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.
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?
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?