Audi S4, RS4, RSQ8: When they’re calling last drinks …

It’s a celebration of performance quattro cars …. from the subtle to the ultimate stomper … as changing times approach.

WHO will bet against the respective heir apparents to the blitzers here being even quicker off the mark, perhaps faster overall, more aerodynamic, higher tech, a lot cheaper to refuel and … inevitably … a lot less raucous? 

Just reiterating – and not doing so cheerily, in case you’re wondering – that what you see here is doomed. 

Not straight away. Not for ages, actually. But ultimately. They have no future.

Because? Well, I know it’s tiresome and perhaps even disheartening to hear, but the future is electric. And not just partially so, with the 48 volt assist and plug-in tech we have now.

Ultimately, there will be no room for fossil fuels. Perhaps even before there are no fossil fuels. 

But those days have yet to come. In the meantime, we pump on. Perhaps with thought that, if and when you’re personally going to have to face up to making a flying farewell to burning hydrocarbons, it’ll be in roaring style.

There are plenty of old-style performance opportunities to hook up to, but today’s focus is on three common purpose cars from a brand that has made quattro a household name. And, in doing so, has developed a wide spread of fare that often wins credit as being ultimate daily-driver performance cars, through melding sometimes brute force with all-weather traction, comfort, space.

The RSQ8 sports utility, RS4 and S4 Avants have broad commonality in purpose; they’re all aiming to deliver some degree of practicality with pace. In addition, they’re all jam-packed with safety and assistance tech.

Adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist that can steer, brake and accelerate autonomously at slow speeds, an exit warning system for avoiding dooring cyclists, active lane assist to steer the car between the lines, a swerve avoidance system, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind spot warning, high beam assist and rear cross traffic alert … a lot of cars could stop there and look good, but for Audi these are just a few of many common enabling elements spanning all three. Multiple airbags are standard, as are 360-degree surround cameras and auto parking functionality. As well as all that, each delivers a lot of luxury. 

Do the salient points of difference come down to how they perform against the clock? Obviously, that will be considered because … well, that’s the game they play. In saying that, if you’re talking about which makes the heart beat fastest, let’s just agree now that even the tamest, the S4, is still a titan. It has more than enough oomph to run rings around our driving condition.

So there’s this, and of course, there’s the size of spend, which today ranges from a small fortune to … erm … a somewhat larger one. How imperative is that? Is it fair to assume the more you spend, the more you get?

Time to consider the options ….

S4 Avant

Price: $122,500

Powertrain and economy: 3.0-litre twin turbo-petrol V6, 260kW/500Nm, eight-speed automatic, AWD, combined economy 7.9 L/100km, CO2 179g/km.

Vital statistics: 4745mm long, 1842mm wide, 1411mm high, 2825mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 500 litres, 19-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Feistier feel, strong drivetrain, wagon practicality.

We don't like: Dated and awkward infotainment, inevitable dynamic limitations.

 INGOLSTADT’S ‘S’-badged cars tend to ultimately have a tough assignment; they’re obviously more performance-focussed than the standard models they derive from yet are clearly destined to be outshone by the harder-edged RS product.

Even so, it’s reasonable to say the bar keeps rising, and it does so for all. That shows with this model; today’s S4 is as grunty as yesterday’s RS4. So though the 0-100km time of 4.8 seconds has been bettered by the next-step-up Renn Sport edition, by all means the S4 cannot be considered tepid in any way, not for punch, nor for pedigree.

Especially not the latter. If you’re among those who wonder if the S4 is just as much about elegance as it is about being an entertaining drive, bear in mind now that one of the powerplant’s attractions is that it was co-developed with Porsche. Not a brand known for being half-hearted about grunt.

In updated form, this unit is packing significantly more heat than it did previously. You be forgiven for not immediately twigging to this, because it doesn’t explode into existence like the RS’s engine, instead delivering just enough of a subtle thrum to tell you this is no ordinary Audi. Of course, you need just give it a touch of squirt to discover there’s a lot of impatient energy waiting to be released, but even when it is is, there’s nothing too raucous about.

 Which is to be expected. The entire ideology of this breed depends on it. While it’s arguable whether ‘S’ cars are still halfway house choices, it’s still clear that the letter could easily be a shorthand for ‘sleeper’. In look, if not necessarily action. Audi recognises not everyone desires full RS brashness. Some prefer a more civilised, velvet glove approach. That’s this car’s job. And it does it very well.

It’s not so innocuous as to be anonymous, yet the approach is more careful and considered than with anything coming out of RS. Avoiding the outrageous means no flared wheel-arches, no rear wing and only the slightest hint of menace from the quad exhaust pipes, subtle body kit and 19-inch alloy wheels.

A predator hiding in plain sight? You’re onto it. Though, truth be told, the camouflage has slipped a bit in latest form. For one, just the small shift to a racier wheel styling for this mid-life facelift has been enough to less covert in its intentions. No complaint, either; that adjustment – plus some trim and minor styling changes – are good for the car. 

Also, while the idle is refined, that’s not to say it lacks an aural signature. As the revs rise this direct and multipoint injection unit gathers quite a lot of  volume and pitch, not outright Ray Winston gravelly but instead higher-toned, yet nonetheless delivering a beautifully modulated timbre. This time, too, the song is natural rather than computer-enhanced. It’ll rev happily right to redline and you wouldn't know it was turboed, either, if not for a faint whistle, such is the crispness. No exhaust burps, growls and pops, though … it’s just not kind of car.

The car’s laidback styling ambience is blown apart by the acceleration; the thrust is surprisingly mega and, of course, as in the others here, nothing is wasted in wheelspin. The back end hunkers, there’s a bit of squirm and then you’re off. As entertaining as that side is, the better and more informative thrill comes from feeling how effortlessly muscular it is in the 80kmh to … well, best not say, range.

