2005 Audi RS4 revisited. What's the legendary B7 RS4 like to drive today?

[@toysandgameswithesmeeandis4096]

Absolutely love when you revisit the greats of the past.

[@K1lostream]

Yeah! £35k for an 18yr old one is a bit spicy though!

[@dbasq1]

​@@K1lostream To petrolheads, the age of the car is irrelevant. It's what it can do, how it looks and the story behind it that matters.

[@ging93]

@@dbasq1agreed. Much more interesting than the new stuff

[@matthewrichardson795]

100% agree. More please!

[@pereldh5741]

In the future it’ll be all we look at! 😢

[@simonzero3815]

What I love about your car reviews is that they are always exactly what the title says. They never divert to feature the presenters ego or jokes or sarky comments. Don't ever change Harry. You are just brilliant at giving a fair and honest review always.

[@jonjones1290]

Not a truer word said.

[@matgee8892]

Yes, most other car KZbinrs would title this video "YOU wont BELIEVE how HIGH this F1 inspired RETRO wagon REVS!!!" and they would pixelate the thumbnail so you cant tell what car it is. I hate it and now refuse to click on any video with a blurred thumbnail or unnecessarily capitalized words. Not giving them the clicks is the only way the culture and the algorithm ever changes.

[@nathandrake6531]

Sam from seen through glass, is very arrogant nowadays had to stop watching

[@Mzee1084]

Yeah, one of the only presenters I pay attention to. Doesn't overhype, yell, or try to be funny a lot (sorry doug your style got annoying for me).

[@michaelsummerell8618]

Love the looks of this generation RS4 and RS6 - muscular but subtle. The more recent models seem to have lost most of that subtlety in my opinion, becoming quite vulgar in their appearance.

[@Jack-tx2ve]

Could not agree more. Although the styling of most modern cars is pretty vulgar.

[@beardedtit7692]

That’s influencers for you…

[@anthonyfarnan5935]

Still look better than anything BMW is producing.

[@ekim4926]

@@anthonyfarnan5935that’s not exactly a high bar, the content in my toilet this morning looked better than most of the BMW today

[@atom999]

​@@Jack-tx2veeverything changed to vulgar nowadays, like the shouty designer clothes, cars followed

[@rare6499]

Mid 2000’s was such a great time for cars.

[@JP_RS6]

Just bought a B8 RS4 Avant with the same V8. 2014 with 70k miles and it drives like a dream. Looks like a new car deapite being nearly 9 years old.

[@lancegallant3647]

Same with my 07 b7 rs4 most people ask when I got the bran new car there jaws drop when I tell them 07 :-) 90 000 miles looks new :-)

[@JP_RS6]

@@lancegallant3647 I ended up trading the RS4 in, in November. Got a 2014 C7 RS6 also with 70k on the clock. Same again, drives like a dream and even more power lol

[@lancegallant3647]

@JP_RS6 excellent 👌 glad U are still in the audi club enjoy brother:-)

[@neverleftthe80s29]

What a car. Incredible. Has aged very well and sounds amazing. Manual, high revving V8, wagon for practical needs & quattro AWD for EVERYDAY use. What is does in the dry, it does in the wet - something competitors cannot do. A true classic. Cheers Harry.

[@mabedfo]

I am lucky to be an owner of one of these for 12 years now! Mine is in Sprint Blue, and has the carbon ceramic brakes as well. When you spend time with the car and learn, the brakes feel excellent. The 2 things you said as cons I have fixed: 1) I fitted a Miltek exhaust, and it keeps the switch able load and quiet flaps in the back, it sounds EXCELLENT! 2) There are some excellent Bluetooth upgrades for the audio head unit, so you can use all your modern phones features, and keeps the original look. Last thing I'll say, I also own a 2010 997.2 GT3. And I'm selling the GT3 and keeping the B7 RS4 Avant. What does that tell you 😀 If you aspire to own one of these one day, save your cash up, and do it!

[@madnessmaker6162]

Spirt blue sedan here also. 👍

[@tambias]

I have been lucky to have two misano red rs4 avants in b5 and b7 variants. Great cars

[@hoojchoons2258]

The best colour, always wanted one!

[@Glasseyed86]

the clutch ruins the 997.2 gt3 for me. an absolute insult to drivers with it being that heavy...

