Visually it’s the Audi that makes the most immediate impact, thanks to a pumped-up look that gives the impression the A4 body is struggling to contain the hardware. It’s a style BMW perfected with the E46 M3, but one it has shied away from slightly with the E92, and during our time with the two cars in Spain it’s the Audi that attracts the most attention.
Step out of the M3 and into the RS4 and the first thing that strikes you is that the Audi feels smaller and snugger. The driver’s seat is more aggressively sculpted and the ambience is both more intimate and more overtly sporting. More cohesive too, thanks to the satnav display being integrated into the centre console rather than a secondary hooded binnacle as found in the somewhat bland and disjointed BMW interior.The Audi’s silver starter button seems a bit OTT but it ignites the RS4’s V8 with a combative burst of revs, closely followed by a throbby idle. There’s not much in the clutch pedal effort required, but the gearshift immediately feels more mechanical and precise than the M3’s typically cartilaginous shift.
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