Photo: kolesa.ru
The beginning of the end is upon us. Faced with heavy penalties on CO2 emissions, European performance cars are being killed or evolving into something we don't like. Fortunately, the likable Audi RS4 Avant is safe, and people are looking forward to its mid-life facelift.
With much wider fenders and aggressive body cladding, the RS4 is nowhere near as ugly as the A4 that it's based on. However, the entire family is set to receive a mid-life facelift, which will probably be revealed towards the end of the year.
The engine is probably going to stay the same, a 2.9-liter V6 with two large turbos pumping it up to 450 PS (444-horsepower). It's roughly the same unit they installed in the new S6 and S7. As disappointing as the loss of those V8s was, Europe suffered much worse. There, you get a 3.0 TDI making 349 PS, which is barely more than the old A6 competition.
In any case, the RS4's emissions are good enough, so all it needs is a new front end. This latest set of renderings comes from the Russian website Kolesa and shows it from both angles. This actually looks like a quick Photoshop touchup job, as the real 2020 RS4 will have new side skirts, 3D taillights, and a much more pronounced diffuser.
We speculated that, because the M3 is coming out soon, Audi was going to make a performance version. But as things stand, it doesn't look likely. Instead, the company is probably looking into more plug-in hybrid systems. There was one on the Q8 Sport concept a while back, featuring both a V6 TFSI and a big battery. Unfortunately, the RS4 is already one of the heaviest models in its class.
Other manufacturers face similar hurdles, with AMG reportedly even considering a hybrid 2-liter for the next generation of the AMG C-Class. Ouch!
The engine is probably going to stay the same, a 2.9-liter V6 with two large turbos pumping it up to 450 PS (444-horsepower). It's roughly the same unit they installed in the new S6 and S7. As disappointing as the loss of those V8s was, Europe suffered much worse. There, you get a 3.0 TDI making 349 PS, which is barely more than the old A6 competition.
In any case, the RS4's emissions are good enough, so all it needs is a new front end. This latest set of renderings comes from the Russian website Kolesa and shows it from both angles. This actually looks like a quick Photoshop touchup job, as the real 2020 RS4 will have new side skirts, 3D taillights, and a much more pronounced diffuser.
We speculated that, because the M3 is coming out soon, Audi was going to make a performance version. But as things stand, it doesn't look likely. Instead, the company is probably looking into more plug-in hybrid systems. There was one on the Q8 Sport concept a while back, featuring both a V6 TFSI and a big battery. Unfortunately, the RS4 is already one of the heaviest models in its class.
Other manufacturers face similar hurdles, with AMG reportedly even considering a hybrid 2-liter for the next generation of the AMG C-Class. Ouch!
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