[@mabedfo]

@@Glasseyed86 get it checked, the 997.1 GT3 clutch is heavy, the 997.2 is far lighter, and lovely to use unless in heavy start stop traffic.

[@flipflip9996]

I have a 2008 RS4 Avant. The very special thing about it is the mileage, it only has around 32,000 km (19,900 miles) on the clock. I boight it from the neighbour of my parents holiday home in Switzerland. He had a motorcycle accident in 2011, and couldn't drive it anymore, but he didn't want to sell it so it stood around for 8 years. After a lot of persuasion he agreed to sell it to me in 2019. I just love it. The subtle looks, the power, the sound and the colour ( Mugelloblue Pearl) . I've been using it as a daily for two years, but got myself an E-Class for university, because it is more subtle.

[@MartialLiam]

My favourite era of RS4 by far, the looks, performance etc

[@gordonsimpson3235]

The best era of Audi Harry. Restrained, purposeful looking rather than aggressive looking. Those wheels are a work of art in themselves. They have become too powerful now...craziness. No one needs anything quicker than this. Actually I prefer the RS6 Avant (C5) of this period (although the RS4 has a hunkered down, chunky look about it), There is a beautiful 2004 RS6 in the Historics upcoming auction.

[@Ariskot007]

The best era of cars in general I would say. The technology was already at high point while the legislation wasn't yet design to exterminate the combustion engines.

[@wyntog]

Agreed! It was also a time when roads were quieter so the power could really be enjoyed too. These days it feels like there is little to gain having the 'M' or the 'RS' model unless it is being used on a track, especially as the models below have just as much useable power on a road.

[@TheAslakVind]

Jeremy Clakson said, during his TG testing of this car, that he was pretty sure he ws sitting inches off one of the best engines in the world. Great video, Harry!

[@abayamangali]

During on The Grand Tour: Season 5 episode he used the 2007 RS4 sedan, he said exactly the same that its the best V8 engine he has ever driven.

[@soklot]

I'm sure it's great when it isn't broken.

[@jagolago-bob]

@@soklot Yes, they're perversely complicated, and not very reliable. I bet that one has another 15,000miles before it starts getting expensive.

[@jagolago-bob]

@@abayamangali JC has very little idea about technology. I wouldn't take his opinion on much. 😁

[@markwilliams2444]

Just wondered how it compared with the cosworth designed one in the early rs6,maybe that’s what they should of used ? Would of had more hp and torque being twin turbo,but may of been too much for the manual box

[@robc8892]

I don't think this is peak Audi. I think it is peak car. Fast, pretty, practical, well built. What a video

[@es95950]

It's always so easy to forget how Audi was viewed pre-renaissance of this generation. Awesome trip back in time, thanks for sharing!

[@joshuakhaos4451]

Audi during the 2000s was their pinnacle. Much like the early 2000s was for BMW. Both are now just not on the same level despite being more luxurious and tech heavy. I missed what pre renaissance Audi was like in the 90s and early 2000s since I was just too young to know, But I remember being a teenager from the mid-late 2000s, and Audi was definitely killing it with their cars and their styling.

[@pistonburner6448]

What does "was viewed pre-renaissance of this generation" mean?

[@pistonburner6448]

@@joshuakhaos4451 Based on what? You are wrong about every single point you made, and you didn't provide any actual argumentation to back any of it up. Audi has always had horrible, total failures of engine-out-in-front fwd-based platforms. With such a platform it's totally impossible to get to a good car at all, no matter what you do after ruining the basis.

[@bournemichael3227]

@@pistonburner6448 So you're saying Lancer Evo of any generation is not good enough for you as well, correct?

[@pistonburner6448]

@@bournemichael3227 I don't have much experience with Lancer Evo, and it's pretty irrelevant to bring in a totally different car into the conversation. Seems more like you have no defence (and btw you could just agree with me, you don't HAVE to be contrarian to me and all the facts) and that's why you're trying some strange tactic of defence by pulling some irrelevant car out of left field. In fact I don't think the Lancer Evo is a very good car, but it has a different layout with its transverse engine, its far smaller four cylinder engine which weights a lot less, and far better AWD system than Audi has. And I'd argue at Mitsubishi they had totally different kind of management with very different goals: I know of inside info that Audi engineers were specifically told to reverse some improvements to agility they made to the next generation of the A4 after this one, as according to Audi management "their customers were used to a certain kind of feel" (I'll add that the feel they were used to was totally lifeless, feel-less understeery horrible handling which they liked when driving straight down a straight piece of road) "and they don't want that to change, they'll not like it if the car is more agile". Therefore the Audi engineers had to dial out that slight bit of better agility which they managed to develop.

