464bhp Audi RS4 Edition 25 Years Arrives As A Very Yellow Birthday Celebration

Ask anyone to name a fast estate car, and likelihood is the first thing they mention will have four rings on the grille. Though it didn’t invent the genre, Audi has been its undisputed leader for a long time, with the RS4 hitting its quarter-century this year. To celebrate, it’s been given a special edition in the form of the clumsily-named RS4 Edition 25 Years.

This goes a lot deeper than some badges and a numbered plaque on the interior, though. Audi has liberated an extra 20bhp from its 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6, taking overall output up to 464bhp. This gives all the other numbers a kick up the backside: 0-62mph now takes 3.7 seconds, down from 4.1 in the basic car, and top speed is 186mph. Torque is unchanged at 443lb ft.

Fitted as standard are Audi’s RS ceramic brakes and sports exhaust, as well as its manually adjustable Sport Suspension Pro setup. This gives the car a 10mm drop over standard, with owners able to manually drop it by another 10. Also included is the Quattro Sport differential, which can send more power to the rear axle.

The Edition 25 Years gets some model-specific chassis tuning too: the front axle’s negative camber has been upped by two degrees, stiffer control arms have been fitted, and the Torsen diff has been tweaked, all of which improves the handling, says Audi.

The RS4 has never been a serious track machine, but it seems like Audi wants to change that with this car: in addition to the standard wheels – the forged items from the RS4 Competition – and tyres, all customers get a second set of rims shod in hardcore Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS rubber. These tyres can even be monitored through a special app that relays real-time information to the car.

If all of this wasn’t indication enough of Audi’s intentions with this car, each owner also gets a pair of bespoke Alpinestars racing gloves. We’re sure these will come in handy when navigating the local business park.

None of these tweaks are particularly noticeable to the naked eye, but what very much is the new headline colour of Imola Yellow, a shade that first appeared on the original B5 generation RS4. Owners hoping for something more subtle can also spec Mythos Black or Nardo Grey.

There are further flashes of yellow inside, where buyers can also spec a flat-bottomed suede steering wheel. Finally, there’s the option to pair a watch with your very fast estate car. Produced by Audi’s Collection division, it features various details in… well, you can guess what colour.

Alongside the RS4, Audi has also announced an RS5 Performance Edition, which gets the same uprated engine and some of the standard-fit chassis kit as its estate cousin. Just 250 will be made of each, and they ain’t cheap, especially the RS4, which starts at €142,905 – around £121,700. They go on sale in June, although there’s no word yet on UK availability.