Category Archives: Audi RS4

Gordon Shedden gets to grips with new Audi RS 4 Avant

Ahead of his first race as an Audi Sport driver, Shedden tests the latest Audi Super Avant on road and track

  • “Flash” Gordon races an RS 3 LMS for WRT in the FIA WTCR
  • First races this weekend (7/8 April) in Morocco
  • Audi RS 4 Avant available to order now, priced from £62,175 OTR

Scottish race ace Gordon Shedden has been testing the limits of the new Audi RS 4 Avant ahead of his first race as a factory-backed Audi Sport driver. The 39-year-old three-time British Touring Car Championship winner’s Audi race debut in the FIA WTCR series gets underway on 7/8 April, when he will be competing for Belgian team WRT Racing in Morocco.

Having tested the 450PS Super Avant during the height of the big March freeze, “Flash” has had plenty of opportunity to exploit the full potential of its quattro system and standard sport rear differential on challenging Scottish roads and around the famous Knockhill circuit. He is already an ardent fan of the car’s ‘no compromise’ combination of performance plus practicality and considers it the ultimate daily transport between racing commitments.

Commenting on the poise and pace of the latest Audi Sport star, Shedden said: “The RS 4 is a car that does everything. It’s understated, drives great and stops on a dime, which it needs because it’s mega fast!”

Going back to its roots with a V6 twin-turbo TFSI that echoes the evocative powerplant of the original B5 RS 4 Avant, the latest car benefits from a significant boost in torque to 600Nm, all of which is available from just 1,900rpm to facilitate a 0-62mph sprint of just 4.1 seconds and a top speed of up to 174mph.

Shedden logged his first laps in the RS 3 LMS last month at Zandvort (NED). In TCR configuration, its proven four-cylinder two-litre TFSI delivers up to 350PS, enabling it to hit 62mph in approximately 4.5 seconds and top out at 165mph. Power is channelled to the track via a six-speed sequential racing transmission and a multi-plate limited slip differential.

Return of The RS Icon: The New Audi RS 4 Avant

– World debut of RS 4 Avant at the IAA 2017
– 2.9 TFSI engine offers substantially more power and efficiency
– Available to order in the UK later this month priced at £61,625 OTR
– First UK deliveries in early 2018
– Audi Virtual Cockpit and sport differential standard for UK cars
Neckarsulm, September 12, 2017 – Audi Sport GmbH celebrates the world debut of the new Audi RS 4 Avant at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, and at the same time Audi UK is enlisting the new figurehead of the A4 range in its ranks. Opening for ordering later this month priced at £61,625, the latest bearer of the RS badge combines tremendous everyday usability with exceptional performance from a 2.9 TFSI engine delivering 450PS and 600Nm of torque via standard quattro drive.

“The Audi RS 4 Avant is our RS icon with an incomparable history,” commented Stephan Winkelmann, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH. “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.”
Roof edge spoiler creates distinctive rear end
When creating the fourth generation of the Audi RS 4 Avant, the designers took inspiration from many motorsport details of the Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO. Massive air inlets with typical RS honeycomb structure and the wide, flat Singleframe grille define the front end. The optional Matrix LED headlights display tinted bezels. Compared to the Audi A4 Avant, the wheel arches are 30 millimetres wider and are given added emphasis by the quattro blisters.
At the rear end, the RS-specific diffuser insert, the oval tailpipes of the RS exhaust system and the RS roof edge spoiler make for a distinctive look. The exterior colour Nogaro blue, pearl effect available optionally from Audi exclusive recalls the first generation of the high-performance Avant from 1999. The new Audi RS 4 Avant rides on 19-inch forged aluminium wheels as standard; 20-inch wheels are available as an option.

0 to 62mph in 4.1 seconds, RS sport suspension and Audi drive select as standard
The V6 biturbo develops 450PS in the new Audi RS 4 Avant. Its peak torque of 600 Nm (442.5 lb-ft) – 170 Nm (125.4 lb-ft) more than the previous model – is available across a broad engine speed range from 1,900 to 5,000 rpm. It is key to how the Audi RS 4 is able to sprint from 0 to 62mph in 4.1 seconds. The top speed is 155mph. With the optional RS dynamic package, the top speed increases to 174mph. In the combined cycle test the RS 4 Avant is able to return up to 32.1mpg (199 grams of CO2 per kilometre) – an efficiency gain of 17 per cent over the previous model. The new Audi RS 4 Avant weighs 1,790 kilograms – 80 kilograms (176.4 lb) less than previously.
The power of the 2.9 TFSI biturbo is supplied to the permanent all-wheel drive via an eight-speed tiptronic with optimised ratios. Audi also offers a rear sport differential enabling torque division between the rear wheels for enhanced handling adjustability, and in the UK this feature is standard.
The standard-fit RS sport suspension sets the Audi RS 4 Avant another seven millimetres lower than the standard A4 with sport suspension. RS sport suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC) is available as an option, as are ceramic brakes and RS-specific dynamic steering. Drivers can define their own individual personal driving experience using the standard dynamic handling system Audi drive select.

Interior with sophisticated materials and digital racing-style cockpit
The black interior underscores the character of the Audi RS 4 Avant. The RS sport seats with optional honeycomb pattern, the flat-bottomed RS leather multifunction sport steering wheel, the shift gate and the illuminated door sill trims are all adorned with the RS emblem. In the Audi virtual cockpit which is standard in the UK, RS-specific displays indicate the g-forces, tyre pressures and torque. The styling packages gloss black, carbon with aluminium attachments and carbon with black attachments provide further scope for customisation. The Audi exclusive programme caters for just about any other special request.