[@joshuakhaos4451]

The 2000s was such an amazing era for cars. The cars were sized perfectly, The performance of so many cars was just increasing and was so much more exciting than it now is today. Today it just feels like we've gone into absurdity. Cars back then were also far less complex than today, and were imo the peak of modern cars. Cars had tech that we are used too today, but it wasnt so all encompassing and intrusive like what we have now. Screens werent overbearing and were still relatively simple unlike today. I love seeing Harry review cars from the era I was a growing more interested in cars by the day as a teenager.

[@joshuakhaos4451]

@@nukleopatra777 Oh totally. The 90s had lots of cool stuff. Yeah, I'm not into the tech heavy nature of modern vehicles. Its just so intrusive and distracting. Let alone more inconvenient when many of the things that should be easy access are stuffed in behind different screens. And the over reliance on needing so many driver settings to make an all purpose car, even when said car is very clearly not another type of car. I would love it if a company made a performance car that was more simple than ultra modern. Like give it the bare minimum standard of safety equipment as legal, but Take out the screens, Bring back some Analog gauges/dials( maybe a hybrid of the 2 at a maximum) and bring back good old fashioned keys to start the cars with.

[@geoffcrossley8344]

Nice review, Harry. I owned mine for 200,000 kms, mostly out of town roads, re-chipped and on milltek exhausts. The noise was glorious. It never had a problem, other than the cup holder getting jammed. I wrote Audi Rome a tongue in cheek letter to complain. The car’s residuals are excellent too. Thanks for the history of the man in charge of engine devt.: he deserves the recognition.

[@Hybridsixtynine]

Mind me asking if you sold it at 200k and for what reasons?

[@GTACIP]

The B5 RS4 will always be my favourite Audi of all time, but there is no denying that Audi were on top of their game during the lifespan of the B7. Iconic exterior and interiors, and of course crazy engines (this V8, the 5.0/5.2 V10, 6.0 FSI W12 and 6.0 TDI V12!)

[@Snowy-666]

All the focus was on the driving experience here. No touchscreens, haptics, voice and gesture control and all the other rubbish manufacturers feel they have to crowbar into modern builds that diverts funding from the important bits of the car. Great video Harry, as always.

[@iangillett2488]

Back in the summer of 2006, a holiday friend rocked up in his brand new blue RS4 saloon. As you say it was a stunner from Audi. Can't believe this was now 17 summers ago 😮

[@MartinIrwin]

I have a 2013 RS6 and absolutely love it. It’s no precision instrument, but for driving 3 hours to go skiing, I cannot think of a better car.

[@SimianWonder]

This RS4 and the V8 RS5 were peak Audi.

[@pollard100]

Charlie has great taste in cars ... I just 'happened' along your test road a couple of weeks ago in my own 2004 M3, had a blast up the hill, through the compression and around the S bend, gave me a sense I really know what you are describing in your reviews now. Great fun.

[@MuadDib1402]

Metcalf Ave. :)

[@bernardwarr4187]

One of the great Audi’s along with a Coupe Quattro. I did a track day at Goodwood, when these where brand new, and one of the car we where using was an RS4. The guy was showing me how to drive it, and lost it, we ended up going through the gravel sideways. Was a great car and day.

[@Gorbyrev]

Love these so much. For everyone complaining about running costs you could certainly get more MPG from a modern turbo car if you are delicate with the right foot but B7 RS4s have stopped deprecating. Give it a few years and the values will climb. That really helps the man maths when considering one of these. Even the decoking of the heads has been perfected with walnut shells. Almost the perfect 1 car garage.

[@ktakashismith]

Running costs include more than just petrol. Doing a brake job on a non-CCM RS4 cost $2000 for just the parts. If you buy one with the original suspension on it, good luck, the shock absorbers cost $900 apiece.

[@pistonburner6448]

Values climb only if you don't use them.

[@Gorbyrev]

@@pistonburner6448 For mint examples this will be true. However, this was a daily driver for many customers so there are B7 RS4s out there with higher mileage. Then their value will come down to proper maintenance. I'd rather have a high miler that had been looked after by someone like Ricky at REPerformance that one with less miles that hadn't . My gut feeling is that the market for well used examples will be the same and their values will climb too.

