Audi RS4 2008 News

   

Like its forebears the third-generation RS 4 Avant combines potent performance with a high level of everyday practicality. The 4.2-litre V8 produces 331kW of power and transfers this power to the road through a seven-speed S tronic tranmission and quattro permanent all-wheel drive. The all-wheel drive system features a 60 per cent bias towards the rear wheels for a sportier feel. The Audi RS 4 Avant uses the same high-revving, normally aspirated V8 engine that powers the RS5 Coupe. The 4163cc powerplant produces 331kW at 8250 revs and maximum torque of 430Nm is available from 4000 to 6000 revs. The responsive V8 with its red-painted cylinder head covers accelerates the RS 4 Avant from zero to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds on its way to a governed top speed of 250 km/h. This can however be increased to 280 km/h upon request. Hand-built at Audi's plant in Gyor, Hungary, the 4.2 FSI engine combines its impressive power with exemplary efficiency, consuming on average less than 11 litres of fuel per 100km. With its high efficiency and long top gear, the standard seven-speed S tronic also contributes to the vehicle's good fuel economy. Drivers can let the lightning-fast dual-clutch transmission shift automatically or change gears manually using the selector lever or the paddles on the steering wheel. For explosive starts, drivers can also activate Launch Control, which manages the engagement of the clutch at an optimum starting speed and minimum wheel slip. The Audi RS 4 Avant is planned to arrive in Australia in the first quarter of 2013. Pricing and specification details will be announced closer to launch.  

Power for the beast is expected to come from either the same 4.2-litre V8 found in the RS5, or a twin-turbo V6 with similar outputs.The prototype also shows the lights and grille that will appear on all models in the A4/S4 range.

The two-door newbie joins the existing C63 sedan and wagon that have made the V8-powered hotrod a long-term success in Australia, and contributed to one of the best AMG sales rates anywhere in the world. Previewed at the Australian International Motor Show, after a last- minute flight from Germany, the C63 Coupe is still more than two months away from local driveways and an inevitable local shootout with the rival BMW M3. But it is touting a powerplant with 336 kiloWatts and 600 Newton- metres in a two-door body that joins the regular C-Class lineup next month. Mercedes-Benz buyers are expected to rush to the new coupe - in both forms - but the company sees extra growth potential in the C63. "The reason we air-freighted that car to Australia for the show was because people wanted to see it. You don't pay the equivalent of three Qantas business-class airfares just to fill a spot on the stand," says David McCarthy, spokesman for Mercedes-Benz Austraslia. "There are people who want the Coupe. It's a spot that's been lacking in our range. The C63 comes in September, a month after the regular Coupe." While shoppers will line the C63 up against BMW's benchmark two-door M3, McCarthy is almost dismissive of the rival. "People see the coupe as a competitor to the M3, but we don't see it that way. It only sells about one-third of our C63 volume, so the M3 is only a niche player." AMG sales are continuing to boom through the first half of 2011 and the addition of the C63 is expected to produce a new record total at the end of the year. "It only depends on supply. Last year we did 507 C63s, with about 50 Estates, and we have more than 30 orders for the two-door. With the new Coupe I expect that last year's figure will be surpassed, but it's too early in the year to say." The motor show car was displayed in plain Diamond White, but there was plenty of colour at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre with a special CLS coupe in Le Mans red, and even a tiny Smart ForTwo in the Jaffa orange - part of a $5000 tickle - used for a special AMG CLK at last year's Sydney show. Away from the hotrod hero, Benz confirmed at the show that the starting price for the all-new SLK would be coming down by $10,000. Even so, it was a fully-loaded SLK 200 - with Fire Opal paintwork and the costly new high-tech 'sky roof' - that was rolled into the spotlight. "It just continues our price-value strategy. That's what customers want: more equipment and better value. We had an opportunity with that car, again, to provide that," says McCarthy. Pricing for the new C-Class Coupe is also set from less than $70,000 for the C250 CDI, with the promise of 5.1 litres/100km economy and CO2 emissions from 134 grams/kilometre. "The Coupe will come in August, complete with the new facia, transmission change and 1000-plus other improvements that have just come in the sedan. We're doing them all at once - sedan, wagon and then coupe," says McCarthy. No-one at Benz is naming the price for the racey red CLS, as the paint alone - applied on the company's G-Class four-wheel drive production line - cost an extra $30,000. The car, tweaked from the Designo catalogue, is likely to follow last year's Jaffa hero car into a special display and sales program after its time at the motor show.

The direct Audi competitor to the V8-powered BMW M3 is still some time away. Audi Australia marketing general manager Immo Buschmann says he doesn’t know when the RS4 would be coming.“We’re very happy with the RS6 and we generally have only one halo RS model at a time,” he says.Meanwhile, fans of the RS4 — which is credited with forcing BMW to move from a traditional in-line six to a V8 for its new M3 ($152,300) will have to satisfy themselves with the much more expensive RS6 ($263,500) released last year or the new supercharged V6 S4 at $118,900.The S4 features much the same engine as the supercharged 3.0-litre TFSI in the A6, but with reduced power and better fuel economy.Power is down from 253kW in the previous model S4 to 245kW, but Buschmann pointed out that the new model had more torque and, more importantly, better fuel economy.“Generally Audi wants every new model to have about a 10 per cent improvement in fuel economy, but this one is 24 per cent,” he says.Audi claims fuel economy is 9.4 litres per 100km.“A lot of customers would like a V8, but the supercharged V6 is the best for this time,” Buschmann says.“There might be some loss of sales by not having the V8 but the V6 will gain sales because of its fuel efficiency.”Buschmann says the benefits of supercharging over turbo charging are that it is smaller, runs cooler, has no lag, better economy and maximum torque.The S4 features a roots blower Eaton supercharger with two intercoolers, one in each cylinder bank.It has a seven-speed S-tronic transmission with Quattro all-wheel drive and an optional sport differential which splits the torque between the rear wheels for improved cornering, like the BMW X6 and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.

You can have them all for a fraction of the price.P1 is a multi-million dollar version of a car-rental company but you need to be quick if you want to be a part of the action.Less than a year after launching its Melbourne office, memberships in the exclusive and expensive rental company are running out.More than 135 Australians have signed up and the company will limit its membership to 200 to make sure there are enough cars to go around.“We'll never go above 200 members,” says James Ward, general manager of P1 in Victoria, “basically to maintain a ratio of five new members for each new car.”Though only 29 vehicles are spread across the company's three Australian locations — in Richmond, Sydney and the Gold Coast — the quality of the cars and motorbikes has seen the company lay out $29 million on equipment.Set up by former Formula One world champion Damon Hill in 2000 in Britain, the club came to Australia in December 2006. The Richmond branch opened last March.Members can join for $4550 and pay annual charges ranging from $27,000 to $36,500 to have access to a dream garage.P1's roster includes three examples of the Lamborghini Gallardo, a Lamborghini Murcielago, Ferrari 430, Ferrari 575M, Aston Martin DB9, Bentley GT Continental, Porsche 997 GT3, Porsche Cayman S, Audi RS4 Avant, Lotus Exige, Hummer H2, and a Ducati 1098 and BMW K1200 for bikers.Packages give customers a bank of points to use through the year.As is befitting the cost, the company offers a range of services. They drop off the cars anywhere they are required and can store and wash the customer's personal car.“It's as much about the car as it is about the service,” Ward says . “It's whatever suits our customers.”