Audi RS4 Cabriolet: Driving impressions

4Car has a nice report about their driving impressions with the Audi RS4 cabriolet and I have to say: It looks absolutely fantastic in yellow!

This V8 is a damn fine engine - over 90% of the torque is available under your right foot from just 2250rpm to 7600rpm, and the RS4 will surge forward with amazing velocity. Before you know it, you're bouncing off the 8250rpm rev limiter. It sounds pretty good too, especially with the top down in the Cabriolet - tunnel hunting becomes a popular pastime for savouring that amazing exhaust note in all its tuneful glory.

It goes without saying that the RS4 Cabrio features Audi's quattro four-wheel-drive system. This splits torque 40:60 between the front and rear axles with the bias to the rear, although it can adjust the distribution anywhere between a 65:35 or 15:85 front/rear ratio depending on the driving conditions. This gives the RS4 Cabrio simply astonishing traction, without a hint of wheelspin unless you really go over the top in the tomfoolery stakes.

Audi's quattro 4WD system splits power 40:60
Not that you'd want to really go mad with the RS4 Cabrio: it costs a rather colossal £59,625, which means it'll be pretty expensive to fix if you bend it. It's also £9600 more than the 'regular' RS4 saloon - a lot to pay for a folding fabric roof. However, as rag tops go, the RS4's is one of the best.

Most cars - even performance cars with stiffened suspension - will pitch forward and roll back under harsh speed changes, but the RS4 doesn't. It remains resolutely flat, no matter how hard you try to ruffle its feathers - even when tackling the tight slalom course Audi laid on to showcase the RS4's ability, the damn thing felt solid as a rock.