CAR sat down with a "high-placed Audi source" at the European launch of the Q5 and was able to pry out a few details about the automaker's future products.
To begin with, the next RS4 will use a retuned version of the supercharged, 3.0-liter V6 due to be fitted on the next S4. Audi's unnamed engineering mole said that the decision to go with the supercharged six was primarily to provide higher torque at lower RPMs. With the base engine putting out 290 hp and 310 lb.-ft. of torque, it's assumed that the tweaked version should crest the 350 hp mark and just under 400 lb.-ft. of torque. How that will play in the inevitable comparison test between the RS4's V8-powered competition remains to be seen.
The A1 is still set to debut in 2010, but despite its aim at MINI, Audi won't resort to retro styling. Based off the next Polo, the A1 will spawn several variants, including three- and five-door hatches, a convertible and an off-roader. While Audi has no plans to build anything smaller than the A1, it does plan to increase the size of the A3, along with offering a Q3 CUV inspired by the Cross Coupe Quattro concept.
And what of the R8? The V10 version is on its way this fall, but a turbocharged variant isn't in the cards, nor is the V12 TDI. And while Audi has continued to deny that it's working on an R4, CAR's source says that there's still room in the automaker's lineup for another R-badged vehicle.
click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Audi RS4
My buddy Chris was beaming as his body pressed into the two-tone Recaro on the passenger side. "This thing is completely unbelievable," he said, his voice a blend of awe and disbelief. Around us, the scenery flicked by as the crisp Sunday morning air was sucked in through the open windows. The radio was on, but the volume was turned all the way down. At the moment, the only soundtrack in which we were interested was the guttural roar coming from the big oval pipes poking through the rear valance. "Chris," I replied, snicking the shifter into third, "This thing is ridiculous." The "thing" in question is the 2008 Audi RS4, and neither of us were exaggerating.
Driving a car on a racetrack, a controlled environment where the vehicle's limits can be safely probed, is an experience that not only increases driving skills, but it builds confidence too. Recognizing this, and offering car enthusiasts a way to legally wring-out some of their hottest products, Audi has partnered with Emotive to launch their 2008 Audi Sportscar Experience. Unlike last year's marketing-oriented Audi Driving Experience, or any other Driver Education event, the Sportscar Experience is focused on high-performance driving.
The program consists of several different one- and two-day programs held at Infineon Raceway in California. Drivers sign up for the event of their choice, and each one includes a high-performance Audi "S" model for flogging (yes, tires and brakes are included). The vehicles include the 420-hp Audi RS4, the 354-hp Audi S5, the 450-hp Audi S8, and the awesome 420-hp Audi R8. If there is a downside to all of this fun, it's the price. The entry-level half-day "Introductory Program" runs $695. A full-day program in the RS4 will cost you $1,295. Want to improve your skills behind the wheel of the R8? That will set you back a cool $1,895 for a one-day program, $3,495 for two days. Having fun ain't cheap.
It's tough to top Top Gear (as Gear producers are about to find out), but until Clarkson, Hamster and Captain Slow get back on schedule, the crew at WebRidesTV is back to cure our insatiable lust for all things automotive and in motion. Sure, it doesn't have TG's production value, but everything looks cooler with heavy vignetting.
This latest installment pits the Audi RS4 against the Lexus IS F, in what could be their best shootout to date. It's the battle of the middleweights and you can view the film in full after the jump.
We've all watched the ALMS Porsche RS Spyder in racing, read the reviews about Porsche's track-ready 997 GT3 RS, and checked out the new Boxster RS 60 Spyder. Maybe some of us (Porschephiles?) have even dreamed about someday owning a classic 1973 911 Carrera RS (pictured above). Porsche's "RS" designation stands for "Renn Sport," or racing, and it is reserved for the highest performing models in the company's lineup.
Wait a second. Doesn't Audi also offer a slew of "RS" models too? They have their hot RS4, RS6, and the lightweight RS8. Now they have plans to bring out a high-performance version of the TT to be called the TT RS...
Not so fast, the team at Porsche is saying. Naming it the "TT RS" is stepping over that thin line drawn in the sand. Furthermore, the "RS" suffix is Porsche's, and it won't be slapped on an Audi anytime soon (especially as Porsche continues to increase its ownership in the Volkswagen Group). Audi may continue to use "RS" as a prefix, but that's about it. Well, that was easy, don't you think?
