Best Audis – Ingolstadt's finest BMW and Mercedes rivals
Audi has always taken a different (and sometimes less preferable) approach to performance cars from BMW. It’s still got some amazing cars in its back catalogue
Audi Sport, formerly Quattro GmbH, is to Audi what M Division is to BMW – the creator of Audi’s fastest, most capable, most fun cars. It forms a core piece of that best-known performance trifecta of high-powered German execs, with BMW M and of course Mercedes-AMG.
If BMW M cars have always been the driver’s choices and Mercedes-AMGs have tended towards a hot rod personality, Audi Sport has a proven habit of cool, collected, considered fast cars – almost always handsome, occasionally flat-footed, very occasionally fantastic. Indeed Audi is known as well for its misses where fast cars are concerned as it is its hits. Make no mistake, though, its back catalogue is chock full of absolute stars. Here are the best fast Audis yet made.
Audi Quattro 10v
- From £20,000
- Power: 197bhp
- 0-62mph: 7.1sec
- Audi Quattro review
Every performance car family has a foundational model. With BMW M and Mercedes-AMG, there are debates as to which established the source code. Not so with Audi. It is and always has been, the Quattro. It is the undisputed rosetta stone.
Its rallying success is well-known and with hindsight, the innovation it brought to the fore was totally obvious. Four-wheel drive just makes total sense where grip is at a premium, though the way the Audi distributed power was a revelation, with adjustability in the way it puts down its power thanks to switchable locking differentials. The later 20-valve cars might have revolutionised the road car with their torque-sensing centre diffs but the 10-valve pre-cat cars are where it all began. They were the rally car’s true connection to the road.
Like with almost all of the best fast Audis, driving a Quattro hard offers a different sort of thrill to the likes of a BMW M3 or Porsche 911. They’re less precise, not as light to the touch. But what they lack in absolute bidability they make up for with the brawn of that five-cylinder powerplant and the flexibility of Quattro AWD. On the right road in the right conditions, they left the competition behind. In the wet the Quattro became fun – the car you’d switch into after your 911 struck the fear of God into you.
Audi Sport Quattro
- From £600,000+
- Power: 306bhp
- 0-62mph: 4.8sec
- Audi Sport Quattro v Subaru Impreza 22B v Toyota GR Yaris
Audi’s approach to Group B regulations differed slightly, compared with its rivals. It didn’t create a bespoke mid-engined machine to capitalise on the lax regulations, at least to begin with. It did eventually, with the RS 002 but first, it took the Quattro, chopped 126mm out of the wheelbase (for agility) and fitted carbon-Kevlar body panels. It also shaved a hair of capacity from the engine for homologation reasons but boosted it to 306bhp and 256lb ft – supercar numbers. Its price at the time was supercar-spec too – almost as much as Ferrari’s 288 GTO at the time.
If anything, the Sport Quattro was Audi’s first proto supercar, because it was far from a rough around the edges homologation special inside. It was a quality item inside and out, with the performance and price point of a supercar. It was a truncated, muscular curio, unmistakable as the ultimate version of Audi's icon.
The potency of its five-cylinder turbocharged engine forced through that signature all-wheel drive, paired with the keener responses courtesy of its shortened wheelbase, make for a real point-to-point missile. It’s not a case of gripping and going like it’s on rails. Rather, you point the Sport Quattro, use the power and take attitude as it claws its way along the road. It’s a real thriller.
Audi RS2
- From £40,000
- Power: 315bhp
- 0-62mph: 4.8sec
- Audi RS2 review
Perhaps the ultimate curio of Audi Sport’s history, is the Audi RS2. On the surface it’s a foundational model that’s almost as important as the Quattro, being the first in a long line of stout fast estates, for which Audi Sport is now beloved. On the other, it’s a bit of a mutant – a car Audi needed Porsche’s assistance in creating.
Slightly in need of money at the time, Porsche took a bung and in return, tuned the five-cylinder engine and suspension, aided in crafting the RS2’s bodywork and donated some wheels, brakes, and the wingmirrors. The angrier 2.2-litre engine got a 30 per cent larger KKK turbocharger and hotter cams, boosting it to 315bhp.
Porsche DNA doesn’t mean the RS2 is perfect. It’s still a fast Audi in the traditional sense, albeit with a bit of Zuffenhausen veneer. The ride was considered rough at the time of its release in 1994, even if it seems relatively calm by today’s standards. The balance meanwhile is one of resolute neutrality, rather than adjustability, the RS2 always keener to understeer rather than oversteer. It’s shot through with character though and served as a worthy North Star to guide the fast Audis that followed it.
