Performance is relative: just ask a passing photon. Which is why fast cars inevitably become comparatively slower as newer and quicker models arrive. It's the natural order of things and was ever thus, spread the timespan widely enough and you realise that a BMW 320d would have the legs on a pre-war Grand Prix car.
Yet it's also a principle that the 'B5' Audi RS4 bends to near breaking point. Because even 15 years after it was introduced it still feels properly fast. Indeed after spending a day in this particularly fine example, borrowed from
Audi
UK's heritage collection, I genuinely don't believe that either of its successors would be any quicker when asked to deal with the real world. By the standards of 2000 it went like a rocket with another rocket stuck up its chuff.
Rule Britannia
These days it seems that Audi is prepared to stick an RS badge to practically anything in the range, but the 'B5' RS4 was only the second model to wear the 'Renn Sport' derived moniker, following on from the 1994 RS2 Avant. That car had been co-developed with Porsche, and was fast and spacious enough to get a whole generation of motoring hacks trying to think up tortuous references involving high-speed wardrobe transportation. But when Audi decided it wanted to create an uber version of the 'B5' S4 five years later the engineering collaboration with Porsche had ended.
How does it still look so good in yellow?
Fortunately another had just begun, bringing us to the British connection. Audi bought Cosworth Technology in 1998, the road car fettling side of the race engineering business, and one its first tasks was to create a high output version of Audi's 2.7-litre twin-turbocharged V6. Obviously this would need more power than the S4, which managed 260hp from a standard version of the motor. But corporate pride also demanded it should outgun the 315hp that
Porsche
RS2's 2.2-litre turbocharged five-pot
The result was a major reworking, with the RS4 getting Cosworth designed cylinder heads (which were cast in the UK) along with new dished pistons, uprated conrods and bigger intercoolers, as well as redesigned induction and exhaust systems. The net result was 380hp, still impressive now but off the scale for a car this size at the time. Drive was delivered through a six-speed manual gearbox and Audi's familiar Torsen-diffed Quattro system. The claimed 4.9-second 0-62mph time made the RS4 the fastest production estate in the world when it was introduced.
Wearing well
Very few cars could hope to carry off a paint scheme this radioactive, but the RS4 manages it. The brightness of the yellow finish emphasises both the pumped-up bodywork and the car's wider stance nicely. And beyond the chunky bodykit the details are relatively subtle: this was before Audi started giving its S and RS models silver door mirrors and dazzling LED DRLs to assert their superiority. Indeed beyond the 18-inch alloys and minimal badging there's very little to tell other road users what this exotic beast was, apart from the fact it had likely just passed them at Mach 3, of course...
Get the turbos blowing and it's still very fast
It might feel like Audi design moves at the rate of an arthritic glacier, but step back three generations at once and the changes become obvious. Externally the clearest difference (literally) is how much glass there is, with a low window line making it feel like a greenhouse compared to more
modern A4s
. Inside the cabin this gives a feeling of lightness and a good view out, but also a chance to realise that - despite all the "hewn from solid" guff trotted out at the time - the interior feels dated too. The button strewn centre console seems to have been designed by the work experience kid, and the electric window switches seem to be the same cheap-feeling units that were fitted to the
Mk3 Golf
. Nor is it really big enough to justify many of the lugging comparisons; this was still the era when compact executive cars would only fit similarly condensed occupants into their rear seats, and the only wardrobe you'd get into the boot would be one designed for a dolls' house.
The Cosworth connection gives relevance to our choice of photoshoot location - on some of the more interesting roads around Silverstone. This car has been part of the heritage collection practically since it was new - the odometer owns up to just 2,850 miles - and is in genuinely timewarp condition, complete with an as-new Alcantara steering wheel and a never-updated period sat-nav system that seems to be running MS-DOS, and which refuses to acknowledge the fact the A43 now bypasses Silverstone village.
No excuses are necessary for the powertrain. The engine grumbles slightly and feels predictably laggy at low revs, it's always perfectly drivable but with a distinct pause between making a request and feeling the boost build. Get above 3,000rpm and that disappears and the engine starts to pull like there's a fire underneath it, going harder all the way to the 7,000rpm where peak power arrives. It might not pull with the sonorous top-end enthusiasm of the two naturally aspirated V8-powered RS4s that have followed it, but its boosty mid-range feels considerably keener. It certainly doesn't seem to give anything away in overtaking pace, the broadness of the torque band giving decent response even if you're in too high a gear, and the gearchange itself is nice enough.
Not that you feel cossetted. More recent RS models have grown softer and comfier, but the B5 RS4 is from the era when fast Audis were expected to display unyielding chassis discipline at all times. The suspension settings feel somewhere between iron and concrete over the surfaces of some of the corrugated B-roads we drive over, with the limited padding of the optional Recaro sports seats making the RS feel even firmer. On the plus side it's still happy to cruise rapidly on smoother roads, the natural pace feels more Autobahn than motorway, but you're definitely not going to confuse it with a pillowy limo.
Which way to the Autobahn?
Grip levels are still huge, with what look like period Dunlop SP Sports still delivering Velcro-like levels of adhesion. There's no give in the chassis, little sense of fun when you up the pace - it wants to stick, not slip. The central Torsen differential is set up to split torque evenly across the axles whenever it can and this RS4 does without the biasing systems or active differentials that more recent fast Audis use to try and sharpen their responses. That means that the limits, when you do find them, are guarded by understeer. But all-out thrappery has never been the point of the RS4, let's be honest. This is a car that's designed to deliver speed without requiring heroic effort.
There's plenty to like as well. The steering feels great compared to the digital systems of more modern rivals, it's relatively low-geared but delivers proportional responses and some actual feedback is allowed to get past its hydraulic assistance. The RS4 was famous for the vastness and power of its brakes when new, and the middle pedal is still far less over-servoed than most Audis, with good feel and still-impressive retardation. I'd be fibbing if I said it was a particularly involving dynamic companion, but even driven with the deference due to what is basically a borrowed museum exhibit it still feels supremely composed and capable when travelling at a serious lick.
Familiar Cosworth magic under here
The biggest problem with the RS4 has long been finding a good one. Even when it was new many potential buyers were disappointed: only 500 right-hookers came here between 2000 and 2002 according to the DVLA. Since then a combination of both natural attrition and the desire of some owners to make their cars go even faster has progressively thinned the numbers of uncrashed standard examples. They can be pricey to run, too - with predictable appetite for brakes, tyres and sometimes even turbos plus fuel economy that struggles to break into the 20s. The 18-inch wheels are infamous for suffering from pothole deformation, too - although Audi later introduced a stronger reinforced rim. Many are sporting serious mileages, and like all middle-aged Audis they can suffer from poor parts support. Yet the RS4's very usability remains the key part of its appeal: come rain, sleet, snow or even a zombie apocalypse, this really is a modern classic you can use every day.
Audi RS4 Avant (B5) Specifications
Engine: 2,671cc biturbo V6, 30-valves
Transmission: 6-speed manual, four-wheel drive via Torsen differential
Power (hp): 381@7,000 rpm
Torque (lb ft): 324@2,500-6,000rpm
0-62mph: 4.9 sec (claimed)
Top speed: 162 mph (limited)
Weight: 1,620 kg
On sale: 2000-2001
Price new (2000): £46,500
Price now: £15,000 - £25,000