We Autobloggers chat on AIM all the time. Imagine a text-only version of the podcast, only 100 times more scatterbrained (who knew this was even possible?) and you'll get the general idea. So anyway, here's an exchange between The Neff and myself from earlier this afternoon, in which he hits me with a solid uppercut using his Brass Knuckles of Perspective. I think they may have bits of dead Alero cast into them.
Neff: Chris Grant from Joystiq got Sony to send us a review copy of GT5 Prologue Neff: Arriving Tuesday Nunez: You are such a d**k Neff: Okay Mr. RS4 Nunez: HAHAHAHA Neff: At least the car in your driveway right now is real Nunez: I want to drive a PRETEND RS4, too!
Let the online play begin. What Neff doesn't tell you is that he -- at this very moment -- is writing up something that makes the (undeniably, ridiculously badass) RS4 press car parked out in my driveway seem like a Kia Optima. But you'll have to wait until Monday to read about that. Oh, and as it happens, I can't drive a pretend RS4 in GT5 Prologue when it arrives this week, anyway. I'll have to make do with the real thing.
Top Gear drives Germany's three small super saloons... well, in the M3's case, it's a coupe, but you get the picture The cars go against each other, as well as Emerson Fittipaldi's Lotus F1 racer that won the 1972 World Championship, and has the same horsepower as the sedans. There's also the Stig, a Stig-ette in a white bikini and helmet, Clarkson dining on an apple run over at the apex of a turn, a measurement device that we can't mention here, and lots of unkind things said of M3 drivers. But it's just in time for Christmas, and it's in three parts, which means you can make Top Gear Christmas cheer can last all day. Especially if you have a new M3 on order.
Quattro GmbH, Audi's high-performance subsidiary, is responsible for all manner of RS, S, S-line and "Exclusive" hotness for the automaker and has seen a substantial increase in sales over the last seven years. Back in 2000, it sold about 2,500 units. In 2007, it has produced just over 360,000 models imbued with Audi's distinct brand of performance street cred. Those numbers are expected to further rise with even more models being S- and RS-ified, including the R8, which is currently being produced at a rate of 27 vehicles per day.
Auto Motor und Sport sat down with Werner Frowein, the director of Quattro GmbH, where he let loose that the former strategy for RS model production will be laid to waste in the coming years. Traditionally, RS cars are produced in the last two years of the vehicle's lifecycle, but a new shift in production will allow new models to benefit from the RS-treatment after the first two years of their run. The TT-RS and RS5 are two of the models on the horizon, while an RS version of the R8 has been rumored since its introduction earlier this year. More RS is hardly a bad thing, unless premium gas prices continue their northward trajectory.
If your local Audi dealer calls the cops every time you ask for a test drive of an RS4, we suggest you either dress nicer next time or, if that's not possible, head to one of four cities hosting the Audi Driving Experience.
New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco are the four sites for Audi's traveling test drive, where participants can have the chance to drive their TT, A4 and Q7 all for free. You'll be able to put them through control, braking and accident avoidance maneuvers. If you can show you know how to handle their cars, Audi will even let you take one out for a lap around the racetrack.
The most improved drivers at each venue wins a ride in Audi's much-vaunted R8 supercar. Those winners will instantly be upgraded from most-improved to most-envied.
That's all included in the Audi Driving Experience two-hour introductory program, but for $600 Audi offers the half-day enthusiast program. That gets you professional driving instruction and track time in all the aforementioned cars, as well as the RS4 and R8.
There are two dates in each city, but with a chance to either ride in or drive an R8, we would expect them to fill up quick.
The Audi RS4 is one of the meaner machines you can plunk your hard-earned money down on. 420 horses out of Audi's high-revving 4.2L FSI V8 will do that (especially when combined with the car's particularly muscular aural signature). As we already reported, US residents finally get their shot at the droptop version of the RS4, and Audi of America has come clean with the pricing. If you want the RS4 Cabriolet, you'll need to part with $81,900 plus a $775 destination charge and a to-be-determined gas-guzzler tax. Oh, and that V8 doing the guzzling is only available mated to a 6-speed manual and the quattro AWD system.
In return for that not-insignificant sum, you get an RS4 minus two doors and a roof (all the better to appreciate the raucous goings-on at the car's exhaust tips), plus loads of standard convenience/luxury equipment like the (excellent) Audi Music Interface, which provides full iPod integration via the car's nav screen and MMI controller. 81 grand represents a hefty premium over the RS4 sedan's $66K price, but it comes with exclusivity -- Audi's only planning to import 300 or so to the US -- and for some of the car's buyers, the open-air experience alone might justify the cost. No worries for Audi, regardless. They'll sell 'em all.
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