The RS4 B5 is probably the first chapter of the fast Audi wagon book. There was also the RS2, of course, but that's the epilogue.
Is the RS3 a wagon? Well, the old one kind of was, but this looks 100% hatchback. Still, it has got roof rails, and that's got to count for something.
A mint condition B5 can set you back as much as €100,000, provided you can find one in the first place. So from that point of view, the RS3 is a bargain.
Which is the faster car? Modern AWD systems and twin-clutch gearboxes make a world of difference. It also doesn't hurt that the new 2.5 TFSI produces precisely 400 horsepower.
So anyway, Auditography makes some of the coolest videos featuring only the creations of our favorite Ingolstadt automaker. This one teams the two cars we just mentioned. Besides the fact that they are both blue, we immediately noticed the engine is arranged differently. The V6 in the RS4 is placed longitudinally, and right over the front wheels.
We kind of like the way the old RS4 sounds more. It makes a lot of old-school turbo noises, like a rally car. The RS3 is louder and makes pops on every gear change, but it's all pre-determined by the computers.
Believe it or not, there's even a little bit of drag racing in this video. You can't get two great RS models together without wondering which is fastest.
The old timer is powered by a 2.7-liter BiTurbo V6, an updated version of the engine in the S4 of the time, and it's good for 380 PS (375 hp) and 440 Nm (325 lb-ft). She will do the 0 to 100 km/h sprint in 4.7 seconds. That's why the rolling race looks dangerously close until the RS3 reaches full boost.
We'd invest in the classic B5 model and just get the S3 as a daily. 400 horsepower cars are a dime a dozen these days.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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