The 380-bhp Audi RS4 is as fast a car as most people could ask for, but there are always some individuals for whom too much power is just enough. With 602 bhp giving it Ferrari-eating performance, the MTM RS4 should suit them just fine.
Looking fairly standard, apart from its slightly lower ride height and multi-spoke 19-in. alloys, this blue RS4 is a real stealth machine. Confident of its all-around abilities, MTM brought the RS4 and its 360-bhp S3 to the annual Sport Tuner GP at Hockenheim this past May.
The S3 won the Hot Hatchback class with room to spare, and the RS4 was beaten into the runners-up spot by a mere 0.055 sec. by the much lighter Digit Power Mitsubishi Evo 7. Hockenheim's tight and twisty Club Circuit is a handling rather than power circuit, so the hefty RS4's 1 min. 14.471 sec. lap time is a tribute to MTM's chassis modifications.
As a road car, the MTM version loses little in practicality compared to the standard article. Step inside and the only giveaway is the MTM speedometer. Start the motor and everything is still normal. The engine catches immediately and idles steadily, albeit with a deeper exhaust note. Only when you dip the clutch to engage first gear does the penny drop.
The only downside is that the race-quality sintered clutch is heavy, although its weight is far less obvious when you change gears on the fly. Shifting up below 3500 rpm in normal driving, there is little hint of the massive power boost on tap under the bonnet-and this illusion continued until the first time I found a clear stretch of open road.
I was only really able to give the car its head when I came off the slip road onto the nearby autobahn, and the result was a real eye-opener. An Opel Vectra was approaching fast in my rearview mirrors, probably at around 100 mph, when I joined the autobahn at 60 mph. He saw me coming and moved left into the overtaking lane. But as I wound the RS4 to the redline in third and then fourth gears, the effect was quite dramatic. First the Vectra seemed to slow more and more rapidly, and then within seconds, it started to go backwards as the RS4's speedometer needle rocketed around the dial almost as fast as the rev counter.
The accompanying perceived acceleration when the motor is on full boost is simply stupendous. If it were not four-wheel drive, the RS4 would likely spin its wheels all the way to 100 mph! With perfect quattro traction, however, 602 bhp at 6800 rpm and the 472 lb-ft (640Nm) of torque at 3400 rpm gives the MTM RS4 the ability to move its not inconsiderable 1,628kg (3,582 lb) bulk with physical-law defying rapidity.
The push in the back when the two turbos really get into their stride is both obvious and very persistent. From a standing start to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes 3.8 sec., 200 km/h (124 mph) flashes past in 13.1 sec., and top speed is limited by gearing to 195 mph (312 km/h), past peak power at a screaming 7200 rpm.
On the autobahn, there are few cars at any price that can live with this MTM car. The acceleration from any speed is sensational. Even at 130 mph in sixth gear, pushing the throttle down brings near instant and very real thrust. Forget 911s and M5s, for they are all easy meat.
The quattro system and sticky 255/30ZR19 Michelin rubber on 9.5Jx19-in. wheels provides amazing grip through the bends as well. At the end of the day, you cannot change the laws of physics, so it is still (relatively) slow in and fast out, but it feels like warp drive has been engaged when you nail the throttle at the apex of a bend.