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Interior: Sporty Black
The interior of the RS 4 Avant is clad completely in black, with the exception
of the roofliner, which is optionally available in Moon Silver. Chrome clasps
subtly accentuate switches and control elements. Carbon inlays are standard,
with brushed matte aluminum, Aluminum Race, black piano finish or a light
stainless steel mesh available as options.
The standard heated front sport seats with integrated headrests are power
adjustable and covered in a combination of black leather and Alcantara. Fine
Nappa leather in either Black or Moon Silver accentuated with Stone Gray piping
is optionally available. Other options include bucket seats or luxurious,
climate-controlled deluxe seats with a ventilation function. The thick ring of
the leather multifunction sport steering wheel is flattened at the bottom, and
the shift paddles mounted on the back of it sport an aluminum-look finish.
The driver information system with color display includes an RS menu with a lap
timer and an oil thermometer. Both it and the MMI monitor display a special RS
welcome screen when the car is started.
The instrument cluster bezel shines with a piano finish, and the design of the
selector knob of the seven-speed S tronic is unique to the RS. Typical of all RS
vehicles, the door openers are two delicate bars. The pedals, the footrest, the
air vents, the shift paddles on the steering wheel, the MMI buttons and other
controls shine in an aluminum-look finish. Aluminum inserts adorn the door sill
trims, which are accentuated with RS 4 badges.
Audi offers exclusive high-grade leather packages for all seating options,
including a design package with honeycomb quilting for the RS 4 bucket seats.
Rounding out the list of optional equipment is a broad range of state-of-the-art
driver assistance and communication systems, including the Bluetooth online car
phone that connects the RS 4 Avant with the Internet.
Options for the luggage compartment, which offers up to 50.50 cu ft (1,430
liters) of cargo space, include a rail system with load securing set and a power
hatch.
Delivery of the Audi RS 4 Avant is scheduled to begin in fall 2012 at a base
price of 76,600 EUR in Germany.
quattro Drive with Crown-Gear Center Differential
Like every RS model from Audi, the RS 4 Avant comes standard with quattro
permanent all-wheel drive. The heart of this system is the crown-gear center
differential. This compact and lightweight component can vary the distribution
of power between the front and rear axles immediately, smoothly and over a wide
range, with up to 70 percent flowing to the front or as much as 85 percent to
the rear. The default 40:60 ratio of the rear-biased configuration ensures
sporty handling.
The self-locking crown-gear center differential works together with the torque
vectoring system, which acts on all four wheels. If the load on the inside wheel
is reduced too much while the car is being driven dynamically, the torque
vectoring system brakes it slightly before unintended slip can occur. Audi
offers the sport differential, which uses two superposition stages to actively
distribute the power between the rear wheels, as an option.
Aluminum in Abundance: Chassis
The chassis of the Audi RS 4 Avant is a very complex design. Many components of
the five-link front suspension and the self-tracking trapezoidal-link rear
suspension are made of aluminum. The new speed-dependent power steering is a
highly efficient electromechanical system with a direct steering ratio for
highly precise road feel. It helps the driver stay on course by making slight
steering corrections when braking on surfaces with different amounts of grip.
The taut RS setup lowers the body by 20 millimeters (0.79 in) compared with the
Audi A4 Avant. New, polished 19-inch, ten-spoke forged aluminum wheels shod with
265/35-series tires are standard. Audi also offers 20-inch wheels with
265/30-series tires. These are available in a new, polished, titanium-look,
five-V-spoke design plus two additional variants in the five-arm rotor design.
Mounted behind the large wheels are internally vented wave disc brakes measuring
365 millimeters (14.37 in) in diameter up front. The steel friction rings with
their wave-like outer contour are perforated and connected to the aluminum brake
caps via pins. This concept reduces tensions, quickly dissipates heat and
prevents transmission of temperature peaks. The new shape of the friction rings
shaves a total of roughly three kilograms (6.61 lb) off the unsprung weight.
The calipers are painted high-gloss black; the front calipers have eight pistons
each and sport RS logos. The ESP stabilization system has a Sport mode and can
be fully deactivated. For the front axle, Audi offers the option of 380
millimeter (14.96 in) carbon fiber ceramic discs and six-piston calipers in
anthracite gray. The ceramic brakes are especially lightweight, robust and
durable.
The Audi drive select driving dynamics system is among the standard equipment
for the RS 4 Avant. With it, the driver can switch between three modes -
comfort, auto and dynamic - to determine the characteristics of the steering,
the seven-speed S tronic and the throttle valve. Audi drive select can even vary
the sound of the exhaust system, double-declutching when downshifting in dynamic
mode. If the car is equipped with an Audi navigation system, a largely
driver-configurable custom mode is also available.
In addition to the sport differential, another component available for Audi
drive select is dynamic steering. It varies its steering ratio by nearly 100
percent depending on the speed driven and automatically countersteers slightly
at the cornering limit for even more precise and stable handling.
Another particularly dynamic damping technology available as an option from Audi
is the sport suspension plus with dynamic ride control (DRC). Oil lines and a
central valve connect diagonally opposed pairs of shock absorbers. During fast
cornering, the system boosts the stabilization of the front outside wheel, for
example.
The damping characteristic of the sport suspension plus is variable, with a
choice of three settings available via Audi drive select.
Audi RS 4 Avant: Photo Gallery, Review (1/2) and Specifications