Audi TT Mk1
- From £3000
- Power: 225bhp
- 0-62mph: 6.6sec
- Audi TT Mk1 v Audi TT RS Mk3
The next watershed moment for Audi wasn’t actually all that fast. It is nonetheless a bonafide icon and a real high watermark from the last 30 years in terms of original design. It seems absurd that the jaw-dropping original aluminium TT body clothes bones from the Mk4 VW Golf, but there we are. Unfortunately those bones dictate a front- or all-wheel-drive layout but also meant the big-bellied 1.8T four-cylinder engine was standard fitment, with warbling VR6 joining later.
The first-generation TT was looked upon with a bit of cynicism by some at the time, who perhaps wished it offered keen drivers an experience to match its looks. With passing years, it looks evermore compact and, compared with today’s standards, lightweight. Rarely do we stack acclaim for style where substance is lacking but the first TT might just be that rare case, where style is some of the substance.
Audi S8 (D2)
- From £12,000
- Power: 360bhp
- 0-62mph: 6.6sec
One of Audi’s masterstrokes over the years was getting its products into movie theatres. Arguably its modern era of being one of Hollywood’s performance cars of choice began with the Audi S8, made famous of course by the 1998 film Ronin.
It’s not all show with nothing going on underneath, though. For the original 1996 S8 (and indeed the A8 on which it was based) were technological powerhouses, leveraging an at-the-time revolutionary aluminium Audi Space Frame construction that reduced body weight by some 40 per cent compared to if steel were used. Before the R8, before the TT, it was the A8 and S8 that are just as much landmark moments in the story of Audi’s role as an innovator.
The S8 also came with a potent 4.2-litre DOHC V8 with 340bhp. The S8 was then updated in 1998, the engine receiving a five-valve cylinder head, with three inlet valves and two exhaust valves per cylinder as well as variable valve timing, for 360bhp. The rest of the car was good too and improved again with the update – sharper, more responsive, more controlled as we reported in our first drive all the way back in evo 004. ‘The steering feels sharper than before. In fact, it’s the best I’ve encountered in a modern Audi, with plenty of feel,’ evo co-founder Harry Metcalfe wrote. ‘The ride may be a bit fidgety in town but if that’s the trade-off for this sort of body control, then that’s fine by me.’ Remember, we were almost a decade out from the arrival of the R8 at this point… All the same, the D2 S8 is an early high point in Audi Sport’s family tree.
Audi RS6 (C5)
- From £15,000
- Power: 444bhp
- 0-62mph: 4.9sec
Audi Sport’s longest-running dynasty is, of course, the Audi RS6. The C8 has just gone out of production and the C9 will arrive next year but it all began back in 2002, almost 25 years ago, with the C5 RS6 – also a movie star, being the weapon of choice for Daniel Craig’s gang in Layer Cake. Some of its hardware would sound familiar now: twin-turbo V8, all-wheel drive. Even the power figures sound passable by today’s standards, though 444bhp and 413lb ft were considered supercar-baiting numbers back then.
The numbers came courtesy of a 4.2-litre twin-turbo V8 fettled by Cosworth, as opposed to the 4-litre we’re used to today. Indeed, the quick-shifting dual-clutch and eight-speed auto boxes we take for granted now would have been a dream back then – the C5 RS6 made do with a five-speed. Familiar to an RS6 driver of today is Dynamic Ride Control. Almost standard fare (though not, as it was an option on the C9) now, this was seriously trick tech in 2002, using a pump to send pressure to each of the C5 RS6’s four dampers depending on cornering load. The kerb weight sounds familiar to today too – 1865kg…
It wasn’t the last word in driving thrills. The E39 BMW M5 of the time had it licked for precision and adjustability. But the C5 RS6 set the tone of top-flight fast Audis to follow, offering near peerless straight-line punch, livable refinement and of course year-round usability.
2007 Audi R8 V8
- From £35,000
- Power: 414bhp
- 0-62mph: 4.6sec (manual)
- Audi R8 V8 review
In 2007, in almost one fell swoop, Audi evolved from what was for the most part a cool, calm proprietor of well-built but often dull executive cars, to one selling a new mid-engined V8 supercar that pretty well knocked the Porsche 911 for six. To this day Audi’s first supercar is perhaps its best ever car.
Audi qualities we enjoyed were in abundance – a captivating contemporary design and a proper sense of quality. Other qualities weren’t very Audi at all. It was beautifully balanced and adjustable, its four-wheel-drive system actually adding to, rather than detracting from the experience. It had feelsome steering, a considered ride, exemplary body control and tactile controls.
