For a car designed and developed within a stone’s throw of the world’s fastest public roads, it’s a strange inconsistency. At the big track at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park in Southern California where Audi staged its stateside introduction, the RS 4 would reach maybe 130 mph down the pit straight. At that speed there was no sign of any tail wiggle. But when you got on the brakes hard for Turn Two, there it was again, the slo-mo shimmy.
 
These mild oscillations never get troublesome, but we’re curious about their origin. Perhaps it has something to do with the Quattro all-wheel drive, or the car’s 58.3/41.7-percent front-to-rear weight distribution. We can’t be certain. But here’s something we are sure about. Not many owners will ever see speeds that high. Heaven knows, it’s hard enough for us to find appropriate test venues. Most racetracks don’t have straights long enough to allow this kind of speed.

BMW M3, meet your match… and then some. The all-new Audi RS4 has arrived. This is the latest RS-badged machine, little brother to the almighty RS6 and the successor to the devastatingly quick RS4 Avant of 2001.

Built from the ground-up as the ultimate compact luxury sedan, the RS4 returns for yet another generation with the confidence inspiring grip of all-wheel drive, nothing new for Audi of course. But the new model also presents new technologies which make this rendition one of the most advanced sports sedans to date.

The biggest change that developer Quattro GmbH implemented with
Watch out world, the all-new Audi RS4 has arrived in Geneva. (Photo: Audi of America)
the new RS4 is the switch from turbo to natural aspiration; thats right, this is a first for Audis RS series. Instead, the RS4 will feature FSI direct-injection, the same power-optimizing technology that helped the brands R8 racer achieve four wins at the 24 hours of Le Mans. Aside from the W12-powered A8, the RS4 is the most powerful Audi currently in production: its 4,163 cc V8 powerplant produces a total output of 420-horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque. Though the motor
The RS4 has been built from the ground up as the ultimate compact luxury sedan. (Photo: Audi of America)
is capable of revving to 8,250 rpm, low-end torque hasnt been sacrificed to do so with 90 percent of its maximum pulling power available between 2,250 and 7,600 rpm.

Routed to a short-throw six-speed manual gearbox and driven through Audis five-star quattro all-wheel drive system, the new FSI V8 is capable of catapulting the compact sedan to 60 mph in a hair-raising 4.7 seconds. The 125 mph mark is reached just a short while later, taking a mere 16+ seconds. While Audi voluntarily limited the RS4s top speed to 155 mph, in theory the car could
Engineers in charge of the RS4 were ordered to optimize its power-to-weight ratio to ensure it wouldnt be a slouch in the corners. (Photo: Audi of America)
reach speeds approaching 185 mph!

It’s easy to build a sports car: You make it lightweight and powerful with the engine, transmission, and occupants positioned towards the center of the car for better balance. Tune the suspension to serve up gluttonous portions of grip and balance and presto: You’re done!

Performance sedans are another matter entirely, however. The engineers have to take a car that was packaged for comfort, convenience, and practicality and turn it into something special - something that makes the driver giggle on the right road at the right time, but that handles the daily grind as well as its mundane siblings. Currently, the BMW M5 sets the benchmark, although it’s anything but perfect. The transmission, the looks and the universally loathed iDrive system all detract from the M5 experience, not to mention the fact it’ll cost you close to $90,000 to put one in your driveway.

Enter the Audi RS4, Ingolstadt ’s take on the uber-sedan concept, smaller and less complicated than the M5 with old-fashioned enhancements like mechanical differentials and a manual gearbox (that’s a stick that pokes up between the seats that has to be moved around some to make the car go faster).
Standard Engine:
4.2L V8, 32 valve, 420 hp @ 7800 rpm
6 speed manual transmission
14 mpg city / 21 mpg hwy
Green Rating: 50

Standard Features:
Seat Mounted Front Side Airbags
4-Wheel Anti-Lock Brakes
Rear In-Glass Diversity Radio Antenna