The RS 4 Avant is a seriously fun longroof, but alas, the undisputed leader in this particular segment is the M3 Touring. Despite being a wee bit heavier than the four-ringed station wagon, the Bimmer makes easy work of the Audi in a straight line.
France's Motorsport Magazine has recently pitted the D-segment wagons over a kilometer, which converts to 0.62 miles. The less powerful RS 4 Avant clocked a very impressive 22.3 seconds over the standing kilometer, whereas the M3 Touring finished the dig race in a staggering 20.8 clicks.
From the very start, it's easy to see how much the Audi struggles against its Bavarian rival. Then again, BMW and the M division calibrate launch control systems better than pretty much everybody else in the high-performance segment. The M3 Touring keeps putting the distance between it and the Audi as it reaches the 1,000-meter finish line without breaking a sweat, partly because it's 60 metric ponies up on the V6-powered RS 4 Avant.
Over in Europe, max output numbers are 510 ps (503 horsepower) and 650 Nm (479 pound-feet) versus 450 ps (444 horsepower) and 600 Nm (442 pound-feet). Both rock a similar transmission (ZF's 8HP torque-converter automatic), but under the hood, they couldn't be more different: 3.0L twin-turbo I6 for the BMW and 2.9L twin-turbo V6 for the Audi. We also have to remember that BMW has vastly underestimated the max output figures on a plethora of models, beginning with those powered by the B58 engine from which the S58 is derived.
Tipping the scales at 1,837 and 1,822 kilograms (4,050 and 4,017 pounds), these wagons are separated by a 10,800-euro gap in starting price in their native Germany. At press time, Audi's configurator shows 90,500 euros for the most basic specification, which is 98,430 freedom eagles at current exchange rates. The M3 Touring starts at €101,300 or just around $110,200 as of May 2024.
Photo: Motorsport Magazine on YouTube
While it may seem expensive compared to the M3 Competition xDrive Sedan for the US market ($84,300), bear in mind that value-added tax is a thing in the European Union. The same can be said about fleet-average CO2 emission targets, and the United Kingdom goes even further with the ZEV.
The ZEV mandate requires every automaker present in the United Kingdom to sell at least 22 percent zero-emission vehicles in 2024. By 2030, the ZEV target will be 80 percent. Automakers that are not able to meet said quotas will face pretty serious fines, namely 15,000 pounds sterling or just over $19,020 per new vehicle sold that isn't compliant.
In the United States, the fleet-average gas mileage is how the NHTSA likes to roll. Corporate average fuel economy standards explain the increasingly evident push toward hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles. Toyota is the undisputed leader in the hybrid space, whereas Tesla dominates every other automaker out there in electric vehicle sales.
Speaking of which, the next-generation RS 4 Avant will go plug-in hybrid rather than fully electric. BMW, on the other hand, is preparing a Neue Klasse-based M3 EV that will join the fossil-fuel model. Naturally, the latter is expected with a degree of hybrid assistance.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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