That’s reflective of how it generates peak torque from just 1370rpm and sustains it until 4500rpm. With peak power occurring between 5400rpm and 6400rpm, you might wonder if it has any gaps in the oomph, but I couldn’t discern it. When full boost hits, it pushes with astoundingly resolute determination. The claimed 0-100kmh sprint time now is only just fractionally better than that quoted for its predecessor but don’t sweat that. What’s more worth sharing is that it's on par with the 2015 RS4 Avant, regardless that the latter has more power. 

The eight-speed ZF transmission is a superb accomplice, slipping through gears snappily, though not with the ferocity found in the other models here. Nonetheless, it is a good consort and unafraid of actioning into a sporty driving mood, with rapid downshifts slotting in at 5500rpm.Alternately, it will behave with full civility when cruising.

The full-time quattro AWD system shuffles up to 85 percent torque to the rear axle via a mechanical centre diff, while defaulting to 40/60 front/rear when cruising, and grip levels are compelling.

The rear-end propulsion bias gives the car a nice balance through corners when pushing; that the S4 sits 23mm lower to the ground than regular A4 models and has fat performance-tuned rubber also allows it to have a higher cornering speed threshold. Ultimately, though, it always maintains as a really well-sorted road car; again because that’s just expected of the type. A full-out racer for the road feel is an RS remit. All the same, even at S level there is relatively little body roll or pitch, with ride firmness increasing when the dampers are set to Sport.

 Steering isn’t as brilliant for feel here as with the RS4, but it’s more on top of things in respect to accuracy and the specification delivers decent brakes, notably 350mm front discs with six-piston callipers, so if you need to pull up quickly, it’ll oblige.

In terms of cabin fitout and comfort goes, it’s not quite RS in that there’s carbon fibre inlays but the seats aren’t to the fullest sporty styling, yet you know it’s definitely a step up from the mainstream.

The luxury is right up there and though it has slipped a little on the technology side, mainly in respect to infotainment and instrumentation – the RSQ8 is a generation ahead of both Avants in that respect, with its full glasshouse dash, more advanced MMI interface and integrated wireless charging and Apple CarPlay hook-up (here, you need a USB cable) -  neither does it feel outmoded. Though maybe it will in a year or two. The flat-bottom steering wheel is the same as in the RS4, but without some of features.

The A4 Avant is not quite large enough to come across as being commodious – for that, you need the A6 – but there's reasonable room for rear seat passengers and the luggage space is fair, expanding three-fold with seats down.

Audi’s S models are good go-to cars for getting a sense on how Audi enables improvement; they’re all smarter and sharper than their predecessors. The S4, now, has crept so closely to the RS4’s territory you wonder what the next move could be.

RS4 Avant

Price: $153,500

Powertrain and economy: 3.0-litre twin turbo-petrol V6, 331kW/600Nm, eight-speed automatic, AWD, combined economy 9.2L/100km, CO2 208g/km.

Vital statistics: 4781mm long, 1866mm wide, 1404mm high, 2826mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 505 litres, 20-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Still the best RS, awesome on a windy road, only slightly pricier than an S4.

We don't like: Same infotainment quirks as S4.

ONCE it was The One for our market – now it’s just one of many.

Audi’s performance division has been banging out RS cars since 1994 but they aren’t always as they used to be. The RS badge attaches to a massive family and, with consumer tastes having now swerved tangibly toward sports utilities, the strongest sellers are increasingly based on higher-riding vehicles.

That’s been a bonus for Kiwis. RS car production has steadily bumped up over the years and a fair few have come to New Zealand, enough to often give us the world’s best per capita ownership in any given year, mainly because we seem to embrace everything that joins this clan.

Where does that leave original flavour product such as the RS4? Thankfully, still in the hunt. As much as the swing toward sports utility-based editions is now obvious and these have taken over as the preferred choices, the distributor has never countenanced quietly slipping the Franken-A4-stein wagon out to retirement.

Instead, it remains in the pack, trading less spectacularly than it once did but still solidly enough on strength of provisioning supercar-rivalling stonk and dynamic purity in a package perfectly sized and sorted for our driving condition and style. The world’s best warp-speed wagon? I always thought so and driving the 2020 update does nothing to alter that view.

Even so, the S4 should conceivably have this car rattled, because it has become better than ever. Or so it might seem until driving the RS4. As much as the underling has something of the same panache, practicality and even performance punch, it still doesn’t blend those factors quite as completely and competently as the RS4 manages.

Sure, it has changed, most obviously when the 4.2-litre V8 was dropped, as it had to be. Do we miss the old engine? Logically, we shouldn’t. Today’s biturbo outputs the same power and a lot more torque, drinks less fuel and is demonstrably a better drive. But honestly … well, yeah, there’s still a twinge at emotional level. If I had a chance to reacquaint, well … it’d be hard to say no.

At same token, the RS4 is still a hero and a special thing; a well-crafted, belting monster all-rounder occupying its own rarefied market segment.

What’s changed for the 2020 model year? Not too much, all in all.

Trainspotters will cite those funky LED lamp clusters front and rear, which have distinctive patterns within them, and the triple-slats cut into the nose of the car above the radiator grille as adjustments of significance. Less well-informed punters might not even realise they were absent previously.

Mainly, it’s no more altered than the S4 has been. The 20-inch alloys have been restyled but none of the bodywork. Inside the 12.3-inch 'Virtual Cockpit' dashboard has been refreshed, as have the graphics on the 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen sitting perched atop the dash. As in the S4, this still looks a bit dated and operationally is a bit of a pain; mainly because it looks like a touch screen but isn’t. Instead, you need work through the menus with a toggle. Such is the pace of change within cockpits, right? A few years ago, this was state of the art. But now fully modern Audis all have three screens and haptic – even touchless – everything, it’s all a bit ancient.

Moving on to the drivetrain. All the core outputs, consumption and performance data appears to be a re-read of the material first issued several years ago. There are technical revisions, but the biggest influence on the way the car performs results from it going on a diet.

