Erik
September 20th, 2005, 08:27
It really is all about the engine. No question, the latest RS4’s new-look nose, shark-like spoiler gills, pumped arches and pimped wheels will make a big noise kerbside, but the real deal is under that alloy bonnet.
And lurking not so quietly under that broad sweep of aluminium lies a 4.2-litre 420bhp V8, replacing the old RS4’s 380bhp twin-turbo V6. But the number that’s really got my attention is 8250rpm, which is where the stratospherically high rev limit for this remarkable engine lives. A V8 capable of those sort of revs used to be the preserve of race cars, and isn’t far off what the Ferrari F430’s phenomenal V8 spins to. In fact, Audi claims this is the highest revving engine they’ve ever stuck in a production. A good start, then.
V8 capable of race car revs
Indeed. This latest RS4, which costs £49,980 and is on sale from January 2006, looks even more aggressive than the model it replaces, with the family-look single-frame grille flanked by deep, louvred spoilers. It’s a rear-view-filler destined to clear the outside lane, as we discovered.
Continues here. (http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-tests/driving-impressions-2005/A/audi/rs4/rs4-2005-2.html)
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-lof3q-a.jpg http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-r3q-st.jpg http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-bumper-det.jpg http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-s-a.jpg http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-lof3q-st.jpg http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-f-st.jpg
"The RS4 feels quick, bloody quick, but not savage. The control inputs are all refined and reasonably low effort, and the acceleration is epic but linear and predictable. There isn't, for example, that sudden rush of thrust you get with the old RS when the turbos wake up and say hello. For the record, the RS will reach 62mph in 4.8secs and an electronically limited 155mph – word is that without the electronic nanny, the latest RS would be knocking on for 190mph (306 km/h)."
"It isn't, for example, as alert and pointable as a BMW M3. Audi says that's not what its customers are looking for, that it's the assuredness of the quattro system and the car's relaxed, potent cruiser character that appeals."
"And the quattro system is, in the wet, quite astonishingly good. We drove around a drenched race track – complete with loads of standing water – at simply lunatic speed in a bid to see where the Audi would let go. With ESP engaged, it managed to sort out even the most cack-handed attempts to induce slides or understeer moments."
"The bottom line is that this RS4 is a very significantly better car than the one it replaces. More powerful and faster than either the BMW M3 or Mercedes Benz C55 AMG, the Audi really should be on a shopping list that includes these contenders. Just be aware that the RS4 is unlikely to match the cheaper M3 for purity of driving experience. In every other respect, this is a three-way fight."
And lurking not so quietly under that broad sweep of aluminium lies a 4.2-litre 420bhp V8, replacing the old RS4’s 380bhp twin-turbo V6. But the number that’s really got my attention is 8250rpm, which is where the stratospherically high rev limit for this remarkable engine lives. A V8 capable of those sort of revs used to be the preserve of race cars, and isn’t far off what the Ferrari F430’s phenomenal V8 spins to. In fact, Audi claims this is the highest revving engine they’ve ever stuck in a production. A good start, then.
V8 capable of race car revs
Indeed. This latest RS4, which costs £49,980 and is on sale from January 2006, looks even more aggressive than the model it replaces, with the family-look single-frame grille flanked by deep, louvred spoilers. It’s a rear-view-filler destined to clear the outside lane, as we discovered.
Continues here. (http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-tests/driving-impressions-2005/A/audi/rs4/rs4-2005-2.html)
http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-lof3q-a.jpg http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-r3q-st.jpg http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-bumper-det.jpg http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-s-a.jpg http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-lof3q-st.jpg http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/A/audi/rs4/03-large/05-rs4-f-st.jpg
"The RS4 feels quick, bloody quick, but not savage. The control inputs are all refined and reasonably low effort, and the acceleration is epic but linear and predictable. There isn't, for example, that sudden rush of thrust you get with the old RS when the turbos wake up and say hello. For the record, the RS will reach 62mph in 4.8secs and an electronically limited 155mph – word is that without the electronic nanny, the latest RS would be knocking on for 190mph (306 km/h)."
"It isn't, for example, as alert and pointable as a BMW M3. Audi says that's not what its customers are looking for, that it's the assuredness of the quattro system and the car's relaxed, potent cruiser character that appeals."
"And the quattro system is, in the wet, quite astonishingly good. We drove around a drenched race track – complete with loads of standing water – at simply lunatic speed in a bid to see where the Audi would let go. With ESP engaged, it managed to sort out even the most cack-handed attempts to induce slides or understeer moments."
"The bottom line is that this RS4 is a very significantly better car than the one it replaces. More powerful and faster than either the BMW M3 or Mercedes Benz C55 AMG, the Audi really should be on a shopping list that includes these contenders. Just be aware that the RS4 is unlikely to match the cheaper M3 for purity of driving experience. In every other respect, this is a three-way fight."