Audi’s family of RS models continues to expand into segments as of yet untouched by Ingolstadt’s internal skunkworks quattro GmbH, though the core of the line has always remained centered on Audi’s B-segment offerings. With the changeover of that particular platform to the MLP-based B8 and the addition of the sculpted A5/S5 coupes, the upcoming RS 4 and even RS 5 are perhaps some of the most hotly anticipated RS cars ever. To that end, there’s been more speculation on the details of the RS 4 and RS 5 than ever before – from engine offerings to other expected hardware. Below is a summary of what we’ve been able to piece together from our sources along with links to the most prominent sources of additional information in the press.
QUICK BACKGROUND: AUDI RS 5
It is fully expected that the Audi RS 5 will debut ahead of the RS 4. If Audi test mules are an indicator (and they usually are), that’ll be precisely the case. A black RS 5 mule wearing a production nose has been photographed on numerous occasions in California, while an even closer-to-production version with cladding that masked the production car’s wider flared arches was recently nabbed testing at the Nurburgring. Both appearances stirred up all sorts of speculation within the press.
Based on what we’ve seen and what we’ve been able to confirm with sources at Audi, we think we’ve dialed in closely on the look of the RS 5. These renderings use the same design elements lifted from images of the test mules to dictate the nose whereas earlier Fourtitude CGIs and the highly convincing RS 5 vs. M3 photoshops printed by CAR Magazine utilized the now-aging nose of the RS 6. So the snout will look considerably closer to that of the TT RS, but Audi Design tells us the RS 5 will most definitely make use of the Ur quattro-inspired blister fenders seen on the RS 6 – a perfect match to the S5’s coupe stature.
The rest of the look in our CGI is textbook RS equipment at this point. The honeycomb bar-less grille, RS-style split 5-spoke wheels, satin aluminum mirror housings and the optional Titanium pack are all integrated into our RS 5 rendering. Audi tends to be very consistent in their S and RS design language application, so it is our guess that these should be quite close to production.
Could there be an RS 5 Cabriolet? Audi went this way in the B7 generation RS 4 so there’s no reason to think it couldn’t happen. That said, the RS 4 Cabriolet had a hard time selling out its extremely limited inventory in the USA, so a drop top RS 5 stateside may be a harder sell even though the US is traditionally Audi’s best market for convertibles.
QUICK BACKGROUND: AUDI RS 4:
There’s been much less mention of the RS 4, but quattro GmbH boss Stefan Reil confirmed its existence to us during a roundtable interview in Neckarsulm last year and we expect it to come to market shortly behind the RS 5.
With a V8 S5 selling alongside a 3.0T S4 in the USA in 2010, the idea of a normally-aspirated high-rev V8 RS 5 and a twin turbo V6 RS 4 seemed intriguing to us. We posed the question to Audi AG engine czar Wolfgang Hatz and he said that the business case isn’t there for multiple B-level RS engines… even prior to the economic meltdown. Even though a twin turbo V6 project began during the development of the B7 RS 4 and it was again examined during the gestation of the S4, the RS 4 must share its engine and drivetrain in order to make a business case.
More interesting on the RS 4 is that it returns to the example set by the B4 RS 2 and B5 RS 4 to be sold as an Avant only. Sources tell Fourtitude that the RS 4 sedan was done to meet U.S. demand. Without North American planned inventory, an RS 4 sedan fails to make a case for itself.
Why no RS 4 sedan for America? The theory is that there’s only enough market for one RS model within the B segment in the USA and that model is the more premium and more mainstream sexy coupe. Audi remains coy as to whether even the RS 5 will make the final cut but this seems more message positioning than anything. Our intel suggests the RS 5 is all but a foregone conclusion for the States.
Details on the RS 4 Avant are less clear than the RS 5 because no mules have been sighted as of yet. That said, Audi’s RS design consistency makes the Avant easy to envision. The accompanying RS 4 Avant CGI includes many of the same elements we’ve applied to the coupe – the frowning RS style air intakes at the front, the 5-spoke wheels and the oval exhaust at the rear.