The 2020 version is an astounding 45kg lighter than the pre-facelift model. You’d think they’d need to drop something major, perhaps a seat, to achieve that, but in fact it’s all behind the scenes. Or, at least, the door and roof coverings and the firewall as Audi attributes this to a reduction in sound-deadening, in the main. For all that, it’s not a distractingly noisy car when on the move; yes, there’s tyre roar over coarse chip, but that’s always been a factor and doesn’t seem any more intrusive now.

Refined? Not really. Unsurprisingly, because it is a high-tier performer and because Germany has smooth roads, NZ doesn’t (and guess which surfaces the RS was tuned for) even the softest suspension tune is firmer than the equivalent in S4 format.

However it’s not as race car rigid as previously, which reinforces brand contention that the adaptively damped setup has been reworked to engender some amount of elasticity, this to enhance ride comfort without sacrificing an iota of the iron-fisted body control.

Apparently, the gearbox has been recalibrated to improve shift times, while the quattro system is also tweaked, though it continues to favour a 40:60 front-to-rear-torque split, sending as much as 85 percent of torque to the back axle when required.

Little refinements, yes, and in isolation it might be challenging to determine how different the car is now against how it used to be, but what does impress is the high ongoing degree of driver involvement.

Traditional quattro talents are strong with all three cars here, but out of the trio on test it’s the RS4 that has the most naturally gifted handling. Those able to recognise that driver engagement relies just as strongly on dynamic finesse as it does immense traction and grip will have a ball. 

Assuredly, it demands a racetrack if you are of a mind to push it hard enough to make it dance – and, assuredly, too, the hard-out settings that best suit the circuit are too overt for anywhere else - but even at sensible clip on engaging roads, it remains an especially involving car, capable of devastating displays of adhesion, pace and competence. And because it is less jumpy and jittery over surfaces, it is easier to place on the road and point through corners. With that in mind, a shout out for the steering; it's feel will restore faith in Audi Sport's engineers.

The hardest thing is harnessing the pace; once it’s on the boil, this engine really steams. You learn that ‘fast’ translates to something more extreme in German. It demands to be worked and rewards with a stunning soundtrack and impressive punch.

For all that, it needn’t have to be the utter hoon all the time. An ability to ‘mix ‘n match’ the car’s drivetrain and dynamic settings has long been a plus point. You might – actually WILL - want the dynamic engine/exhaust map cos it sounds fantastic, but could also prefer the softer ‘comfort’ suspension and steering. The RS buttons on the steering wheel are memory functions that can be used as shortcuts directly to your favourite settings.

Specific sports displays, a sports steering wheel, sports seats bulky enough to erode rear legroom (who cares, right?) and a few RS logos are all requisite and provided, but beyond that it is trimmed as equally for luxury as for hot-lapping. It feels beautifully put together with quality leathers for the seats and neat carbonfibre/metal trim pieces.

Such is the pace of technology change that the RS4 is fast heading into the realms of ‘old school.’ Yet what appeals, still, is what has appealed previously. As a fast and very serious road car, the RS4 remains very well judged. It’s a fine, thrilling and utterly addictive machine that also happens to be an effective hold-all.

RSQ8

Price: $254,650 as tested.

Powertrain and economy: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, 441kW/800Nm, 8-speed automatic, AWD, combined economy 12.1L/100km, CO2 278g.

Vital statistics: 5012mm long, 1998mm wide, 1694mm high, 2998mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 605 litres, 23-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Astounding technology exercise, great looker. 

We don't like: Ultimately, an unconscionable exercise.

BLAME, or thank, Porsche … they took us down this route with the original Cayenne Turbo.

You know the story. Ridiculed on arrival, with purists pondering what damage to brand pedigree and purity this monster might wreck, Cayenne became a saviour, a best-seller and brilliant profit centre. And a pathfinder. 

So many more of its kind since; some specialising in luxury, others trading on that plus, as this one does, hyper-performance. Almost all stomping all over environmental and efficiency sensitivities, every one destined to fall into a folder labelled ‘particularly divisive.’

Volkswagen Group is a dab hand. Q8, the Bentley Bentayga, Lamborghini Urus, the Audi Q7, VW Touareg and, yes, the latest Cayenne? All off a common platform. Smart, right? 

So, quite a big gang of gangsters, then, and in some ways the RSQ8 could well be considered a potential mob leader; it’s basically a Urus with a German accent but shaped and kitted way better. (Sorry Lambo, but a fat SUV with vaguely Murcielago style cues looks even weirder than a Cayenne with a 911 schnooze).

It’s an interesting and intriguing play, not least because it arrives just when Ingolstadt has deeply immersed in the electric car scene. If any Audi stood out as the epitome of an ‘anti e-tron’, it surely has to be this machine: A super swanky, two tonne five-seater SUV coupe battering ram with a thundering 4.0-litre biturbo V8 – plucked from the RS6 Avant and RS7 Sportback –tuned to take it to the far side of 300kmh, possibly downing more fuel in that moment than the Chatham Island’s petrol station dispenses in a day when doing so.

Still, until there’s a law against it, why not? Anyway, setting aside all the ethical arguments, it has to be said that the RSQ8 is a heck of a technical achievement. And not a bad looker, either. All ultra-modern vorsprung with just a hint of villainy, and the classic RS hallmarks of  a giant honeycomb grille, air intakes, body-coloured wheel arch spats, plus a deck spoiler and a pair of oval twin-pipes. Nicely nasty. 

Colossal alloy wheels – 22s as standard, 23s an option that looked real good on the test example – are an awesome finishing touch. As said, if you’re going to end this petrol addiction period with a bang, best make it a big one.

The big rims are requisite; RS cars have big brakes. Or, in this instance, BIG brakes. These are 420mm front discs gripped by 10-piston, callipers, while the rear discs are 370mm items. And that's the standard spec, because RS ceramic brakes are an option, which are stepped up to 440mm rotors at the nose.