The open-gate manual is probably your best clue that this car shares DNA with a Lamborghini, much of its aluminium substructure close in relation to the Gallardo. However Italian such a click-clack shift typically is, it never felt out of place in the Audi, only adding to the experience. The 414bhp 8000rpm V8 that you conducted via that ’box was pure honey to the ears and underfoot too. Whisper it, but early manual R8s look almost undervalued, however are sadly unlikely to stay that way for long.
Audi RS4 (B7)
- From £25,000
- Power: 414bhp
- 0-62mph: 4.8sec
- Audi RS4 B7 review
Near the top of the list of the best Audis of recent memory is the B7 Audi RS4 (if 20 years ago counts as recent memory). It was the first fast Audi with an all-wheel-drive system that could genuinely send more than half the engine’s power to the rear wheels. It had Lamborghini-spec brakes and dynamic ride control adaptive suspension. The best bit? The engine: a 4.2-litre DOHC V8 with Audi’s FSI fuel injection tech, producing 414bhp at a heady 7800rpm. The RS4 was this engine’s first home before it was made truly famous in dry-sumped form in the first Audi R8.
The complete package was a balanced, compliant, enjoyable super saloon of a type Audi had not yet made and which made Mercedes and BMW really quite nervous. Though BMW would have been well into the development of the E9X by the time of the RS4’s arrival in 2005, it must have assured them the high-revving V8 path was the right one.
Audi S1
- From £10,000
- Power: 228bhp
- 0-62mph: 5.8sec
- Audi S1 review
The arrival of the Audi S1 in 2014 put fun fast Audis within reach of a lot more people. It was pricey, certainly – £24,000 was Golf GTI money at the time – but its talents were appreciable enough to earn it an invite to eCoty that year. The S1 was a bit of a skunkworks special, only willed into existence by the need to cover the bills of the extensive work it took to create the 333-off Audi A1 Quattro.
That work included changing the A1’s rear end from a torsion beam to a multi-link set-up to accommodate a differential and driveshafts. You can’t have an S-badged Audi without four-wheel drive after all and it’s certainly useful for translating 228bhp and 273lb ft into fuss-free forward motion. The S1 was decent fun too, agile and chuckable if not infinitely throttle adjustable. Its damping was good if not perfect and it was exclusively available with a manual transmission, as a DSG wouldn’t fit.
Audi R8 V10 Plus
- From £50,000
- Power: 542bhp
- 0-62mph: 3.5sec
- Audi R8 review
A supercar? In winter? Absolutely. In fact, this Audi of all on this list might actually be even better suited to the trials and tribulations of the darkest, saltiest months of the year (there’s a clue). The R8’s aluminium construction and bodywork means it’s much less susceptible to tinworm than its steel siblings.
The R8 is also famously a benchmark for livability and usability in the supercar world. Even the original, so long as you get either a manual, or the facelift with a dual-clutch transmission. It’s also not as expensive as you’d fear, with first-generation V10 Plus examples (the very best original R8 save for an early manual V8) available from £50,000. For context, a brand new RS3 costs over £60,000.
For that you’ll get one of the sweetest supercars, with one of the best-loved internal combustion engines of the modern era, Audi’s (and Lamborghini's) 5.2-litre V10. The V10 Plus is proper supercar fast, with 542bhp, covering 0-62mph in 3.5sec on the way to a 197mph top speed. It’s also sports-car nimble, tractable, balanced and controlled when you’re giving it the business on a proper road, then easy and unintimidating on the way home and in day-to-day driving. They’re even quite practical, with a big boot and good visibility all round.
Audi RS4 Competition (B9)
- From £60,000
- Power: 444bhp
- 0-62mph: 3.7sec
- Audi RS4 Competition review
The RS4 might lack some of the theatre of its direct rivals, but there’s still a lot to like about the bygone RS4 Competition. Performance for one – 0-62mph in 3.7sec and 186mph is as quick as you’re likely to need to transport labradors, wardrobes or other estate car luggage clichés.
The RS4 also has a pleasing duality to its personality that allows it to serve both as an estate and as a performance car. It’s beautifully built and the engine smooth and quiet, making long-distance touring easy. And when ramped up to Dynamic mode it’s fast and exciting, but thanks to all-wheel drive, remains secure.
The RS4 Competition takes things to a new level dynamically, with ultra-focused adjustable coilovers providing meaningful extra bite and poise. The Sport differential sat on the rear axle also gives the RS4 Competition a sense of throttle adjustability, especially in inclement weather, that those familiar with fast Audis of old would be pleasantly surprised by. Likewise the fixed-ratio steering (praise be).