[@lancegallant3647]

Love mine will never sell its priceless

[@pistonburner6448]

@@Gorbyrev Nope, if you pile on the miles the car will certainly depreciate. Proper maintenance is necessary in any case just to make it not turn into a total pumpkin. Proper maintenance is what normal people do to their cars as a given. Those engines, the chassis, all of it has a finite life before replacement of major overhaul. And that cost for the overhaul will easily be higher than any slight value increase of such a horrible understeering Volkswagen-product. Then add on the regular costs of maintenance, insurance, all the normal upkeep. Nobody is making money on those cars if they use them more than for short Sunday drives, in which case they need a second car anyway. You are deluded about what that car actually is. Even E30s haven't appreciated enough to not cost lots of money to the owners if they actually use them. And E30s are good cars, not totally flawed Volkswagen Group understeering junk.

[@kevingroom9886]

Great review. I have the B7 RS4 saloon and have for years. Absolutely love it. Seriously turns heads. It’s now running a fully blueprinted, gas flowed, polished and ported engine with decat Milltek exhaust. Also remapped to stage 2. Looks completely standard but had to replace the DRC suspension as they start to sag with time/use, so now runs on fully adjustable Bilstein PSS9 coilovers with H&R anti-roll bars.

[@lop8828]

Very cool build. That is a down payment on a nice house.

[@kevingroom9886]

@@lop8828 indeed… it wasn’t cheap but always knew running it properly wasn’t going to be cheap. Starting replacing/upgrading components as it went on… kind of a ‘well, might as well do it now’ mindset. From a purely financial perspective it wasn’t sensible spend but I love it. Thanks for your comment

[@lancegallant3647]

There's no $$ amount the smiles the b7 puts on our faces is worth it 😅

[@roshanjay7]

I think one of the best engines and engine notes ever, whole car is really mechanical, really tight feeling as well, and downright terrifying with a supercharger. Aftermarket suspension can help make it turn in much better, speaking from personal experience with friends’ one.

[@johndandrea8034]

My favorite Audi engine of all time. I had two RS5's with the 4.2 and the sound it made around 7K - 8K can't be explained other than pure mechanical opera.

[@lancegallant3647]

Hell yes it is ❤ b7 rs4 will never sell her priceless

[@ebauer427]

we own a 2008 RS4 Cabriolet. it's pure joy to run it to redline in 2nd and 3rd; it seems to be the sweet spot for the engine and transmission. having a manual combined with a grunty NA-V8 is definitely a thing of the past.

[@rockymack1083]

I bought a B7 S4 6mt, 2 years ago. I absolutley love it, it still feels like a quality modern car to me. The engine sounds amazing and its still a blast to drive.

[@darrenp2225]

Had a B7 avant back in the day and still have fond memories of it. It really was a head turner and that V8 in the RS4 will go down as one of the greatest engines of all time.

[@mahmoudghoneim8004]

Had this as a saloon , best engine sound and performance at the Era.

[@throneroom2946]

Still have my salon...in Silver...not selling it ever...its in storage but working condition...Will bring it out to supercharge it

[@matthewp9015]

@@throneroom2946will be more of a classic if you keep it standard

[@daveshaw2200]

@@throneroom2946 Don't let your brake disc go rusty, mines done 42k now used regularly

[@BV-co7hy]

@@matthewp9015agreed, the only mod I would recommend is to replace the standard suspension with Bilstein, transforms the ride😮

[@timcarpenter2441]

One of my favourite genres: large, torquey engine in a smaller car. And a wagon, too. Fabulous.

[@SmallBlogV8]

2005 was really a great year for new cars. RS4, Focus ST mk.II, Veyron production, Ford GT, AMV8 Vantage...

[@olih.]

Great car and lovely re-review. I had an RS4 B7 avant back in 2009 and loved every minute of it.

[@51jjm]

Love it. I had this RS4's little brother, a 2005 S4 4.2 V8...in a hairdresser's cabrio of course! lol Loved that car. Had to special order it in a manual. What a beast the car was. The sound of the V8 was glorious! A great way to start your mornings...I am glad and so very thankful to have at least owned a naturally aspirated V8 car at least once in my life...I highly recommend it!

[@HassanSsa]

Watched every video related to the B7, glad to know that there's still new reviews coming up after all these years.

