Audi RS4 Avant and BMW M3 Touring in the test: Sporty station wagon duel with a sensational winner

Imagine the following scenario: A driver of a BMW M3 Touring and a driver of an Audi RS 4 Avant Edition 25 Years meet by chance at the "Am Hockenheimring Ost" motorway service station. While the kids and their families take a break at the café, the sports car dads grab their high-performance station wagons for a spontaneous lateral dynamics duel. With a special permit, they take the service station's backroad through the Schwetzinger Hardt directly onto the Hockenheimring GP track. The race for the crown of the hottest family station wagon is on.

The RS 4 of the B9 series may now be discontinued, but dealers are still selling off remaining stocks – such as the 2024 special model for its 25th anniversary. The 25 Years is no ordinary special model, but rather one for the sporty drivers among family men. Carbon fiber bucket seats offer sports car-like lateral support. The optional carbon fiber bucket seats of the M3 Touring take things even further: With a low seating position and gripping lateral support, they exude a racing atmosphere.

With its largely analog nature, operation in the Audi cockpit is more intuitive than in the M3 Touring. The latter's curved display takes some getting used to. Just one example: While the RS 4 adjusts the climate functions with crisp clicks via knobs and buttons, the M3 requires touching the display. More modern isn't always better.

The RS-4 interior also impresses with an even more premium feel. While the finely leather-wrapped RS steering wheel appears to be made from a single piece, the M steering wheel features sharp, unburred areas on the lower carbon fiber trim. The large diameter of the steering wheel rim in the M3 is reminiscent of a Hungarian salami. The BMW steering wheel deserves praise for its red direct-selection buttons, which allow individual suspension and drive settings to be stored.

Green starting light, full throttle on the Hockenheimring. Already in turn 1, the number 3 of the RS-4 special series, limited to 250 units, attacks the top dog, the M3 Touring (119 km/h), with a cornering speed of 134 km/h.

The RS 4's power increase from 450 to 470 hp of the twin-turbo V6, along with the included 25-year-old racing gloves and small toolbox in the trunk, will bring tears of joy to sports enthusiasts. It contains a hook wrench and an adjustment wheel for the standard coilover suspension, which is adjustable for rebound and compression (high and low speed) as well as ride height (lowering by up to 20 mm).

In addition to the three-way adjustable dampers, the chassis also features springs with a higher spring rate and stiffer anti-roll bars. Exclusively, the RS 4 25 Years uses stiffer wishbone bearings on the front axle. Furthermore, the negative camber on the front axle has been increased to more than two degrees to enhance lateral dynamics.

On the racetrack, sports fans celebrate the Audi coilover suspension, but in everyday use, the points undoubtedly go to the adaptive BMW suspension. While the RS 4's dampers can only be adjusted from the outside when stationary, the M3 driver can easily select one of the three adaptive damper settings ("Comfort," "Sport," "Sport Plus") from the cockpit. Even in the sharpest of these three modes, the M3 still absorbs bumps more comfortably than the bone-dry RS 4.

The racers among the family fathers, however, are celebrating another highlight of the purist Audi: The 25 Years is available exclusively with semi-slick tires as original equipment. Equipped with the Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS, the Audi excels on dry country roads and now on the racetrack, offering a high level of grip that almost has a racing feel. The M3 sports the significantly more everyday-suitable all-rounder Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, which doesn't offer quite as much dry grip but offers clear advantages in everyday wet conditions.

Full throttle over the Parabolika at Hockenheim. Whether V6 or R6 – both engines, to put it bluntly, are a beast. Since the six-cylinder engines are always in ideal gears and at high revs on the racetrack, the slight turbo lag of the BMW three-liter engine below 2500 rpm is not noticeable at all. Overall, the M3's inline six-cylinder engine impresses with more powerful power delivery than the RS 4's V6. As expected, its 530 BMW hp dominates the Audi's 470 hp in the sprint over 100 km/h. And the M3, with its bassy acoustics, is also better at evoking emotions than the RS 4 25 Years.

A little later: the brakes are slammed on in front of the Mercedes grandstand. Almost in racecar style, the RS-4 special edition brakes very late, deep into the corner. Turning in during braking is almost like racing.

The pedal modulation of the Audi ceramic brake system at the limit? A grade plus. Is your ABS control at its limit? Also a grade plus. The ABS control frequency and the high grip level of the semi-slicks harmonize perfectly. In standard measurements, the Audi later achieves a braking miracle: With tempered tires and brakes, it decelerates from 100 km/h to 0 in just 30.9 meters – a time that would almost make real sports cars envious. With all-round tires, the M3 can't match these brilliant figures. Its braking distance from 100 km/h measures 34.4 meters.

The BMW also uses a ceramic brake system, but braking points as late as those of the RS 4 aren't quite as late on the racetrack. For one thing, the M3's heavier weight is noticeable when braking at the limit, and for another, the BMW's ABS control isn't as good as that of the Audi. In the Touring, it's better to complete the braking maneuver before turning the steering wheel, otherwise it's prone to understeer.

Brake pedal feedback in a BMW? There are two modes to choose from: "Comfort" and "Sport." The pedal feel is a bit firmer in Sport mode than in an Audi. In everyday use, Comfort mode provides more relaxed, adjustable feedback, for example, when approaching a traffic light. Unlike the RS 4 with its purely hydraulic braking system, the M3 uses an electric brake booster.

Speaking of characteristics: Both station wagons also offer different steering characteristics – two settings for the M3 ("Comfort," "Sport") and three for the RS 4 ("Comfortable," "Balanced," "Sporty"). "Sport" and "Sporty" increase the steering torque, but don't overdo it with heavy steering.

Both steering systems operate precisely from the center position with similar steering angle requirements, but aren't overly sharp. This is especially helpful in everyday driving at high speeds on the highway, as even the smallest steering inputs don't disrupt straight-line stability. Speaking of which: With smooth straight-line stability at high speeds, the M3 is the everyday all-rounder, while the RS 4, thanks to its purist suspension setup, tends to sniff out ruts.

Attacking the final corners at the Motodrom: Accelerating out of the apex is a matter of philosophy. Both powertrains rely on variable all-wheel-drive systems that allow for adjustable torque distribution.

The Audi drive programs include the menu item "Quattro with Sport Differential." Of the "Comfortable," "Balanced," and "Sporty" configurations, the RS 4 25 Years uses the latter all-wheel-drive setting for the most agile approach to the GP track. While this setup occasionally causes the car to slide out of country road switchbacks with power oversteer in everyday driving, its rear end presents a perfect blend of agility and driving stability at Hockenheim. Under load, the RS 4 behaves largely neutrally and hooks itself into the racing line with tremendous traction as if on rails.

In terms of all-wheel drive setup, the M3 is the more agile of the two station wagons. Three driving modes are available: "4WD," "4WD Sport," and the purely rear-wheel drive "2WD." At the limit, even in normal 4WD mode, the M3 Touring tends to oversteer more under load than the Audi in its sportiest all-wheel drive setup. The more grippy tires and the more extreme suspension setup give the 25 Years higher speeds through almost all of Hockenheim's corners. The BMW counters with power.

With a lap time of 1:53.8 minutes, the M3 narrowly wins the Hockenheim race against the RS 4 (1:54.2 minutes). However, the final score is settled. Even though the BMW wins the comfort, drive, and handling categories, the Audi achieves a sensation: The RS 4 25 Years deservedly crowns itself the hottest family station wagon with victory in the performance and overall ratings.