The need to scale up is obvious when this thing is measured or put on the scales; an RSQ8 not only takes up a fair bit of road space – it’s not tall or overly long, but is wide – and also tips the scales at 2315kg without so much as a driver onboard.

It takes a special kind of drivetrain and chassis setup to accomplish the mission of moving this amount of mass at high speed, not just down straights but also safely around corners. That and a whole lot of engineering talent.

Even taking onboard the engine’s robust outputs, I figured the Audi couldn’t possibly be as whacko wild as the Urus, which I’ve driven. So wrong. The Lamborghini effort is louder (and no surprise there), but you’d need to organise a drag race to sort which was quicker; on gut feel, the RSQ8 is right on the Italian job’s pace. It steps off and charges like holy stink, whipping through the legal highway limit with such insouciance owners might care to travel with a lawyer permanently aboard.

The speedo is calibrated to deliver big numbers and none are likely to be wasted – in the right environment. I cannot think of any place here, other than a particularly long runway, where it could hit the alleged top speed of 305kmh. Seeing and hearing one of these hurtling down the autobahn at its terminal velocity would be hugely memorable, I’m sure of that. I can only imagine how much air it would have to be pushing aside.

For local use, the muscularity that makes it one of the very fastest SUVs on Earth will best demonstrate in the 0-100kmh time, which is comfortably below four seconds, though standing starts are probably not to be overdone: You can only imagine how huge the loadings must be, not least on the eight-speed automatic. In deference to this, I only attempted a couple of rolling starts and even these left powerful impression; hit the throttle full hard and the thing digs in and rockets with such intensity you’d think it would affect the Earth’s rotational forces.

And, as indicated, the greatest plus – and perhaps relief – is that it goes around corners pretty well. Though that’s not say it’s not without challenge; the body’s sheer size, the highish-set seating position, the fact that it’s quarter of a million bucks worth of car … well, as much as the RS Q8 is remorseless at covering all sorts of ground, and covering it at a ferocious pace to boot, and despite it being more involving than a monstrous SUV of this size has any right to be, you’re constantly aware – particularly on narrower, intricate roads – of what a huge responsibility it is.

Thankfully, there’s a lot on its side, beyond the obvious of those massively fat, performance tyres and the quattro Sport differential with a nominal 40:60 front-rear bias, with up to 70 percent of torque able to flow to the front and a maximum 85 percent going to the back. 

Also acting to keep it stable are ingredients special to the type, an active anti-roll bar system and a four-wheel-steering system. Those first can disconnect themselves to improve the ride quality, because the RS Q8 sits on air suspension with a 90mm range of body-height adjustability. Enabling these is the primary reason why it has something else lacking from the other Audis here, a 48-volt supplementary electrical system.

That facility enables the RSQ8 to be categorised as a mild hybrid electric, but anyone imparting that fact in public needs to do so wryly, because even though the battery assist has some positive impact on fuel burn through its coasting and kinetic energy recuperation abilities, in reality any savings (and, at best, it’s a piddling 0.8 litres per km) are likely blown apart by just one decent jab on the throttle. Insofar as economy goes, it’s certainly not as appalling s some old-school American V8s, but neither is it a paragon. An average 14.8 litres per 100km seemed good, but it’s not great, obviously.

So it’s a giant walloper … just unfortunate that it is so overbearingly so that you might feel like one, too. The stiffest price you pay for this car – aside from the sticker, of course – is that it is unavoidably a huge centre of attention. Which is fine, if you’re thick-skinned enough to withstand criticism about how proliferate and wasteful it is.

If more than platitudes are encountered, best just shut yourself in to the cabin … this is a spot in which it is easy to forget the outside world. It's the usual top-notch quality cabin of an Audi Q8, enhanced with RS baubles: So, a flattened-off steering wheel, RS Super Sports seats in Valcona leather, RS-specific displays in two of the three digital screens of the MMI Touch system and an RS Mode button on the steering wheel. You can optionally choose to have bits of Alcantara and carbon fibre added to the surfaces as well. It’s beautiful, utterly affluent and superbly sorted in respect to ergonomics. The operability being is a whole generation ahead of what’s served up in the S4 and RS4 is no particular challenge, everything works sensibly and so much more fluently, for the most part.

And, yet, as technically and mechanically impressive as the RSQ8 is, it’s also really surely just too much for our environment; for the most part, even when pushing on, you’re probably only using a fraction of what has to give.

In respect to that, you’d get better value and joy from the R8 supercar, the only more expensive Audi on sale in New Zealand, and definitely from the RS4, which to me is still the best RS buy-in, or even the e-tron … assuming you’re ready to accept the realities of where we are heading.

Audi Q3: Sharp and strong

Sportback styling adds extra zip to the Q3, though for full zap we’d always prefer the RS.

RSQ3 (above) is a true stomper, but we also like the 45 TSFI Sportback styling

AUDI RS Q3/RS 45 TFSI Sportback

Prices: $111,900 (RS Q3), $114,900 (RS Q3 Sportback)

Powertrain and economy: 2.5-litre turbo-petrol five-cylinder, 294kW/480Nm, seven-speed dual clutch automatic, AWD, combined economy 8.8L/100km, CO2 202g/km; 45 TFSI 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder 169kW/350Nm, seven-speed automatic, AWD, combined economy 7.7L/100km, CO2

Vital statistics: 4506mm long, 1851mm wide, 1571mm high, 2680mm wheelbase (RS Q3), 4507mm long, 1851mm wide, 1557mm high, 2680mm wheelbase, 20-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Spunky Sportback styling, well-specced, quality.

We don't like: Annoying auto stop/start, RS3 still beats Q3 version.

POWER doesn’t just express in kiloWatts – it can also show as killer looks.