[@77dongle]

I agree, this era was peak Audi. I had a B5 A4 2.8 at the time, and nothing I’ve driven since has had the same rock-solid feel and attention to the tactility of everything. I still clearly remember the feeling of opening and shutting the rear doors- perfection!

[@twowheeler1000]

I love how subtle this car is. It's a car that is classy and useful but also very fast. A car you could pack up for camping and still hoon it up a mountain

[@lifelong5425]

I'm on an 04 XC 70 2.5 T AWD wagon...love it...The Volvo sleeper is the R version as you know, and have seen them doing serious speeds....However, this Audi is classy...engineering designed around very high end performance. Harry, the oldies appear so much more ready to deliver on many levels. Another great piece.

[@superfast30]

A friend of mine had the sedan version which I drove on many occasions. It was truly a special car back then and even more so now. He had fitted a lightweight flywheel and an ECU tune. The engine revved to redline like a maniac.

[@dwdrum11]

I own one and I’ll never sell it. It’s a car we’ll never see again. A Tesla will eat it off the lights, but get a nice B road and the feel and noise this creates makes a Tesla feel boring. A good one of these is worth the same as an equivalent b8 chassis rs4. This was the iconic car. Great review. Ps sport button also opens exhaust flaps to give a bit more noise, mine has a resonated milltek so it’s a little louder again and makes you smile even more!

[@paulm3965]

I was an Audi convert after a holiday in 2006 I have updated my Audi every three years . I love Audi, good video great report.

[@institutmorningkiss]

My favorite videos are the past greats put into present day context. Thanks, and more please!

[@benrachelwardle4754]

I remember when Evo first reviewed the B7. It had the M3 seriously worried for the first time. And I loved Evo’s description of the looks- restrained muscle, like a body builder with his jacket on. Modern RS4s are so uncouth by comparison.

[@markffrj]

Love when Harry shows old Audis.

[@CarAndMechanical]

Still a dream car for me - this lead to me getting a budget conscious A4 Avant B6 2.5 V6 TDI Quattro with a few hot bits on...and full of issues. But if I'm being honest I got something that was a bit of a look alike and I've always lusted after a B7 RS4 since the Evo articles and Top Gear coverage. Thanks for this video Harry, really enjoyed it and made me nostalgic for when I was first getting into the idea of having a fast car myself.

[@ericvermeulen9853]

I’m a big BMW guy and i must be honest when this thing came out it was simply jaw dropping gorgeous, those fat hips and that smooth V8 with that induction noise, especially when it’s approaching you at full chat, simply magical

[@simonflower6356]

I’ve never driven this version of the RS4, but I did own (for 16 years) a 2003 Allroad. This was without doubt the era of “peak Audi” as others have said. My Allroad didn’t handle as well as my Alfas, it wasn’t as practical and as reliable as my Land Cruisers, and it wasn’t as much fun as my 1965 Caddy convertible or 1968 Jeepster. But its combination of elegant styling, superb build quality, comfort, cargo capacity, and all weather capability made it by far the best all-around daily driver I’ve had in 55 years of motoring. What BMW fan boys don’t understand (and I’ve owned 4 BMWs including a 2002 way back in 1968) is what Audis lacked in cornering ability they more than made up for by their remarkable composure at high speed on the motorway. The combination of full-time four wheel drive and a heavy front end made them feel like locomotives when traveling at high speeds - and this (at least for me) made them marvellous companions on long drives.

[@joanbrown9376]

Great entertainment Harry. The difficulty is that running these hugely complicated engines is a nightmare in the real world. It also marks the point at which changing the engine oil & filter at much more frequent intervals than recommended by the manufacturer does not all-but exclude the possibility of catastrophic failure. It might not charm the Burghers at Audi, but including a couple of quotes for clutch/DMF replacement could be useful for peeps tempted to start mooching around the classifieds…………

[@robertp.wainman4094]

I started 'mooching' some years ago......but then looked at the possible expense ahead!

[@jo05dk]

Absolutely an icon, imho. I LOVE the design of that era of Audi, especially this car. ..or the privious RS6, the B5 RS6. Amazing looking cars. ..and their interior has aged a lot better than the B6 A6 and B8 A4, with their tiny screens looking rather old by now. I do love it when you revisit these older but great cars. I'm old enough to remember how the motoring press was astonished by this car, and the launch of the R8. Fun times back then.

