All ABT That Wagon Life: We’re Gaga for This 523-HP Audi RS 4 Avant

Call us rebels. That’s because, in spite of society’s protests, we believe beggars can be choosers. That’s why we’re pleading with Audi to double down on its high-performance wagon assault on the United States by shipping over the smaller Audi RS 4 Avant alongside the larger RS 6.

What’s got us giddy about the 450-hp RS 4? Why it’s the new ABT Power S package, which blesses the all-wheel-drive wagon with nearly 80 extra horses courtesy of a new engine control unit, an extra water cooler kit, and a revised air intake cover. All in, an RS 4 with the ABT Power S package nets a total of 523 ponies. Surely, the German tuning company is able to apply this kit to the mechanically similar Audi RS 5 Coupe and Sportback, but neither would look quite as good as the RS 4 Avant that ABT built to show off its new Power S package.

Equipped with the brand’s Aero Components package, which includes the likes of front fender vents with carbon-fiber decor and a carbon-fiber rear spoiler, the ABT RS 4 Avant takes the handsome looks of the stock model and adds an extra dose of aggression. Complementing the car’s racier looks is an equally bellicose growl thanks to a stainless-steel exhaust system. Or so ABT claims. Regardless of sound, the kit’s four, 4.0-inch carbon-fiber exhaust tips certainly look the business. As do the car’s black wheels, of which ABT offers a handful of 20- and 21-inch options.

The company also affords its customers a handful of suspension upgrades, including height-adjustable springs and new anti-roll bars (we assume ABT employs thicker and/or lighter units than come stock, however, the company doesn’t specify what exactly separates its anti-roll bars from those of the run-of-the-mill RS 4). Nor does ABT ignore the RS 4’s interior, as the tuner offers a variety of carbon-fiber upgrades to the cabin, including the steering wheel, shifter head, and seat frame covers.

None of this comes cheap, and a fully loaded ABT RS 4 costs more than $34,000 in parts and installation alone (that sum includes Germany’s 19 percent value-added tax). Factor in the more than $87,000 sticker price of a German-market RS 4 Avant, and you’re looking at a six-figure wagon. Audi already plans to sell the 591-hp 2021 RS 6 Avant in the U.S. for $109,995. Sure, the RS 6 is a little larger than the RS 4 and it lacks some of the pizazz of the ABT RS 4’s exterior goodies, but it’s also already slated for sale on our shores. We’ll still beg, but if our only choice is to have one hot Audi wagon, we can live with that.  

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