Press Release
Suspension
In full control at all times
Even the best drive train is nothing without the right chassis and suspension. In the Audi RS 4, quattro GmbH has consistently applied all the benefits of the quattro drive system and the engine. The standard sports suspension ensures that the engine's output is transferred just as needed to the road.
This superiority is ensured on Audi’s new sports saloon by a high-performance aluminium suspension with a four-link front axle and a trapezium-link rear axle. Precise steering, with sensitive feedback, sporty agility and excellent directional stability make the RS 4 the perfect car both for the motorway or country road and for the race track.
Each wheel on the front axle is guided by four aluminium transverse links. The trapezium-link rear axle offers top-class driving dynamics. This torsion-proof and non-flexing trapezium link absorbs a large portion of the forces acting on the wheel. Together with the track link further to the rear, this special configuration defines the elastokinematic behaviour of the rear axle with ultimate precision.
Dynamic Ride Control
The Audi RS 4 comes with Audi’s DRC Dynamic Ride Control, as featured for the first time in the Audi RS 6. DRC serves to reduce both body roll and pitch along the car’s longitudinal and lateral axes.
This is accomplished by interconnecting the dampers diagonally by way of a central valve. Body movements when driving off are largely eliminated in this way, as are pitching movements when braking, or rolling when cornering fast. This has further enhanced the driving dynamics offered by the RS 4.
DRC has already been supremely well received in the RS 6. In the RS 4 quattro GmbH has succeeded in making the system more compact and lighter. Dynamic Ride Control employs no electronics whatsoever.
The combination of quattro drive, DRC, and the suspension specifically geared to the RS 4 allows this outstanding high-performance Audi to hold the road safely even in the absolute limit ranges at top cornering speeds, when other drive concepts have long since reached their limits. It goes without saying that the
Audi RS 4 features the latest generation of ESP stability control designed and configured especially for this car. Its interventions are now later and shorter. It is also possible to delay intervention further, or to disable the ESP altogether.
18-inch wheels as standard
The RS 4 is fitted as standard with 18-inch wheels and 255/40 R18 size tyres.
19-inch wheels are optionally available. For the RS 4 the Audi designers produced a range of light and attractive cast aluminium wheels of five-spoke design. A special manufacturing method means the wheels are stronger, thinner and lighter. The tyres are size 255/35 19. The 19-inch wheels can also be optionally fitted with Pirelli P Zero Corsa sports tyres, which are specially designed for the RS 4 for race track use.
Compared with the standard A4, the RS 4 is lowered by 30 millimetres. A further important change is the wider track, increased by 37 millimetres at the front and 47 millimetres at the rear. The spring and damper tuning has of course also been adapted to the sporty dynamics of the RS 4.
The servotronic steering has been specially tuned to the requirements of the sports saloon. With its direct response and short travel, it is outstandingly well suited to the overall character of the RS 4.
Brakes for the race track
The RS 4's braking is also impressive, based on an 18-inch brake system. The perforated and ventilated brake discs measure 365 millimetres in diameter at the front and 324 millimetres at the rear. They are designed in a floating arrangement, meaning that the cast-iron friction ring of the brake system is bolted on to the aluminium brake disc cover. The result is a significant improvement of the brakes’ resistance to fading, particularly under extreme loads. A further side-effect of this technology is a reduction in unsprung masses.
A further advantage is the optimisation of brake air flow by means of NACA jets keeping the brake discs appropriately cool at all times.
Featuring eight-piston fixed callipers originally developed for motorsport on the front wheels (four pistons and two brake pads on the inside and outside of each brake disc) as well as single-piston swing callipers on the rear wheels, the Audi RS 4 offers supreme stopping power and directional stability. The ESP 8.0 stability program, electronic brake force distribution, and the ABS anti-lock brakes have all been tailored to the specific dimensions of the brake system.
