Editors’ Note: No, we won’t be getting the Audi RS4 Avant in the United States anytime soon. But a car this hot deserves attention on a global scale, and we know you readers enjoy a tasty bit of Forbidden Fruit as much as we do. Enjoy this First Drive from the Motor1-UK team, and try not to get drool all over your keyboard. 

The performance subsidiary of Audi has had a rebrand, changing its name from Quattro GmbH to Audi Sport and broadening its field of play accordingly. Fear not, because fast, all-wheel-drive vehicles will continue to remain core to the range and the all-new Audi RS4 Avant represents the latest in absurdly rapid daily drivers.

Estate cars may have experienced a serious loss of potency in the U.K. (similar to that in the U.S.), as new car buyers switch camps to the all-conquering SUV – but the RS4 Avant proves the cult of the performance wagon is still alive and kicking.

This is the fourth iteration of the Audi RS4 Avant since the original version was unveiled in 1999. It loses the naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V8 of its predecessor (the B8 RS4), returning to its V6 twin-turbocharged roots (the B5 RS4) with an all-new, 2.9-liter TFSI gasoline engine. Compared to the previous RS4, it develops an identical 444 horsepower, but offers a whopping 442 pound-feet of torque – ...