so. Which means the 2023 Audi RS4 Avant is likely to remain forbidden fruit for American buyers for the foreseeable future.
Still, although all the engine's hardware is unchanged, as are its outputs—444 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque—the remapped software that's part of the Competition Plus package delivers better throttle response and quicker shifts from the eight-speed automatic transmission. Thanks also to the Quattro sport differential, the car shaves about 0.2 second off the regular RS4 Avant's 4.1-second 0-60-mph acceleration time.
The optional Pirelli P Zero Corsas have more rounded shoulders than the standard RS4 Avant tires to provide better steering accuracy and lateral support, according to Filep. The compound is so grippy that, working in conjunction with the remapped ABS, it helps to shrink the braking distance from 60 mph by about 6 feet.For our track sessions at Ascari, the RS4 Avant Competition Plus' adjustable suspension was dialed to what Filep called the"Nordschleife setting.
For the road loops we drove, our test cars were all in the default Competition Plus setting; that is, with the ride height 0.4 inch lower than the standard RS4 Avant setup. The primary ride is taut, but there's a decisive and distinctly analog feel to the body motions that even the best air suspensions simply can't emulate.
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