autoevolution
 

New RS4 Avant Might Come to the US with a Turbo V6 Engine, RS5 Sportback Being Considered

Good news from the land of quattro GmbH. The current boss of Audi's go-fast division has confirmed the RS4 is on its way sooner than expected, and it might even arrive in America.
2017 Audi RS4 Avant 1 photo
Photo: Theophilus Chin
Usually, it takes at least two years between the launch of an Audi model and its RS derivative. In some cases, that's been as long as four years, but qQuattro GmbH boss Heinz Hollerweger says the RS4 Avant will be "launched relatively early in the production cycle".

He also confirmed what we've known for quite some time now: the 4.2-liter FSI engine will be replaced by a V6 with forced induction. However, it might not be as powerful as we've been expecting. The yet unrevealed TFSI will have somewhere north of 420 horsepower.

That could just be a conservative estimate, or it could be the sign of change. You see, Audi sometimes gives us cars with less power. Such was the case with the transition from V8 to V6 for the S4 and S5, where output dropped from 350 to 333 hp. It also occurred with the RS6, which went from having 585 to 560 hp.

All that doesn't count for squat if nobody can buy the RS4 in America, traditionally not a favorable market for wagons. However, in an interview with Car & Driver magazine, the head of quattro said the US might be warming up to the idea.

The good news is that even if the RS4 Avant isn't coming to the States, something better might. No, it's not the RS4 sedan, it's even better: an RS5 Sportback.

For those of you who don't speak fluent Audi, that means the Germans are considering a four-door coupe version of the A5 with the new engine and all-wheel drive. Perfect, right?
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories