Take five seconds and think about a fast estate car…We’ll wait. It’s likely that, what popped into your head was an Audi. Afterall, Audi have arguably the most complete back catalogue of performance wagons. You might have thought of a very early 100 Avant or perhaps you thought of a V10-powered RS6, either way chances are it had four rings on the grille.

Infact, any fast estate you thought of is likely a good choice. But, if you want to talk about peak fast estate car, the conversation must first start with the B7 RS4. On paper, sure it’s pretty impressive, but in reality for a few years prior you’d already been able to buy an A4 Avant with a 4.2-litre V8 in the form of an S4 both in B6 and B7 guise. So why is it so highly regarded?

Audi managed to sprinkle some magic into the RS4, it’s hard to define in more than it’s just special, it makes what should be an ordinary estate car, an event to drive. On the Nando’s scale of Audi estates, the base spec A4 is plain-ish, the S4, medium and the RS4, with it’s extra wide DTM inspired arches and gargantuan brakes, well thats a hot, with a side of spicy rice.

This particular car, is a good’un. Finished in Daytona Grey it does exactly what an RS4 should do, flies under the radar. Those in the know, like you, you’ll spot it. But to the rest of the world, it’s just an Audi estate. The grey paintwork is in excellent shape, there are a handful of stone chips, which of course are to be expected of a car of this age. The paintwork was subjected to a full ceramic coating and the front end has been protected by PPF.

The wheels are free from any nasty curb-rashes, a now iconic wheel design, they’re wrapped in a matching set of Pirelli P-Zero tyres. Externally, you’ll note that the car benefits from being optioned from the factory with the black-optics pack which removes any chrome from the window surrounds, grille and roof bars.

Step inside and you’re immediately greeted by the incredibly desirable Recaro “Wing-back” bucket seats, in this case in black leather with contrasting silver stitching. The wingback seat options also give you an active bolster that is fully functional and engages with sportmode to hold you tighter as you press on, not that you would of course, this is after all, a sensible estate car!

There is a flat-bottom sports steering wheel, carbon fibre trim throughout and a sunroof to allow more light into the cabin. The interior does also benefit from some optional extras, both front and rear seats are heated and there is a £2,000 optional technology pack which today has been upgraded to a Pioneer unit that includes Apple Car Play & Android Auto.

Under the bonnet is where the party really starts, it’s a 4.2-litre naturally aspirated V8, mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. From the factory, it produced around 414bhp, but this is no ordinary RS4. This one has been to visit the team at MRC Tuning who dutifully equipped it with their “Stage 2” package, which has taken the power figure right up to 443bhp.

Whils the car was with them, it also underwent some preventative maintenance. A full-decoke has cleaned out the engine internals of any built up carbon deposits to ensure free flowing gasses and “de-flapped” the inlet manifold to prevent future failures. Alongside that work, they changed the gearbox oil and differential oil.

The suspension hasn’t been ignored either, the car was originally equipped with Audi’s Dynamic Ride Control. Ironically, there were some complaints with the DRC system fitted that ride comfort was less than ideal, they’re also costly to repair and maintain. In this case, the DRC units have been replaced with Koni coilovers that offer excellent ride comfort and great handling to boot.

Regular and thorough maintenance is key to ensuring the longevity of these RS4s. Whilst they might look like an average saloon or estate, they’re high performance machines. Thankfully, this example has been maintained to the highest standard and the collection of invoices, which include the original invoice, show the following service records:

04/2008 - 13,767 miles - Finchley Road Audi
04/2009 - 21,420 miles - Finchley Road Audi
02/2010 - 35,052 miles - West London Audi
11/2011 - 49,139 miles - Finchley Road Audi
04/2013 - 53,758 miles - Finchley Road Audi
09/2014 - 61,796 miles - Finchley Road Audi
04/2016 - 68,919 miles - Finchley Road Audi
05/2017 - 72,723 miles - Finchley Road Audi
02/2019 - 81,936 miles - Little & Pace Audi
03/2020 - 82,231 miles - Little & Pace Audi
04/2021 - 83,390 miles - Little & Pace Audi
04/2022 - 89,530 miles - Little & Pace Audi
03/2023 - 93,558 Miles - MRC Tuning Ltd
03/2024 - 95,939 miles - VAS Motion

Undoubtably, the B7 generation RS4 will go down in history. It was produced in a period of intense competition, of who could seemingly build the most ludicrous car. Any choice from that era is good, whether it be a 6.2-litre Mercedes, 4.0-litre BMW or the RS4, but ultimately one provides the most complete package, and that is the RS4.

A manual gearbox, a naturally aspirated V8, and enough space to get the dog to puppy-day-care in quite literally no time at all. What more could you ask for?

Duke of London

Duke of London

Duke of London

Duke of London

Duke of London

Duke of London

Duke of London

Duke of London

Duke of London

Duke of London

Duke of London

Duke of London

Duke of London