[@AMSillje]

A sunday treat, thank you Harry!

[@BrunoLopes-lc9kw]

very easy to fall in love with these every-day-subtle-type-vehicles hiding a humungous powerful and fun engine

[@longtailgt]

This was the peak era of Audi by far! Absolutely beautiful subtle styling, glorious engine, fantastic real world practicality and usability, no fidgety gimmicks in the interior or unnecessary tech, and all without too many sacrifices in the performance or the driving experience. It's exactly the sort of car we petrolheads desperately yearn to own.

[@gregmorgan8350]

I did over 200,000 km in my B7 RS4 and absolutely loved it. So much fun and very reliable except for carbon build up in intake manifold and valves

[@neiljay]

How often does the engine require decarbonising ?

[@rv9990]

​@@neiljayreally depends on usage. Cars that drive little, cold miles on low revs, often have more carbon buildup. Cars that drive 100miles every time they are started with good (98+) fuel and high revs often have less buildup. But a cleaning every 50k miles definitely is advised

[@GregMorgan-pj6lg]

Can’t remember exactly but the problem returned about 50-80k km after first decarb (heads off, valves out etc). I sold it before doing the second clean as the work was going to cost more than car was worth at the time (2015)

[@graysono]

How neat was that car!! Funny how we don't seem to get as impressed by new car launches so much today. Loved how you turned the Fog lights on before you drove off so people could see you coming. Manual Daytime Running Lights!

[@rogerwatt3154]

I think we aren't as impressed by new car launches these days because most new cars are now too big, too fat, too heavy, too ugly, too techy and not distinctive.

[@GuntherövonFick]

Absolutely love the car, have a 2008 Avant myself. Like all cars it has its own little things that you need to know and keep it serviced. Its reliable as it can get, just love it!

[@jamessheehy4895]

Stunning in grey and avant always wanted one

[@noonehere1793]

I had a B5 RS4 avant and i loved it, it was perhaps the perfect car of its time. I graduated to a Q7 S line and then on to my current SQ8 which is the perfect (mostly) car for me of this current time. It is a brute!

[@willemp6432]

I love that motor. My friend had one in the south of Germany. Lots of drives on the Autobahn. 🏆🏅♥

[@Hopgop1]

I don't have a family/dogs so I don't need an estate. A saloon B7 in sprint blue is on my bucket list of cars to own. Absolutely stunning without being OTT, practical, fairly reliable even if the maintenance was expensive. Really, really want to own one.

[@alarak2159]

Wonderful vid. Loved this era for Audi - feel like much of their design is far to garish now. This feels balanced, composed yet backed with uncompromising build quality.

[@albertperks3476]

I always liked those red digital readouts - it's almost a shame we have colour displays. Enjoyed the 3 Audi's of that era I owned very well put together.

[@The96355]

Harry didn't mention that by todays standards it's a small car, one of the things I love about it. Cheers.

[@loonytoon8836]

One of the many reasons I still love my B6 Avant.

[@charlesthoburn2134]

I had a saloon new in 2006, slightly off with 0 to 100 Harry, it did it in 10.5

[@Timrud1]

Really enjoying these re-visit videos, keep them up! Thanks

[@caryg4638]

You said it: High piston speeds is the answer for how you can achieve high torque and high revs from a naturally aspirated motor, but it isn't easy to make a motor capable of this (think Cosworth's Valkyrie engine and Murray's T50). The benefits of going oversquare with engine set up (like a Porsche or Subaru) is that you can get high revs without fast piston speeds, because the strokes are short. This type of engine has high horsepower but lower torque. But with long stroke (relative to the bore), or under square engines, as Harry said, it gives you the higher torque, but typically fewer revs. To achieve a car like Audi, where you get the high torque but also high horsepower (high revs), you need the engine to also be able to withstand high piston speeds in order to do similar revs as an over square engine. If you can do this, you get high torque because of the stroke, but then the high rpm. Cool stuff.

