The legend returns - the new Audi RS 4 Avant arrives in Australia
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•ZETLAND, AUSTRALIA – Feb 15,2013: Dynamic sports car performance combined with everyday versatility
•New 4.2-litre V8 delivers brutal performance figures
•Third generation RS 4 Avant is more affordable than ever, at $149,400
The RS 4 Avant is the modern sports car that is perfectly suited to the elusive Australian ideal of crushing performance and everyday practicality. Now, after a five-year hiatus, it’s back Down Under in an all-new generation. The new RS 4 Avant is more powerful and more aggressive, and it’s also more affordable than ever.
From the very first glance, there is no question about the performance that this incredible vehicle can produce. The hexagonal single-frame grille borders a honeycomb insert, and is adorned with an RS 4 badge. LED daytime running lights encircle the Xenon plus units like a clasp. Cool air flows through large air inlets broken up by angled struts and covered with honeycomb grilles. They are integrated into a boldly contoured bumper that tapers into a splitter edge. The low centre air inlet is divided into three small openings.
The side view is dominated by the chiselled side sill caps and flared wheel wells. The flared side elements with the sharp horizontal upper edges are a small tribute to that all-wheel drive pioneer from 1980, the Audi quattro. An extended roof spoiler with a recessed centre segment increases the downforce across the rear axle.
Catching the eye at the sculpted rear end of the car are the RS 4 badge and the prominent bumper. The two large, elliptical tailpipe tips of the dual exhaust system are integrated into the diffuser, which extends upward. In the upper section of the diffuser is a honeycomb insert. The standard LED rear lights make a final visual impact that befits such a dynamic vehicle.
Performance is what the RS 4 Avant delivers best. The powerful 4.2-litre FSI high-revving V8 engine generates a fearsome 331kW of power and 430Nm of torque. Combined with the fast-shifting 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission, the RS 4 Avant will sprint from rest to 100 km/h in an incredible 4.7 seconds. The transmission itself features a completely new calibration that responds to the driver’s inputs faster than ever before.
Typically of an Audi, the RS 4 Avant’s dynamic performance does not come at the cost of responsible fuel efficiency, averaging 10.7 litres per 100km in the combined cycle. CO2 emissions are 249 grams per kilometre. This represents a whopping efficiency improvement of 21 percent over the previous generation RS 4 Avant.
This fuel efficiency is aided by an electromechanical steering system that provides excellent response for sporty drivers. Dynamic steering is optionally available, whose characteristics have been specially tuned in the RS 4 Avant. It steplessly varies the steering ratio as a function of speed, from very direct when driving around tight corners, to indirect on the highway.
As with every Audi RS model, the engine’s power flows to all four wheels via the quattro permanent all-wheel drive, here in the latest stage of development with the self-locking crown gear centre differential and torque vectoring. Audi also offers as standard the quattro sport differential, which actively distributes the power between the rear wheels. The brake system features large, internally vented discs with an innovative wave design; the front calipers each have eight pistons.
The new Audi RS 4 Avant also features a very generous level of standard equipment.
Highlights include:
In addition to this, customers are able to specify one of three Dynamic Sports Packages to customise their RS 4 Avant, and to unlock the full performance potential of this incredible sports car. Each Dynamic Sports Package is differentiated by three different styles of 20-inch alloys wheels, but in addition, each package features Sports suspension plus with Dynamic Ride Control and the quattro GmbH Sports exhaust system with black tailpipe trims. All three Dynamic Sports Packages are available for an additional $7,200, representing a significant saving for the customer.
