The Urban DINK: 2007 Audi RS4

First, I just wanted to point out the cool new graphic the Urban DINK and Suburban Dad series now sport. Spiffy, no? Second, this post is in direct response to some mild complaints that I was focusing too much on small SUVs, since that’s what my wife and I are currently in the market for.

Count your pleas for something more DINK-ish answered. The Audi RS4 should be the dream car for any Urban DINK. It’s ludicrously fast, has the smoothest shift motion I’ve yet to see and it’ll fit easily into city parking spots.

It all starts with an Audi A4 body, which in itself is a practical enough entry luxury sedan. The test car was a wildly bright yellow, sporting 19-inch wheels and a 420-hp V-8 engine that rumbled, purred or screamed depending on the position of my right foot. Sixty mph comes in 4.8 seconds, and while commuting to and from the office I was endlessly itching to test that number. Nothing about it is practical, besides that sedan body style.

Unlike the S6 I gave the DINK treatment to a few months ago, the RS4 really does live to leave the line. I unintentionally left every car that pulled next to me at a red light saying “What was that yellow blur?” I wasn’t even trying that hard, that’s just how the RS4 is made. I don’t think I’ve dealt with a more addicting short shifter, either. It’s one of the few I can think of where you can make your shifts without lifting your arm off the armrest.

The RS4 starts at $66,000, with the tester hitting $68,000. What option raised the price? A gas-guzzler tax. It guzzles gas at a 2008 EPA-adjusted 13/20 mpg city/hwy rate.

If you can afford the monthly payments, premium gas shouldn’t be a concern for you. The only thing I would change about the car is the carbon fiber trim. You can replace it with brushed aluminum for no charge according to the Audi website. Yes, please.

The S6 is probably a more refined beast, and at $72,000 it’s probably the better choice for those who want the added size and a friendlier commute vehicle. More frugal DINKs would just get a regular A4 at nearly half the price. But for the driving enthusiast DINKs out there, the RS4 will be the obvious choice.

Related
The Urban DINK: 2007 Audi S6 (KickingTires)
Introducing: The Urban DINK (KickingTires)
Kicking S: Audi RS4 – An S4 With More (KickingTires)
Kicking S: Behind the Wheel of Every Audi S Car (KickingTires)