Launched in `2012`, the `RS4 B8` existed only as an Avant and became the last `RS` estate with a naturally aspirated `V8`. Against a Mercedes C-Class in `AMG` form or a more demonstrative BMW M3, it stands out through exceptional versatility, very high perceived quality and a `4.2 FSI` engine that still loves the upper rev range. On the used market its appeal is huge, but the good examples are rarely neglected.
The `4.2 FSI` reaches `450 hp` with a `7-speed S tronic`, `quattro` transmission and, depending on specification, the sport differential plus either `Dynamic Ride Control` or `Magnetic Ride`. The real maintenance reading is less about any fantasy of an indestructible engine than about the state of the intake, cooling, ignition, gearbox, brakes and suspension. A seriously maintained `RS4 B8` stays very cohesive; a poorly followed car quickly loses both precision and strength.