Skip to main content

Audi RS 4 Avant police car joins Australian police force

The impulse to reach out to a community using the appeal of cool cars has led police departments around the world to add some rather unusual vehicles to their motor pools, from an Ariel Atom in the U.K. to a Lamborghini Gallardo in Los Angeles and, of course, the comically opulent Dubai Police fleet.

Compared to many of those cars, the Audi RS 4 Avant almost seems like a sensible choice (it is a station wagon, after all). One of these über-wagons recently joined the Lake Illawarra Local Area Command (LAC) of the New South Wales Police Force in Australia.

The RS 4 Avant will be used by the police for a year, on a unique assignment. It will be used to highlight the police’s involvement in community and youth engagement programs, and to generally give the service a more friendly, approachable air. The car’s livery was even designed through a poll on Facebook.

Officials hope the car will “encourage people of all ages to introduce themselves to local police,” and help “start a conversation,” Superintendent Wayne Starling, Commander of the Lake Illawarra LAC, said in a statement.

That means Australian speed freaks can rest easy, because this particular performance car won’t be used for pursuit duty. With a 4.2-liter V8 producing 459 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque, the RS 4 Avant would probably be pretty good at that. Audi says it can do 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, and reach a top speed of 174 mph.

This version of the RS 4 isn’t long for this world. Audi is planning a new version based on the redesigned 2016 A4 that should debut sometime after that model. While there have been rumors that the RS 4 will ditch its naturally-aspirated V8 for a smaller turbocharged engine, nothing has been confirmed yet.

The next RS 4 Avant could also be the first version of the wagon sold in the U.S. Audi previously offered the RS 4 here, but only as a sedan.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
2021 Volkswagen ID.4 electric car prototype drive: A crowd-pleaser
2021 Volkswagen ID.4

 

After the “Dieselgate” emissions scandal, Volkswagen is trying to clear the air -- literally.

Read more
2021 Volkswagen ID.4 aims to (finally) bring electric cars to the masses
2021 Volkswagen ID.4

 

The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 isn’t the automaker’s first electric car, but it might be the first one that matters.

Read more
Audi’s Q4 Sportback E-Tron will have customizable LED headlamps, 279-mile range
2020 Audi Q4 Sportback E-Tron concept

 

Audi's plan to launch more than 20 electric cars globally by 2025 is definitely ambitious, but it's also realistic, and the models that will help it achieve its goal are gradually coming to light. One is a close-to-production concept named the Q4 Sportback E-Tron that's closely related to the Q4 E-Tron introduced at the 2019 edition of the Geneva Auto Show.

Read more