An additional boost to safety is provided by the ESP stability program, with its dry braking function. When the road is wet the system lightly applies the brake pads to the discs at regular intervals, unnoticed by the driver, to sweep water from them and so improve braking response. Further features included in the ESP stability program are the electronic differential lock (EDL), traction control (ASR), electronic brake force distribution (EBFD) and anti-lock brakes (ABS).
It is also possible to disable the ESP in two stages: in the first stage only the traction control (ASR) function is disabled; in the second stage the ESP is completely deactivated, including the traction control. As a result, there is no control intervention in any driving situation.
Design
Self-assured and highly functional
The design of the Audi RS 4 combines functionality with aesthetics. The car's appearance embodies the ultimate in uncompromising sportiness. In particular, the RS 4 demonstrates its enormous performance potential where such qualities really count, boasting features such as:
- Flared wheel arches
- Bumpers in RS design with the trim grille in diamond look
- Flared side sills as well as door cut-out trim strips matched to the sills
- A rear spoiler integrated in the boot lid and side panels
- A twin-chamber exhaust system with oval tailpipes
- Aerodynamically optimised twin-arm design RS exterior mirrors in aluminium look
- Newly designed 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels (and optional 19-inch wheels of seven-double-spoke design)
- RS 4 badging at front and rear and on the side rubbing strips
- Trim strips in matt aluminium
The sporty look of this exceptional saloon is combined with an equally high level of functionality. The large inlets on the front end of the RS 4 guarantee optimum cooling of the V8 FSI engine. Flared wheel arches offer plenty of space for the 18-inch or 19-inch wheels. With enlarged tailpipe cross-sections, the twin-chamber exhaust system provides for significantly reduced exhaust gas counterpressure. The 30 millimetre lowering not only provides a sporty look, but is also a major factor in delivering the outstanding levels of driving dynamics the car offers.
Despite this uncompromising sportiness, the car's close family relationship with the Audi A4 is unmistakeable. The distinctive single-frame grille and the sweeping headlights, borrowed from the Nuvolari prototype, underscore the family heritage of the RS 4.
Audi offers the RS 4 in nine exterior colours. The range extends from the subtle Avus Silver to the luminous Imola Yellow. And through Audi's customisation programme, quattro GmbH offers even the most discerning customer a virtually unlimited range of individual colours and combinations.
Interior
The premium sports car
Premium quality typical of Audi and the levels of genuine sportiness typical of an RS model are combined in harmony in the interior of the RS 4. As soon as you sit in it, you know that you are in a true sports car.
The bucket seats, with their high side sections, provide excellent lateral support. The side sections can be inflated individually by means of two buttons on the seat or by pressing the Sport button on the steering wheel, and thus fit themselves perfectly to the driver’s anatomy. Pressing the Sport button also modifies the characteristic line of the accelerator, producing a more graduated engine response. Moreover, the exhaust sound has been modified to make it even sportier. The
RS bucket seats are available either in full leather throughout or in a combination of leather and cloth. Sports seats are available as an option.
Attention to detail is demonstrated in the choice of materials and the workmanship applied in processing them. Leather, aluminium and carbon are the predominant materials in the interior. The flat-bottomed RS steering wheel, developed exclusively for the Audi RS 4, is covered in perforated leather. Carbon-fibre trim inside the car serves to additionally accentuate the sporting qualities of the RS 4. A range of further trim options are also available: Piano finish black, Fine grain myrtle nutmeg and Aluminium matt. A further detail is the design of the milled aluminium door openers, echoed also on the gear knob and the steering wheel. The gear knob, handbrake lever and steering wheel are also covered in perforated leather.
The driver information system incorporated into the typical RS-design cockpit additionally features an oil temperature gauge as well as a stopwatch with lap timer function – a useful extra for those special track days so beloved of RS 4 drivers.
The driver information system welcomes the driver upon entering the car with the exclusive RS welcome logo. The eight-cylinder engine is started by pressing the Start button in the centre console.
The aluminium pedals are a further echo of the motorsport world, and also help to save weight.
