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Used test: Audi RS4 Avant vs Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate: costs
You can save up to £20,000 if you buy one of these cracking performance estates used, but which should take pride of place on your driveway?...
![New Audi RS4 Avant vs Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate](https://media.whatcar.com/fit-in/760x503/migration/articles/4a10fb63840a4019e484c88d20bcd84f3186a2dc.jpg)
Buying and owning
Costs, equipment, reliability, safety
New, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S was the more expensive on list price by around £8000, costing just over £70,000. A three-year-old example, like the one we're testing here, can now be picked up for around £50,000. An Audi RS4 at three years old also goes for around £50,000, so there's no clear-cut winner on purchase price here.
In terms of fuel economy, despite having two extra cylinders and being over 50bhp more powerful, the C63 S actually has a slightly better average fuel consumption figure – a claimed 33.6mpg, to be exact. The RS4, on the other hand, claims to average 32.1mpg.
![New Audi RS4 Avant vs Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate New Audi RS4 Avant vs Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate](https://media.whatcar.com/migration/article_inline/c679208acf26c1a540fcf1bc2a7912d85fc131ce.jpg)
Want to know how much you'll be paying in car tax? Well, as they were registered after April 2017, both cars will currently attract the same £155 a year flat fee, which applies to all petrol and diesel cars.
It's also worth noting that a regular, cheaper version of the C63 S – the C63 – was and is also available, but more than half of buyers have so far opted for the C63 S because it buys you an extra 34bhp, a traction-enhancing electronic limited-slip differential, larger alloy wheels and brakes, and the splendid AMG Performance seats. On top of that, some huge discounts were available on the S version at the time, so it was possible to buy one new for a lot less than the stickered price.
![Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate engine Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate engine](https://media.whatcar.com/wc-image/2021-10/mercedes-amg_c63_s_estate_engine.jpg)
The C63 S and RS4 didn't feature in our 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey. Their non-performance saloon counterparts – the Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4 – did. The A4 (in petrol guise) ranked eighth out of 17 cars in the executive car class, while the C-Class (also in petrol guise) placed 12th. Audi as a brand came 18th out of 30 manufacturers featured, while Mercedes only managed a rather disappointing 22nd place finish.
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