Spyshots: 2018 Audi RS4 Avant Prototype Looks Very Muscular

There are several details that give this away as being the RS4 Avant. First of all, the air intakes at the front are much wider. The grille has also been completely redesigned, something which usually happens to RS models.

In profile, we notice big wheels similar to the ones on the Q5 (this might not be the production design) and lowered suspension. Around the back, the dual oval exhaust tips leave us in no doubt that this is a member of the RS family.

The RS6 has been doing just fine with a downsized turbo engine and so should the RS4. We are talking about a twin-turbo version of the 3.0-liter TFSI found in the new S4. However, earlier reports indicated that a 2.9-liter engine was going to be used. The output remains unknown, but should be somewhere between 450 and 500 horsepower.

Back to V6 for the RS4?

That's not a lot when you consider that the C63 AMG already pushed 510 horsepower. That's because Mercedes had the guts to use a V8 engine while everybody else seems to be gravitating towards six cylinders. But the one major advantage the RS4 will have over all its competitors is the quattro permanent all-wheel drive, a standard feature ever since the model was first introduced. In this segment, you can't even get that as an option, so come rain or snow, Audi's car will go down the road faster than everybody else.

The one missing piece of this puzzle is the gearbox, as the twin-clutch unit Audi uses in most A4 models isn't up to the job. Higher powered versions with V6 turbo engines get the famous ZF 8-speed automatic and so should the RS4. Considering how many high-powered performance vehicles use it, we're more than happy with a non-Audi cog changer.

Our insider information suggests this fully built test prototype will debut in about a year or so, making the RS4 a 2018 model year vehicle. Audi has also promised a derivative for the US market. No, it's not the RS4 sedan, but the RS5 Sportback, a four-door coupe.