Audi is offering just 75 examples of its new RS 4 Avant Competition to customers in the UK, with each car costing almost £85,000. The upgraded RS 4 Avant model will come with extra performance orientated equipment, including coilover suspension and a sports exhaust, when it goes on sale in September.

The German company says the Competition model is designed to be more “track-focused”, although it claims the upgrades have not compromised the car’s all-round ability. The limited-edition car will be available to order in early September, but the first customer deliveries will not begin until 2023.

For the lucky few, the £84,600 starting price will include a handful of visual improvements, including Sebring Crystal Black paint (although the European-spec car seen here comes in grey) and unique 20-inch alloy wheels shod in Pirelli P Zero Corsa high-performance tyres. There are red brake callipers, too, and a carbon matte finish for the front splitter and mirror housings, as well as the front air intakes and the rear splitter.

Audi RS4 Avant Competition (European Model)

Inside, the Competition gets RS Sports seats as standard, upholstered with leather and Dinamica honeycomb fabric that’s exclusive to the model. The floor mats, meanwhile, come with red stitching, which is also found on the seatbelts, centre console and door armrests.

The Competition is the only RS 4 Avant to get an Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, but it also gets some extra interior tech. A Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System, a 360-degree camera and a multi-coloured extended LED interior Lighting Pack are all included as standard.

Audi RS4 Avant Competition (European Model)

But the most important changes are found under the skin, where the Competition gets the same 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine as the standard RS 4 Avant, sending 444 bhp to all four wheels via an automatic gearbox. However, the transmission software has been modified to allow the Competition to accelerate more quickly, racing from 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds – 0.2 seconds faster than the standard car. The Competition also has an increased top speed of 180 mph, making it the fastest car in the RS 4 Avant range.

The engine is also hooked up to a new RS Sports Exhaust System Plus with matte black tailpipes. The system has been developed especially for the RS 4 Avant Competition and it generates a “more intense sound pattern” thanks to adjustments to engine soundproofing, and it’s around eight kilos lighter than the standard exhaust.

Audi RS4 Avant Competition (European Model)

What’s more, Audi has fitted the Competition with an exclusive RS Sport Suspension Pro coilover suspension system, which is designed to maximise handling performance. That means the car sits 10 mm lower than a standard RS 4 Avant, and it can be lowered by a further 10 mm if required. That system is also paired with a higher spring rate, three-way adjustable dampers, and stiffer anti-roll bars.

“As the successor to the seminal RS 2 Avant, which rewrote the rule book for the traditional estate car, the RS 4 has been a milestone model in our range for well over two decades,” said Andrew Doyle, the director of Audi UK. “With every evolutionary step over the years it has cemented our eminent position in the segment even more firmly, and this new Competition version with its elevated performance and exclusivity definitely continues that trend.”

Gallery: Audi RS4 Avant Competition (European Model)