In respect to that statement, then, I know exactly what question is formulating in the minds of Audi-philes smitten by the cars on test here today.

So, let’s fast track to the answer. Which is a ‘yes’. Yes, the RSQ3 also formats in the Sportback shape also under scrutiny, in a 45 TFSI guise.

And, yes, I’m also glad about that. As eye-catching as the original, more rounded styling continues to be, it’s still beaten by the newer, leaner and lower-roofed but still five-door look now also delivered for the second smallest SUV in the four-ringed circle.

Achieving the sharpest shape with the sharpest engine is a more premium buy-in. Audi adds bumps up the regular RS price by another $3000. That model, by the way, is defined as a wagon in Audi-speak. I don’t see quite see it, either. Then again, I’m still wondering why they just don’t call the Sportback what it emphatically is. A ‘coupe.’

Anyway, semantics. This new shape? Money well spent. Whatever the sportback gives away over the regular edition in respect to practicality – and it’s really not TOO much - it more than makes for with additional panache. There’s just something about a coupe, right? Which is what it is, even if this maker is reluctant to call it that. 

The wagon and co… sorry, ‘Sportwagon’ models are much of a muchness in styling detail, especially at the front. When viewed from that aspect it’s clear Ingoldstadt expects you to like large grilles. The new singleframe item is not horrendously large as in the latest BMW sense, but is still pretty big and, with the RS, it’s backed up by more vents in the bumper and under the leading-edge lip of the bonnet. Sad to say, some are fake.

Obviously, the RS interior is rather sportier than the 45’s – for starters, the latter misses out on the performance car’s high-backed, perforated leather bucket seats – but they don’t differ too hugely in terms of general ambience. 

It’s all highly digital in respect to the displays, which deliver as a big touchscreen angled towards the driver in the centre of the dash and a TFT screen in front of the driver that delivers all the instrumentation. With the RS, you get specific layouts set up to deliver lap times, cornering Gs, torque and power loadings and all the other stuff that will be useful when on the racetrack you’re never likely to visit. At least, not in your own car.

The flagship has a flat-bottom steering wheel, clad in Alcantara suede of course, and which has the RS button that allows you to easily flick it into the monster modes.

From the inside looking out, differences between the body styles are really only noticed by rear seat occupants and when you’re loading the boots.

Boot space in either better than you might expect. An extra 77mm in wheelbase and 100mm in overall length means this Q3 is space efficient enough to encroach on Q5 territory. Of course, the sportback is the more compromised - you’re giving away around 125 litres’ cargo space – and yet the shaping of the luggage space doesn’t seem too unfriendly. The 45mm-lower roofline means it concedes a small amount of headroom and rear-seat flexibility, but the sister ships are much of a muchness for overall occupant space.

 From the outside, the 45 gave a great support to the ‘looks can thrill’ concept. It didn’t look outrageously muscled, as the RS car obviously does, but just portrayed as being particularly sophisticated, in an impressively suave way. 

Mind, you, it had all the right ingredients: In addition the performance-themed S-Line bits and a spectacularly eye-catching Tango Red paintjob, this example was outfitted with an Audi Exclusive back styling package, had dark tinted glass and  the regular 19-inch rims were replaced with 20-inchers in a five-spoke design.

It looked extravagant and, assuredly, in altogether adding $6600 to the car’s regular $87,900 sticker, served as an excellent example of how to make an already fairly expensive front-drive two-litre car all the pricier. And yet, if you’re among those who can afford admission to this show, the premium might seem fair value, given how you’d seen how much attention the car received.

All the same, as much as each will doubtless have their own enthusiast circle, it seems to me that the RSQ3 is the more alluring in, simply though being the edition that conceivably stands better chance of carrying itself higher, for longer, given that it simply leaves no stone unturned in its quest for performance bragging rights.

I wouldn’t like to get into debate about whether the most powerful Q3 is the best car that comes from the Renn Sport division – realistically, it is not – but equally it’s pretty hard to argue against the pedigree. 

Though the 2020 RS maintains its 2014-born predecessor’s basic elements – so a 2.5 litre five-cylinder, dual-clutch tranny, quattro – everything has been sharpened all the more, including that eponymous engine. Add in the additional RS-pure loadings of 21-inch alloys in anthracite black with diamond-turned finish and 255/35 tyres, RS sports suspension plus with adaptive damping, an RS sports exhaust system (with dual black-edged oval tailpipes) and every available assistance system in the Q3’s safety-tech cache. Well, it’s really very appealing. 

The engine gains an aluminium cylinder block and crankcase for an overall weight saving of 26kg, but it’s the improvements in outputs that more keenly appreciated; with 294kW and 480Nm the 2020 edition has 24kW and 15Nm more than the previous car to at last assume level-pegging with the RS3 hot hatch. 

Start up from cold, in Comfort mode, and it's distantly rumbly. Nice for the neighbourhood. Let it warm, switch up to Dynamic mode, stiffen up the dampers, put the gearbox in Sport and open up the taps in the sports exhaust … and, well, put it this way. Those modes, if used on the school run, would have the car in detention within minutes.

Restrict the full-out rudeness to special occasions and it’s a fairly decent accomplice. The engine in the less than full-out mode is quite driveable for every day mooching; it’ll happily burble along at a meander. But you don’t want to be heavy-footed on the urban beat.

Adjust all the settings to the other extremes and, yes, it’s a creature of the fright; top speed of 250kmh, 0-100kmh in 4.5 seconds and drawn to redlining the boomerang-shaped digital tacho at every opportunity. Keeping yourself from running it hard means having to resist the exhaust note, and that’s a challenge. Thanks to the 1-2-4-5-3 firing order, it is quite unlike anything else for sweetness of tone and snap-crackle. There's no direct connection between this engine and the original 1980s Audi Quattro five-cylinder unit, but the aural lineage is unmistakable.

