FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Audi unleashes RS 4 Avant
Hard-hitting hauler loses two cylinders, gains two turbos, and looks like a brawlerThe rich-sounding V8 has gone, but the Audi RS 4 Avant is back, faster and more fuel-efficient than ever.
Making its debut today at the Frankfurt motor show, the RS 4 Avant returns with the same 2.9-litre twin-turbo TFSI engine Audi first showed in the RS 5 Coupe at the Geneva motor show in March.
The 331kW V6 crunches out 600Nm of torque, countering the biggest weakness of the old RS 4’s 4.2-litre V8, which only managed 430Nm but revved to high heaven.
With a claimed zero-100km/h sprint of just 4.1 seconds, the all-new RS 4 will run to 280km/h when it has the RS Dynamic Package fitted (includes high-speed tyres).
The high-performance V6 uses unusually high-compression for a twin-turbo engine and runs to Miller Cycle philosophies, which help slash fuel consumption by 17 per cent to 8.8L/100km, for 199 grams of CO2/km.
If the flat-sounding RS 5 Coupe’s exhaust note from the same engine is any indication, sadly the outgoing RS 4 Avant's heart-tingling V8 burble and bellow will be a 'goner'.
"The Audi RS 4 Avant is our RS icon with an incomparable history,” revealed Stephan Winkelmann, the outgoing managing director of Audi Sport.
“In common with all our RS models, it blends immense power output with superlative everyday utility. In China, the Audi RS 4 will provide fresh impetus for growth as the only high-performance Avant in its segment.”
Sources insist Winkelmann is on the verge of being moved across to the Volkswagen Group’s Bugatti hypercar franchise, but has stayed on to launch the sports estate in Germany.
The RS 4 Avant will run essentially the same powertrain as the RS 5 Coupe, which means a rear-biased all-wheel drive system, complete with the option of a more responsive Sports differential on the rear axle.
It has shed 80kg in the transition from the old V8 version to the B9 model RS 4 Avant’s 1790kg and its acceleration figures are now in line with the BMW M4 Coupe and only 0.2 seconds slower than the RS 5 Coupe.
It promises to be stronger in the mid-range, too, with the torque peak peaking at 1900rpm and holding on until 5000rpm - which should improve its in-gear acceleration for real-world performance.
Wheel-arch blisters push the wheel arches 30mm wider than on the standard B9-model A4 Avant to accommodate wider 19-inch or 20-inch lightweight alloy wheels.
Other styling flourishes include a roof spoiler, optional Matrix LED headlights, a honeycomb grille, oval exhaust tips and a Nogaro blue paint scheme from the original 1999 RS 4 Avant.
The RS 4 sits seven millimetres lower than the stock A4 Avant on its five-link rear and a four-link front suspension set-up.
Ceramic brakes are optional, as are a firmer RS sport suspension setup and RS optional steering, while the interior uses a flat-bottomed steering wheel, the fully digital virtual cockpit, a head-up display and g-force, torque output and tyre-pressure gauges.
Australian launch will be some time in 2018.
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