There’s also the question of weight. Yes, 1729kg sounds like a lot… until you consider the 2300kg+ kerb weight of its successor, the plug-in hybrid RS5… The new car is excellent but there’s something to miss about the old Competition – the last-generation weight figure, size and style is endearing.
Audi TT RS
- From £30,000
- Power: 394bhp
- 0-62mph:
- Audi TT RS review
The TT has morphed from a design-led icon into a genuine sports car over the years, and it’s a shame that the third-generation model went out without a successor.
With 394bhp the outgoing TT RS had performance to bait the original R8 supercar, and a proper soundtrack to boot. It’s an engine we’ll soon be waving goodbye to when the current RS3 goes off sale – the last five-cylinder overall to die off too. Its loss will be felt enormously and the internal combustion engine landscape will be all the less rich as a result.
The TT RS wasn’t all engine and no substance, though. It had adjustable dampers so you could find the closest-to-ideal setting for the often rough-riding suspension. The largely alloy engine was also lighter than that of older RS3s and the second-generation TT RS, making it better balanced too. It never rivalled the Cayman or A110 down a twisty B-road, but the TT RS still offered a compelling driving experience.
Audi RS6 GT (C8)
- From £170,000
- Power: 621bhp
- 0-62mph: 3.3sec
- Audi RS6 GT review
What happens when you take the quintessential fast estate that is the Audi RS6 and dial in more focus, more aggression and cover it in an IMSA-inspired livery? You get the RS6 GT.
Costing £177,115, you couldn’t rationalise the GT as a sensible family runaround, but you can make a case for it as one of the most endearing Audi RS products yet produced. Upgrades over the RS6 Performance include a retuned rear diff, passive coilover suspension, three-way adjustable dampers and stiffer anti-roll bars.
These combine to give the GT a fantastic level of agility and newfound precision. The way it controls its mass and dives into, through and out of corners at immense speed is simply staggering. And between the corners the 621bhp twin-turbo V8 is mighty, with a heavy slug of boost that builds to a keen top end. The GT is quite simply the best RS6 yet, and by default, one of the most desirable hot estates ever to go on sale.
Audi RS3
- Price: £64,000
- Power: 394bhp
- 0-62mph: 3.8sec
- Audi RS3 review
It took a couple of shots but the Audi RS3 finally came good in this third generation. Unlike the original, it doesn’t pair obscene straight-line pace with understeer that’d strike the fear of God into you. It’s not resolutely tied down and dull. Thanks to the Torque Splitter rear differentiation, there’s a bit of personality to the latest RS3 – adjustability and willingness. The steering and damping have also been resolved to a higher standard than past rocky-riding, dull-feeling attempts from Audi Sport.
The stuff we always enjoyed remains. It’s still a quality item to the touch, still possessed of cool-butch styling that majors on muscle rather than bling and still has the party piece that is that five-cylinder engine. It’s a motor and a car we’re confident we’ll look back on and sorely miss. The five-pot isn’t all noise either. With 394bhp and being good for 0-62mph in under four seconds, this is a proper supercar-baiting weapon across ground. The car that arguably founded the hyper hatch genre will go out as one of the best.
2026 Audi RS5 Avant
- Price: £92,120
- Power: 630bhp
- 0-62mph: 3.6sec
- Audi RS5 review
Looking at the specs, the new Audi RS5 could have gone either way. Weighing over 2300kg thanks to those batteries, there was a chance it would in the long run disappoint, as the latest BMW M5 has. Knowing Audi Sport’s propensity for making either great, or blunderous performance cars, there was cause to be nervous. On the other hand, when Audi booms rather than busts it puts out cars like the RS6 GT, the latest RS3 and the outgoing RS4 Competition, so there was cause for optimism too.
Happily, in spite of its considerable mass, it seems – at least on initial impressions – Audi has delivered. Here is a car that leverages the technology that means it has to be so heavy to manage that mass, and make it responsive and engaging. Core weapons in its arsenal are well-sorted suspension, with its five-link assembly and two-valve dampers at each corner, as well as a trick rear diff.
Utilising the 400-volt electrical architecture is a 10bhp electric motor that powers Audi’s new electromechanical torque-vectoring differential, to throw power at the side of the car that needs it. That also works with a torque-sensing centre diff that’s permanently preloaded, meaning it can respond quickly and send up to 85 per cent of the car’s torque rearward. The result is one of the most adjustable, responsive RS Audis yet, yes in spite of that kerb weight.