All this horsepower, but does it have a chassis equally worthy of it being worthy of being in the big boys’ club? Well, it’s certainly eager to prove this, the RS refit delivering stiffer, lower springs compared to the 45 Sportback and faster, sharper but also heavier steering. You can get adaptive dampers and ceramic (front) brakes. So, yeah, straight away it’s a firmer, more resolved car than the 45. 

That doesn’t obviously make it better for every occasion. The RS recipe is rather between firm to outright chunky for urban driving and, yes, tyre-generated road noise is more obvious, even when measured against a Sportback on its optional, enlarged wheels and wide tyres. But, then, that’s the breaks with an RS.

The bonus comes on an entertaining road; which is where it really sets a high bar; sitting flat, composed and possessing endless grip and traction. Yes, the 45 will also shine in this condition, but not as brightly. The difference of one having a Haldex-based multi-clutch system, that can send as much as 100 percent of the power to the rear wheels, and the other having a more traditional viscous coupling differential is one factor. The degrees of separation in sheer shove … well, yes, that counts too.

So, within the family, it’s rightly the star. If consideration is broader, though, it’d still be challenging to recommend the RS Q3 over an RS3. As fast, capable and steadfast as the crossover is, it still hasn’t the same level of deftness and I’m not sure it will communicate quite as directly; understandably because, with the Q3, it’s all about having to keep higher-standing mass in check.

Still, it’s not as if Audi has created a one-dimensional character. The cleverness of the ‘RS mode’ button on the steering wheel avoids this. You can use it to configure the suspension’s drive-select set-up into two distinct arrangements. Perhaps lighter steering, cushier ride, less engine noise for everyday and more athletic settings for special times.

So much about this car, so little said about the ‘45’. Yeah, sorry about that. It’s that the lesser is unworthy of comment in respect to its performance. Everything’s okay there. But fair to say it’s a different kind of thing; that 2.0-litre engine is more about good manners and reasonable economy that presenting an absolute level of energy.

Both models drive with a real sense of quality but, notwithstanding that neither are really designed for anything that could be termed as ‘off-roading’ – regardless that there’s a mode to support just that - the ‘45’ feels more like an SUV for the urban dweller. Still, if you're looking for style and refinement it’s pretty handy in the city chic role.

Ford Focus ST: Kicking butt in the new performance hero

Will an underdog be accepted as king of the kennel? More specifically, can a 206kW front-drive hot hatch fill the boots of a far more hyperactive four-wheel-drive big brother now out of the picture?

Base Price:  $59,490
Powertrain and performance:  2.3-litre four-cylinder DOHC 16-valve turbocharged petrol engine. 206kW/5500rpm, 420Nm/3000-4000rpm. Front-wheel drive. Fuel consumption 8.6L/100km (claim), 8.8L/100km (road test).
Vital statistics: Length 4388mm, height 1492mm, width 1825mm, wheelbase 2700mm. Luggage 273 litres. Wheels: 19-inch alloys with 235/35 ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres.
We Like: Genuine hot-hatch turbo performance supported by highly competent suspension tuning, braking capability plus superb steering. Appealing sub-$60K price point delivers a cohesive mix of performance, five-door hatch practicality and a generous equipment level.

We don’t like: No manual transmission availability for NZ market. Gearing of auto is not quite suited to 100kmh highway cruising.

SAY hello to Ford’s half-RSed new hot-hatch.

That’s both a cheeky journalist quip and a compliment to the Ford Performance engineers’ achievement with the new Focus ST.

For three generations the Focus has offered warmed-up ST and properly hot RS models. However, it was recently confirmed there isn’t going to be a gen-four Focus RS.

That’s bad news if you like insanely quick AWD hot-hatches with $80K price tags but good news if your situation allows a seriously quick car with a sub-$60K window sticker.

The ST becomes a more serious performer with the first clues to its progress found on the specification list.

There’s increased engine displacement with the new 2.3-litre four-cylinder being a close relative of both the Mustang Turbo and gen-3 Focus RS engine.

In ST tune it features twin scroll turbo plumbing, electronic waste gate control plus anti-lag system and develops 206kW at 5500rpm (up from 184kW from the previous 2.0-litre unit). A 60Nm increase hikes peak torque to 420Nm between 3000-4000rpm. 

In perhaps the biggest change the ST becomes exclusively a two-pedal experience for Kiwi buyers to rival the likes of the VW Golf GTI and Renault Megane RS and differentiate from the manual-only Hyundai i30N and Honda Civic Type R.

The new seven-speed automatic with paddle shifters will broaden the buyer appeal of the Focus ST. Other markets – including Australia – offer a six-speed manual version as well but Ford NZ believes the volume sales potential rests with the ST auto and wants to concentrate on a single variant.

The ST can deliver punchy acceleration and has high-torque part-throttle response. The transmission shifts quickly and smoothly but the gearing is slightly out of step with Kiwi speed limits - at 100km/h it settles in sixth gear at 1700rpm and doesn’t make the final upshift till about 107kmh.

The new ST performance hardware doesn’t end with the engine and transmission.

An electronically controlled limited slip differential assists with power application through the front-drive chassis and a Continuously Controlled Damping (CCD) system makes its debut.

CCD monitors suspension, steering and braking inputs at 2 milli-second frequency to adjust damping responses. It’s a very responsive system that gives a much more supple ride than you might expect at lower speeds but provides taut damping control when it’s required.

Along with the e-LSD the new ST gains revised steering and front suspension geometry along with a multi-link rear suspension rather than the torsion beam axle used in mainstream Focus hatches.

It rides 10mm lower and the power-down confidence even on damp surfaces is impressive with excellent 235/35 ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres working alongside the new geometry and electronics. 

Well defined Normal, Sport, Track and Slippery selectable drive modes further widen the character of the ST. Sport and Track add some throaty amplified engine note accompaniment and throttle blipping down shifts. For quicker access to Sport mode there’s a button on the steering wheel rather than scrolling through modes.

