2006 Audi RS4 (B7) Avant

Highlights

• 4.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8

• Quattro all-wheel drive system

• Comprehensive service and maintenance record

• Desirable ‘Q-car’ specification

• Rare, collectable and unmodified

Overview

Over the last couple of decades, Audis have garnered something of a reputation. That reputation mostly consists of being driven 3cm from your rear bumper on the M6 with their headlamps flashing every 200th of a second. Which is hugely unfair, both to our retinas and to Audi.

It’s particularly unfair to Audi because they make some beautifully engineered, physics-bothering and immensely satisfying-to-own machinery. In modern times, much of that performance DNA can be traced in a direct line back to the B7 RS4, also known as “the fast estate that’s brilliant to drive”.

Yes, you heard us, it’s brilliant to drive. And not “brilliant for an Audi” or “brilliant for an estate car”, no it’s just plain brilliant. Period. End of. Next point please. A cursory glance at the spec list helps to explain what goes into this secret sauce: a whopping great naturally-aspirated V8, impeccable build quality, a fabulously chunky gearchange, and the witchcraft known as Audi’s Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) suspension. Witchcraft is the only plausible explanation, because the RS4, particularly in estate guise, should be quite a hefty thing to drive. You should have to wrestle it.

Only you don’t. It glides. More than that, it attacks. Yep, it’s a fast Audi estate that, should the madness take you, could actually be used to batter a track or twisty B-road into submission and put a proper face-splitter of a grin on your face while it’s doing it. It has no right, absolutely no right, to drive as well as it does. Yet it is renowned for its composure and handling prowess.

Add that gorgeous sounding baritone V8 to the mix – delivering as it does 414bhp and 317lb-ft – and you have the kind of intoxicating mixture that makes us start doing dangerous maths and wondering if we really do need all the lobes of our liver. In fact, that V8 was such a wonderful powertrain that a couple of years after the B7 RS4 was launched, it found itself at the heart of Audi’s first supercar, the R8.

Good examples of the B7 RS4 are rare now, the modification crowd have had their wicked way with too many, and quite a number fell victim to “unanticipated hedge interface” syndrome. Thankfully, this particular RS4 Avant is lovely. Spacious, well maintained, unmodified, benefitting from a deliciously subtle specification and coming with a spotless history. These are rapidly heading into genuine ‘modern classic’ territory too, we’ve seen values climbing recently and we have a feeling the trend is only going to be in one direction.

It’s the perfect car for anyone who loves to embarrass sports car owners while also carrying most of the contents of their house with them. In a word: magnificent.

History and documentation

• Registered 1 September 2006

• Present owner since March 2019, 5 previous owners

• Current mileage 117,257 miles, verified by the service and MOT records

• Current MOT expires 22 September 2026

• Stamped service book with services from main dealers and specialists as follows: February 2008 @ 12,116 miles; November 2010 @ 32,714 miles; November 2011 @ 36,094 miles; November 2012 @ 41,214 miles; February 2014 @ 48,951 miles; March 2015 @ 57,220 miles; April 2017 @ 76,687 miles; April 2018 @ 84,057 miles; July 2019 @ 89,216 miles; November 2021 @ 95,753 miles; November 2025 @ 114,846 miles

• Additionally there is an invoice for a service in Aug 2024 @ 106,855 miles and the seller advises that a home oil service was carried out in late summer 2022

• Full document pack

• Collection of invoices detailing servicing and maintenance

• Two keys

• Tracker system fitted

• V5 present in owner’s name

• HPI clear

• London ULEZ compliant

Interior

• Black leather upholstery with “hi tech” fabric centres (a rare factory option)

• The upholstery is in fine condition, with minimal evidence of wear for its age and no damage, sagging or excessive wear we could identify

• Dark grey carpet throughout, in good condition, with a new set of black floor mats

• Electrically adjustable front seats with heating function and lumbar support adjustment

• Dual zone climate control

• Updated Kenwood CarPlay head unit with DAB radio (original head unit and CD multi-changer included)

• Bose sound system

• Front and rear parking sensors

• Electrically operated side windows and door mirrors

• Electrically operated glass sunroof

• Carbon fibre trim adorns the doors and dashboard fascia

• All of the trim and switchgear looks to be in good order, with some light wear in evidence and a few minor blemishes, including a small chip in the carbon fibre trim above the centre console

• USB port installed in the centre console behind the handbrake which connects to the stereo for Apple Carplay, etc.

• The seller advises that new gas struts for the bonnet and tailgate, and a new rear wiper motor and arm have been home fitted

• Generous boot space, trimmed in neat dark grey carpet and featuring a retractable load cover

• The vendor tells us that all of the car’s features and functions operate just as they should, with no known faults or issues to report

Exterior

• Light silver paintwork, which appears to be original and is in good overall condition

• There are a few stone chips and small blemishes, some of which have been touched in, but nothing that isn’t commensurate with the car’s age and mileage

• All of the body panels appear to be straight and clean, well aligned, free from dents, major scuffs and corrosion

• We noted a few small blisters in the paint of the inner arches

• The vendor tells us that a small dent was repaired through their insurance in 2022 after a branch fell on the car – apparently the repair is still under warranty

• Integrated roof rails with bars for carrying a roofbox or rack

• All of the external badging and trim appears to be complete and in fine fettle, with nothing missing or obviously worn

• The glass elements and light lenses all look to be nice and clean, with no cracks, chips or misting we could discern

• The 19-inch wheels were a factory option (18-inch wheels were standard) and we’re told they were refurbished in 2025. They show well, with no apparent kerbing or lacquer peel

• A matched set of Continental Sport Contact 7 tyres has been recently fitted (255/35 profile)

Mechanical

• 4,163cc naturally-aspirated V8, offering a frankly insane 8,250rpm redline

• 6-speed manual transmission

• Quattro all-wheel drive system

• Factory performance figures: 414bhp, 317lb-ft, 0-62mph in 4.7 seconds, electronically limited to 155mph

• Dynamic Ride Control suspension system

• Recently fitted front brake discs

• New lower front control arms (September 2024)

• Full rear brake service and brake fluid refresh (February 2026)

• We’re told that there is a minor PAS fluid weep

• Carbon clean and ‘deflap’ done

• Auxiliary radiator replaced (December 2025)

• Traction control, ABS

• Cruise control

• Sport mode

• Unmodified and in factory specification mechanically – even the exhaust system is stock, which must be a first for an RS4

• We’re assured that the car starts first time, idles cleanly and drives beautifully, with no known mechanical issues or problems

Summary

All fast estates are created equal, but some are definitely more equal than others. This particular beauty may well be the most equal of them all. We love everything about it: the deliriously woofly exhaust note, the addictively silly 8,250rpm redline, the Q-car vibe, the “used well and maintained even better” history – it’s all spot-on.

Hailing from a time when a V8-powered, naturally-aspirated estate car with a manual transmission didn’t seem like a completely mad idea, it’s a throwback in the best possible way, reminding us of what may well turn out to be the “peak car” period. As a driving proposition, it’s fabulous; as a potential investment, it makes perfect sense. As a package, it’s blooming difficult to argue against.

To arrange a viewing, click the 'Book Viewing' button located under the 'Place Bid' button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to 'Contact Seller' for further enquiries. This seller is located in London.