[@maxtorque2277]

Great video Harry, can i add one small point of order in that long stroke engines do NOT make more torque due to the length of the stroke! For a FIXED swept capacity, whilst a longer stroke means more leverage (increased crank radius), it necessarily must also mean a comensurally smaller bore (cylinder capacity is proportional to stroke x bore) and these balance out! So yes the piston acts on the crank with more leverage but the force the piston applies is smaller by an equal amount! It's worth noting that back in the day we thought of long stroke (under square) engines as "high torque", but really what we actually meant was "low power" compared to a large bore (over square geometry) engine. The reason a small bore means "less power" is actually entirely due to valve area limitation and increase friction (higher average piston velocity) You can fit a greater valve area into a larger bore, and greater area can flow more air, which means you can make more power. However you can still make reasonable torque because peak torque normally occurs at a lower rpm than peak power and hence the inlet valve area can be enough to still generate sufficient cylinder filling to make decent torque. Without the ability to make high power at high rpm it was a natural tendancy of car reviewers and owners to think the car was more torquey, simply because the engine didn't perform as well at the top end, which make the mid range feel stronger, despite the fact that an engine with better cylinder filling actually makes more torque at ALL speeds! Before switchable inlet geometery (ie varriable length inlet manifolds) were a thing, the compromise on inlet runner length and hence the engine speed at which the inlet would "tune" and boost cylinder filling and torque was a real problem. You could fit long manifolds to boost mid range torque (great in the real world) or fit short runners and loose mid range but gain top end (nice on the spec sheet (ie high bhp/litre!) and in a race, but really for most normal drivers more "pub ammo" than being that useful day to day Also, how nice does the E46 M3 look! BMW absolutely nailed the stance on this car, particularly around the rear wheels and arches! Lovely colour too 🙂

[@maxtorque2277]

BTW the long stroke in this case (RS4) was entirely necessary in order to shorten the length of the V8! Small bore allows for a shoter engine and the taller engine isn't an issue in a saloon with a high bonnet line. This helped to get a slightly better front / rear mass distribution with the 4x4 architecture slinging the engine out entirely in front of the front axle line...

[@dair919]

I've always loved the look of the b7. This and the MK1 R8 are the best looking Audis to date. IMO of course Might aswell review the e9x M3 and C63 next 😅

[@btownballer27]

B5S4 is also a beautiful car imo. My good friend has one in Imola yellow 🤤

[@richardwalther6229]

I had the 2005 S4 sedan manual. Still one of the best sounding V8 engines of all time. And a champion oil-drinker as well. If not for ubiquitous turbo charging and then electrification, the RS4 would still be one of the world’s fastest cars - it was one of the first to reach the legendary status of 100hp per liter.

[@hellospaceman]

There are many engines that predate the RS4's V8 for producing 100hp/litre, or more: - S54B32 in the E46 M3: 107hp/litre (2000) - F20C in the S2000: 119hp/litre (1999) - JDM models actually produced 125hp/litre - B16B in the EK9 Civic Type R: 113hp/litre (1997) - F129 in the Ferrari 355: 107hp/litre (1994)

[@MrGwaldo]

They never make the stated power though. More like 380bhp. Great car though and I’d love this Avant.

[@clardrives9301]

Such a great car, I was like six years old when it came out, always been one of those childhood dream cars back from the good old naturally aspirated days…

[@bobgees793]

I had a black saloon back in ‘09 for 2.5yrs. As you say, great build quality, sounded and looked great etc. I didn’t realise there was an option for fabric centres on the wingback seats as on this particular example. One thing which failed twice on mine was the DRC - you knew about it as it felt like tyre pressures were low. They were also known for engines to coke up and many were down on power as a result (380ish vs 420ps). In 2012 I changed for one of the last E92 M3 competitions and was much happier with the handling. The RS4 was just too nose heavy and although I loved so much about it, it wasn’t a car I wanted to get up early on a Sun morning for a blast down the lanes. Try an M3 Comp E92 gen next for comparison. Oh the brakes aren’t good but that’s typical of BMW

[@harrywilkinson444]

I suppose the RS4 was a better daily driver? The M3 has port injection so no carbon deposit issues there. Do you remember the reg of your m3? I've not found the original owner of mine yet haha

[@andrewlucas6214]

Ma y have been an earlier model but, the scene from the film layer cake makes this a film icon.

[@JIMMYHIBBS1]

So nice knowing any noise is real noise, and not piped in

[@Ground53]

Always a great way to end the weekend, another great video from Harry's garage.Long may they continue.

[@rabihbadr54]

Great car for short trips to the mechanic's shop.

[@GlennsCarCollection]

Great video. I am a BMW guy owning many E46 and E90 M3’s but that RS4 V8 is special. I reviewed an RS4 Wagon on my channel that was straight piped and to this day it was one of my favorite cars I have ever driven. It sold at auction a few years ago for over $80k. I should have bought it

[@Wargasm54]

Always been an AMG guy. But I do want this Audi. Brilliant.

