Audi RS4 Avant (B9, 2018–2025) — a legend ends

The long goodbye of combustion engine heroes takes another scalp

The long goodbye

This is the last purely combustion-engined RS4. The B9 Avant arrived in the UK in January 2018 (first deliveries started March 2018), then gained a sharper, cleaner-looking facelift in October 2019 for 2020. Audi gave it one last push with the Competition package in 2022, and finally the Edition 25 Years run-out in 2024. Production bows out in 2025 as Audi Sport shifts to electrification. 

What replaces it? Not an RS4, technically. The next fast A4-size estate will be badged RS5 Avant and—crucially—be plug-in hybrid, a fully electric RS4 e-tron was expected however after Audi's recent decision to shelve plans for the RS6 e-tron the RS4 may stick with a hybrid. The RS4 name has also become a tough spot for the brand as they also nixed the plan to only offer even number cars as EV.

Trim walk-through: from core to collector

• RS4 Avant – the standard car: 450 PS 2.9-biturbo V6, quattro, 8-speed tiptronic, RS sports seats, and that big-boot daily-usable body. Carbon Black adds black styling and carbon inlays; Vorsprung piles on everything—pan roof, HUD, RS sports exhaust, DRC adaptive coil-over system, dynamic steering and the raised 174 mph limiter. 

• Specials: Sport Edition (2019) and Bronze Edition (2020) sprinkled extra kit and visual drama. The Competition (2022) brought tangible chassis and soundtrack gains, while the Edition 25 Years (2024) lifted power to 470 PS, cut the 0–62 mph to 3.7 s and was limited to 250 worldwide, 50 for the UK. A proper sign-off. 

Engine & tech: the last of the line

There’s just one engine, and it suits the car down to its aluminium bones: the EA839 2.9-litre, 90° twin-turbo V6, 450 PS and 600 Nm in standard guise. This drives all four wheels through an 8-speed torque-converter auto and Quattro with an optional sport differential. The torque plateau (1,900–5,000rpm) is the signature—laser-focused surge that fires you out of tight corners like a guided shell, and keeps doing it lap after lap. This low thrust helped keep the RS4 relevant in world obsessed with the 0-60mph sprints of EVs. DRC remained optional in the UK and, when fitted, adds that lovely long-legged control without superconducting the ride. 

The V6 turbo engine excites in a way only a car uncorrupted by electric assistance can—for the last time on an RS4 badge. The Competition package loosened the car’s shoulders (calibration, suspension, noise), and the Edition 25 sharpened everything to a point. From here on, the successor will add electricity. 

Rivals: the company it kept

• BMW M3 Touring (G81): the dynamic benchmark—edgier front-end, more steering fidelity, more power—but heavier and rowdier day-to-day. Against the late-run RS4 Competition, it’s the keener driver’s pick, but not always the calmer companion. 

• Mercedes-AMG C63 S E Performance Estate (W206): an electrified sledgehammer (671 bhp PHEV) that never caught public. The loss of a half the cylinders from the previous generation has made it a rare sight even with mighty pace the notable mass and complexity has made rivals more attractive. The RS4 counters with clarity—simple, consistent responses and real-world refinement. 

Driving impression: character, condensed

You expect brute force; you get discipline. The B9’s V6 isn’t a histrionic opera singer—it’s a first-chair violinist playing fortissimo. It idles with intent, spools fast, and then pours on torque with a clean, unwavering line that seems to stretch the road shorter. There’s personality in the hot-vee pulse and in the way the gearbox snaps from third to fourth at full load; there’s also a grown-up hush at a motorway cruise that rivals still struggle to match.

On a British B-road, the front axle is planted and predictable; the car turns from the hips once the sport diff starts to work, and the DRC-equipped cars have that classic RS long-travel composure over broken surfaces—calm hands, big speed. The Competition’s recalibrations add bite and some long-overdue voice, but even the regular car, on sensible wheels, is a masterclass in fast, low-stress progress. 

And yes, let’s say it out loud: this V6 is character-filled. Less baritone than the B8’s V8, sure, but laser-focused on power delivery—that broad torque band is the RS4’s superpower—and the soundtrack finally loosens up in the late models. One last time, without electricity, it hurls you out of a corner on boost and grip alone.

Consumer advice: what to buy

• Sweet spot (value): a post-facelift car with sport differential and DRC if you can find it. The balance between ride and control is worth the hunt. 

• Driver’s choice: the RS4 Competition (2022). You’ll pay more, but the chassis, calibration and noise uplift make it the most engaging B9 to drive. 

• Collector’s coda: the Edition 25 Years (2024) with 470 PS and 3.7 s 0–62 mph—and those 50 UK cars—will be the one people name-check in ten years. 

Verdict

The B9 RS4’s legacy isn’t shock and awe; it’s confidence. It takes family-estate usefulness and wraps it in a powertrain that delivers exactly, relentlessly, with enough chassis nuance—especially on DRC—to let you use all of it when the road allows. As Audi Sport crosses the Rubicon into hybrid RS wagons, this is the last time an RS4 will do its work on boost alone. If you know, you know.

Not sold on the B9? We’ve also got a buyer’s guide to the last generation C8 Audi RS6 —the slecdgehammer of Audi speed—if your heart wants eight cylinders and extra room. (And if you’re eyeing what’s next, keep an eye out for the RS5 Avant PHEV—the RS4’s spiritual successor.)