Our spy photographers spotted the 2018 Audi RS4 Avant testing on the roads near the Nurburgring a few days ago, and now we have a video of the same prototype hitting the German track.
Don’t let the light camouflage fool you, as beneath it lies a more aggressive body kit, which besides helping differentiate it over its plain-Jane A4 Avant siblings, it also improves its aerodynamics and handling as it allows the use of bigger wheels and tires.
Helping it corner faster are a tweaked chassis, suspension, steering, and brakes, but the most important change is ditching the older generation’s 4.2-liter V8 engine in favor of a new 2.9-liter TFSI V6 bi-turbo lump. It was first used on the Porsche Panamera, and eventually adopted by the 2018 RS5.
In the latter, it churns out 450 PS (444 HP) and 600 Nm (443 lb-ft) of torque to the wheels, and this output is expected to be retained on the B9 iteration too, allowing it to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) probably in 4.0 or 4.1 seconds, before topping out at an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).
Audi have yet to announce when and where the new RS4 Avant will be presented, but the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, which opens its gates in the fall, seems like a good candidate.