[@MikeWalls7829]

As a rs4 b7 owner myself, I chuckle when you top out 2nd gear knowing that you're doing 75mph before you change into 3rd, which tops out at 105 ish, this car is wasted on the public roads! Open A roads are where this car wants to live and it's magnificent!

[@MegaRetr]

Great car and lovely review.

[@markaldridge2531]

It seems to be like one of those "I missed the boat moments again"! If honest the RS6 Avant floated my boat more, but either is cool. It seems that men of a certain age prefer estates, especially very rapid ones. Lovely car, lovely to see it highlighted again.

[@bisi3082]

Top tier KZbin content - what a man

[@TheGoose98]

11:17 that shot is just beautiful!

[@tacodias]

No Harry! I’m saving up for one and you just boosted their prices!

[@murrieteacher]

One of the greats. I still want one. Thanks Harry.

[@markwhitaker3673]

I ran a B6 S4 for 15 years from new and wanted an RS4 Avant pretty badly-of course we never got one here in the US although a couple were created by private owners at great expense. What a car-my all-time favorite estate along with the RS2. Thanks for the review Harry-first rate as always.

[@wyntog]

It's such a shame that the US doesn't get the fast Audi Avant (wagon) models. Here in Europe I see more wagons than I do sedans and I think they look so much better. Another beautiful car that you miss out on is the Alpina B3 Touring - they look stunning in green!

[@iantownsend500]

Easily my favourite RS4, understated & sounds fabulous

[@scottjohnson4319]

What a great blast from the past. I definitely have a place in my heart for one of these and good to get Harry's take on it.

[@eboucher19682103]

It was just a great car!! Would still buy it today in 2023! The sound is amazing!

[@speedshed]

Great re-visit of a great RS Audi. I’m hopefully planting the seed for you to review one of my favourite coupes…the B8 or B8.5 V8 Audi RS5.

[@davebarnett4262]

Cheers Harry - still on my dream car list...

[@danamoore793]

Harry I loved the video. Maybe a video on an older RS5 down the road. Another beautiful example of peak Audi!

[@professorcalculus5315]

Wow what a motor, so nice to hear an N/A unit rev.

[@johnandrews3568]

Harry on your walk around you didn't mention the wide-body fender flares unique to the S-RS4s that make it look so much more menacing than the regular A4s. The RS4 is a beast and while other cars may be faster, it's the best visceral driving experience in that segment IMO.

[@lancegallant3647]

hell ya bro they rule

[@735337707]

Unless it's slippery. Then it wants to go straight.

[@odfkjdhgovj]

I think this is the Audi RS I would buy if I could pick one. Great engine, great noise, practical in avant form, well set up for all year/all weather use in the UK. The subtle yet purposeful and aggressive looks are perfect for a car like this I think. Would like to see you revisit the W204 C63 at some point. (unless you already have and I’ve missed it) Great video as always, Harry. No bullshit, no overexcited silliness and some actual information about the engine rather than just the size and power output, like most KZbin car channels.

[@pansho550F]

My fav Audi ever, even the normal A4 avant looks great, thanks!

[@-DC-]

Peak Audi, Perfect Combination of looks power sound and interior 😍

[@jonnyhorsfield5942]

I have both estate and saloon as part of my collection. They are brilliant day to day cars. Fast, compact and FUN! I also have a project 8 and a 991 GT3 RS and my RS4 is my winter run about. Get one for 20k with maybe 80k miles.

[@ThexMJT]

The Audi and BMW V8's at that time were fantastic to hear, both sound amazing.

[@dem8667]

Brilliant car had one for 18 months Made u feel like senna as it gave u so much confidence Generally reliable...had a few problems but that noise... It felt like there was a thunderstorm under the bonnet...best way i can describe it...probably only car i regret selling. Rear leg room is pretty crap and ive kids now but it is just about a fanily car

[@tmh44]

Still one of my favorite cars that I've ever driven...basically perfect right out of the box. If you can find a nice one, buy it now and enjoy the ride (both the driving and likely value appreciation!)

[@garethgale2051]

This is literally my favourite car. I hope to own one someday!

[@joep4224]

Me too, I bought my R32 Golf thinking it is the baby version of it.... still saving