TECHNICAL DETAILS: RS 4 AVANT and RS 5
The amount of speculation surrounding just what would come under the hoods of these two cars ranges considerably. Some say a high-rev V10 or even the twin turbo V10 from the RS 6. Both are wishful thinking. Wolfgang Hatz has definitively told Fourtitude that the V10 will not fit into a production version of the B8 coupe body structure. Hatz absolutely loves the high-rev V10 from the R8 with all its immediate torque, but the added weight in the snout would be considerable even if it were as easy as simply shoe-horning the big V10 in there.
Another very common and also very perplexing rumor is that of a twin turbo high-rev V8 at around 450-hp. Near as we can tell, the rumor started at CAR and they’re usually a very credible source. While there is a twin-turbocharged 4.0 V8 confirmed for debut in the next A8, there are no immediate plans to fit it in the RS 5. Suggestions in the press of a twin turbocharged high-rev 4.2 to bump power by a mere 30 hp also don’t seem to add up. Adding two turbos for for a gain of thirty horses seems like a lot of work for little payoff.
We have it on very good word from the highest levels of Audi that the engine will be an updated version of the high-rev V8 developed for the B7 RS 4 and R8 4.2. An additional 30 hp is expected, netting the rumored figure of 450 hp total. Our best guess is that the added power comes from the addition of Valvelift as one senior source has confirmed that the tech it is compatible with the 4.2’s 8,000+ redline.
Audi’s new 7-speed S tronic is capable of taking all the torque this updated 4.2 has to offer, and high-placed sources have hinted that the transmission is being seriously considered for duty in the pair of RS cars. Whether or not Audi chooses to go exclusively with the dual clutch semi-auto as Nissan’s decided to do with the GTR remains to be seen, but we’re personally hoping that they don’t turn their backs on a standard 6-speed manual.
Expect RS models to also utilize Audi’s latest Sport Differential as seen in the new S4. Software controls this right-to-left rear differential, so it is feasible that Audi could offer a more aggressive tune that would make the RS versions even more tail-happy and easy-to-drift than the S4 is already.
As for weight, Audi fitted aluminum fenders and an aluminum hood to the B7-generation RS 4. There’s no reason to believe this won’t be the same for the B8 RS 4 and RS 5 models as both A and S versions of these cars utilize steel now. Such a move would help optimize their front-to-rear weight ratios even more.
INTERIOR and TRIM
As with the exterior treatment, one need only look at design details in Audi’s latest RS offerings to know what to expect from the RS 4 Avant and RS 5. Aluminum pedals as seen on the TTRS and satin aluminum finish on the MMI buttons and controls seem logical. So does the fat diameter flat-bottom wheel design with perforated leather that’s become standard fare in RS 6 and TT RS. The logo mark in dyed perforated leather on the door panels from the TT RS and R8 V12 TDI design study would be a great touch.
The seats themselves may be even more interesting to North Americans. Higher-grade leather and piping could adorn the basic S-car seats as we’ve seen in the past, but there’s even better news regarding the aggressive shell style seats from Recaro. In the past, these seats were out of play for North America because they lacked the proper side airbag equipment needed for this market, but a source at Volkswagen tells us the seats are now in the available column for fitment in cars bound for this side of the pond. While the Volkswagen versions of the Recaro shell seats aren’t exactly the same as those sold by Audi, the qualification should carry over as much of the internal framework is shared. We have yet to confirm their availability, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see these seats as optional kit based on this information.
WHEN AND WHERE
There’s a whole industry based around spy photo shooting at the Nurburgring. When a mule turns up testing there, as the RS 5 has, this testing is also a strong signal that the car isn’t far from debut. The next major European or world auto show is the Frankfurt IAA in September and we expect the RS 5 to bow at that time.
It’s a total guess, but that timeframe would put the RS 5 in the European market by early 2010 and perhaps in the US market by the launch of the 2011 model year in August 2010. This would make sense as the S5 will be migrating to the 3.0T supercharged V6 by that time and the RS 5 will fill the big displacement niche left by the S5 for those who wish to pay the premium.
Timing for the RS 4 Avant is harder to guess. It’s doubtful that Audi will show the cars at the same time, but the RS 4 can’t be that much further behind. Using our guessed RS 5 timeframe as a model, we’d expect to see the RS 4 at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010 and maybe alongside an RS 5 Cabriolet so that the latter is on the market in time for the summer season.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by tailpipe