But perhaps the very best attribute of the Focus ST is the quickened steering ratio and the consistent feedback that it offers. 

It’s just 2.0 turns lock-to-lock and the level of assistance and road feel is very impressive. The car communicates its confidence and grip level whether it’s on city streets, the smoothest of highways or a lumpy and twisty rural road.

Ford New Zealand has launched the new Focus ST with a $59,490 price-tag. It’s smartly appointed with highlights including the firmly bolstered, leather and alcantara trimmed Recaro front seats, a Head-Up Display and excellent LED headlights with auto high beam control.

The ST exterior theme includes unique dark grey mesh grille and lower frontal treatment, side skirts, 19-inch alloy wheels, an extended rear spoiler and lower rear diffuser. 

There is a reasonably large diameter flat bottom steering wheel provides substance to the driving experience and ST detailing includes instruments with red needles, Ford Performance sill plates and silver stitch seat trim.

Standard equipment includes dual zone climate control, heated front seats, keyless entry and start, an electric park brake, auto park system, the latest generation SYNC3 infotainment system with Navigation, Apple Car Play and Android Auto accessed by the 8.0-inch touchscreen.

In terms of practicality the Focus ST shares the longer wheelbase benefits with its mainstream stablemates including improved rear passenger legroom and offers a 60/40 split fold rear seat. 

The ST carries a space saver spare wheel but there is room to stow a full-size tyre if you remove the plastic spacer.

This half-RSed strategy has achieved a substantially heightened level of performance and capability for the Focus ST. It’s exactly where the wisecrack suggests – neatly between previous ST and RS excitement and is made all the more attractive by remaining close to the prior ST price point.  

Audi RS6 Avant, RS7 Sportback: Lightning quick's electric edge

A 48 volt hybrid system lends these muscular all-wheel-drive V8 monsters extra life.

identical kapow but more practical and cheaper … that’s why we’d take the RS6 AVant (above) over the RS7, but either way these are impressive cars.

Base price: $218,900 (RS6) and $228,900 (RS7)

Powertrain and economy: 4.0-litre turbo-petrol V8, 441kW/800Nm, 8-speed automatic, AWD, combined economy 11.4/11.5 litres per 100km, CO2 262-264 g/km.

Vital statistics: 4995/5009mm long, 1951mm wide, 1460/1422mm high, 2929mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 565/ 535 litres, 22-inch alloy wheels.

We like: Hefty technology update, improved driving feel, wagon format.

We don't like: Quirky haptic controls, enhanced width fills an angle park.

WITH the course toward electric so obviously set, what compells Audi to continue to pump out V8 petrol-reliant RS product?

Fair question. Assuredly, whatever’s fuelled introduction of mid-life revised RS6 wagon and RS7 Sportback cars and something wholly new, an RS edition of the Q8 sports utility, it isn’t a rethink about electrification.

That’s happening. VW Group’s commitment is beyond question and anyone keeping up with e-tron news will know Audi taking leadership. Moreover, the pace of changeover is ramping up.

Yet, thing is, we’re in a period of transition; rather than go totally cold turkey, it makes better sense to wean gradually. So, while one day Renn Sport as we know it now will undergo radical change, this isn’t the time for it.

Not that Audi and its performance arm hasn’t started cutting back. Phase one has been a gradual downsize in engine capacity (and cylinder count). Phase two is what the update RS6 and RS7 now deliver. A 48-volt hybrid driveline that works in tandem with the TSFI 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 is quite significant on the technical scale.

But what difference does it really make? Well, I’d be reluctant to deride the tagline for this marriage, ‘high-performance meets high efficiency,’ as a falsehood. The lithium ion battery enabler and a cylinder deactivation system have positive effect on economy and emissions.

However, let’s face it: This a performance V8. There are no miracle cures. Achieving the cited optimal economy of 11.4 litres per 100km will require a deliberation potentially unfamiliar to the buyer set and the claimed 261 grams per kilometre emissions output remains high enough to earn a Green blacklisting.

Yet even if it was political impetus more than anything else that demanded adding in electrification and its power source, a small lithium-ion battery in the rear of the vehicle, you can achieve positives.

Soft-shoeing the throttle might be against the RS credo, but it will ease the pain of fuel burn; go lightly enough and it’ll actually off the engine from 21kmh as you slow to a stop. And if you find a long enough flat straight in the 100km zone it’ll also occasionally run purely on electric impetus, albeit for no more than 40 seconds. That’s also the environment in which the cylinder-on-demand function, that deactivates four of the eight cylinders, leaving it to run as a V4, is also most likely to action. Audi says that this can help to reduce fuel consumption by up to 0.8 litres/100km and, similar to the engine-off mode, once more throttle is applied, the dormant cylinders immediately reactivate. Is that enough to save the icecaps from melting? Probably not. But it’s a start. 

Plus, it keeps this story from finishing early. Keeping this engine relevant and fighting fit in an increasingly steep challenge for Audi, but you can understand why they keep trying. It’s an amazing thing.

EV fans might feel they’re point-scoring in reminding that there are battery cars – including one soon to join the local Audi family – that feel as oomph-laden and will quite possibly match their impressive 0-100kmh times of 3.6 seconds. Fair enough, it’s true.

Yet that ohm team will be rendered silent when asked to nominate anything battery-reliant sold here that matches, let alone betters, these dinosaur-juiced sister ships for absolute stomp. It’s certainly not going to be a Hyundai Kona, or even a Tesla Model S.

And yes, as much as it seems lunatic to suggest the ability to clock 250kmh (or, after a slight factory-sanctioned tweak, slightly more than 300kmh) is of any kind of importance in a country where 100kmh is the absolute limit … well, it nonetheless still does. Likewise, the RS cars might also sell simply on strength of their brilliantly Jurassic soundtracks. I agree, it all seems a bit juvenile. And yet … well, damned if I can’t help but get excited by it.

