Audi RS 4 Avant review - Practicality, comfort and boot space

We’ve very few complaints with the RS 4 in terms of practicality. That shouldn’t be a surprise, as we already rate the regular Audi A4 Avant very highly in its class when it comes to versatility and space. Room up front for passenger and driver is fair, while the rear boasts good headroom and shoulder room. The quality, fit and finish inside makes the RS 4 a nice place to be, and it’s easy to find a good driving position to really exploit the car’s performance.

The boot is wide opening and useable, with 505 litres of cargo space available with every seat in place. As you’d expect from a fast Audi estate, it really does do practicality alongside the punchy performance.

Size

Using the MLB Evo platform, the latest RS 4’s underpinnings shave 120kg from the car’s kerbweight, while more mass is stripped owing to the loss of two cylinders from the engine. 

Against the tape measure, the RS 4 comes in at 4,781mm long, 1,404mm tall and 1,866mm wide, with a wheelbase of 2,826mm. It means that the sporty styling adds a bit of length and width to the overall dimensions over the regular A4 Avant, while the low ride height means its a few millimetres shorter in height. 

Leg room, head room & passenger space

Up front, the Audi RS 4 gets a pair of bucket style sport seats for driver and passenger to sink into. They’re in-keeping with the high-performance nature of the car, hugging you tightly in corners, but they’re also fairly comfortable and padded, and even boast massage functions.

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Space up front for driver and passenger is good, and it’s the same story in the rear. Four adults will sit in comfort and space, although rear legroom is slightly less than you'll get in a regualr A4 Avant thanks to the larger sports seats up front. The middle seat in the rear bench of three is obstructed a little by the transmission tunnel, too.

Boot

A 505-litre boot places the RS 4 slightly ahead of the Mercedes-AMG C 63 Estate for boot space, while the BMW M3 isn’t available as an estate at all. If the estate car aspect is a requirement of your performance car, then you might want to consider similarly priced models such as the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo, or even a fast SUV, such as the Porsche Macan or Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio.

Folding the rear seats in the RS 4 Avant opens up a 1,510 litre space. The opening is wide and the walls of the boot are flat, while a power-opening tailgate is standard.