In respect to tailpipe tone, it’s intriguing that the RS7 has a noticeably louder exhaust than the wagon alternate given that it is the quieter-looking product at the kerbside, regardless that this time around the hatchback option is more hunkered than it previously was. This is as result of consumer feedback; existing customers told Ingolstadt the previous gen car just didn’t have enough visual cojones.

And now? Well, it’s definitely more muscled, being 40mm wider than the standard A7, a reprofiling that means just the bonnet, front doors, roof and tailgate are shared. It also has the same big wheel arches as the RS6, and filling those openings in NZ-spec are 22-inch rims. So, yeah, it looks a whole heap more aggressive.

Yet, and maybe it was because of the paint choice for the testers (a lily-white RS6 seems almost oxymoronic, a metallic grey Avant just perfect), the wagon just continues to be all the more imposingly feral in its appearance. That impression imparts with the bodyshapes’ relative substance, for sure, but also the cars’ common face: The unique grille design and the additional ventilation ports on the lower corners of the bumper (to aid thermal management), plus those matrix LED laser headlights just seem to engender more malevolence in the hauler.

From the inside, at least when looking forward, the cars are of a muchness; abetting the usual displays found in all upmarket Audis are additional touches are specific to the RS product, such as instant read-outs for power and torque that, quite amusingly, show how very little of each is required to hold these cars at a 100kmh pace. Everything you need to know when driving and not wanting to release your eyes from scanning the roadscape comes up digitally on the main screen and in a head-up display.

The improvement this time around comes with two RS buttons that serve direct routes to pre-set driving modes and chassis settings. There are also the traditional buttons and centre screen accesses that allow switching between the myriad of settings, of course, but the shortcut buttons seem a safer idea.

Both are five-seater models (that’s new for RS7 as the old one’s back bench was shaped for two), with very luxurious fittings, but not so plush in appointment that you wouldn’t think twice about making use of the practical elements. They are, in short, still expected to be used as everyday cars.

Buy the Sportback and you get a vast but shallow boot holding up to 535 litres, or 1390 litres when the rear seats are dropped down. Sounds good? Well, in isolation, it is. But if filling the boot is a requisite requirement, fact is the $10,000 cheaper RS6 presents a significantly higher value return; 30 litres more capacity with the back seats up is modest – drop these, though, and the load-all is vastly more commodious. That, and the fact that the wagon just looks better, would seal it for me.

But surely the practicality comes at expense of punch? Not at all. For all its extra aural aggression, that the RS7 is pretty mush equally pegged by the wagon, not just in any sprint but in driving feel, too. That might sound weird, given the RS6 just looks to be so much bigger, but really it isn’t. Weight-wise, they’re both similar: That is, heavy, at over two tonne each, but the load-all is just 10kg lardier.

Such is the crushing oomph from the engine that the kilo count doesn’t seem to any sort of imposition; these RS sister ships are capable of moving at quite phenomenal rate.

Just as well, then, that the packages a whole are designed to take that into account. You’ll be especially pleased with the monster brakes gripped by huge callipers; without condoning recklessness on the road, if you are intending on going briskly, having the best brakes possible is usually a good idea. Likewise great quality rubber and well-sorted suspension. Audi ticks those boxes, too. 

As strange as it might sound, the cars’ ability to run hard without much in the way of theatrics beyond the rumbly exhaust note is part of the appeal. Salute, as always, that quattro all-wheel-drive technology, which includes a mechanical centre differential and an RS-tuned sport differential on the rear axle. Providing a 40:60 front-to-rear split, and up to 70 percent of power to the front axle or up to 85 percent to the rear, depending on the situation, it’s an astoundingly adept accomplice. Also influencing with subtlety is the cleverly-integrated rear wheel steering. You only realise how good it is when twigging how easily, confidently and accurately the cars handle direction changes under accelerative load, without tyre squeal or body lean.

The RS models sit 20mm lower than their donors, and when the speed surpasses 120kmh, the ride height reduces by a further 10mm to optimise aerodynamics and aid stability, and Sports Suspension with Dynamic Ride Control is standard in NZ spec.

In this, the shock absorbers are diagonally opposed, meaning the front left is hydraulically linked though a central valve with the rear right, and vice versa. This setup works to reduce pitch and roll movements when cornering at higher speeds and when driving quickly it works well. What also impresses is that this update also brings better absorption from the suspension when put into its softest setting. It’s not outright supple, but neither is it as unremittingly solid as Comfort used to be. The alternate Sports adjustment is, of course, very solid. 

No debating the ultimate star of the show. Assessed purely on its performance, the powerplant is a stunner, not simply because it delivers virtually obscene grunt – though, in saying that, what’s remarkable is that the RS Q8 has another 100Nm still – but also because of how all that muscularity unfolds.

Give it hell and the consequences are … well, basically supercar-like. Yet even when taken into the utterly feral zone, you can trust it in part simply because the throttle has been so deftly weighted. It’s a crazy mo-fo this unit, no argument, yet not so hair-trigger berserk that the slightest twitch or sneeze won’t unleash utter mayhem. As momentous and visceral as the grunt is, these are cars of everyday capability.

How much longer this can go on for is a good question. All big-lunged petrol engines are now on notice. It says a lot about the calibre of these cars that they still feel more relevant than they conceivably should in the here and now. To be fair, that’s not just because of the mechanical changes; refinements to the chassis and also the steering response have done a lot to answer criticism of the preceding cars’ being overly-sanitised in feel. For sure, these still impart as big rigs on a tight country road, the Avant especially, but they do position very accurately when asked and don’t feel as overwhelming as you imagine. 

It’s interesting that Audi Sport’s intention for the immediate future is to keep fettling petrol-addicted product, albeit moreso from the SUV side of the family from now on.

Without meaning to sound deprecating, as useful as the added drivetrain tech is, when driving these cars, the sense is that more that you’re getting to the last chapter of a great story.