{"id":395847,"date":"2023-05-10T11:00:50","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T01:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/?p=395847"},"modified":"2023-06-27T11:31:23","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T01:31:23","slug":"next-generation-audi-rs4-avant-set-to-be-a-game-changer-for-station-wagons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/cars\/next-generation-audi-rs4-avant-set-to-be-a-game-changer-for-station-wagons","title":{"rendered":"Next-Generation Audi RS4 Avant Set To Be a Game Changer For Station Wagons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>More details have emerged about Audi\u2019s hotly-anticipated next-generation fast station wagon, which will feature hybrid power for the first time and will take the fight to the popular BMW M3 Touring.<\/strong><\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"><p>We here at DMARGE love <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/cars\/cool-classic-station-wagons\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">station wagons<\/a>, especially performance-oriented ones. They\u2019re the ultimate jack of all trades: you\u2019ve got a boot big enough to carry around plenty of stuff combined with sedan-like driving dynamics. Everyone seems obsessed with fast SUVs but the reality is that a wagon will always drive better than an SUV. Plus, they\u2019re just cooler than SUVs.<\/p><p>The Audi RS4 Avant has always stood out as a particularly good fast wagon, too. The current-generation RS4 Avant, with its angular, muscular design and tasty twin-turbo V6 (which makes a robust 331\u00a0kW and 600\u00a0Nm of torque, and can rocket from 0-100km\/h in 4.1 seconds) is a proper beast. Our founder and publisher Luc has one in Nardo Grey and it looks bloody amazing.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-1541257996\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1648328872 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1648328872 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[300,250],[320,100],[320,180],[336,280],[640,360]],\"incontent-1541257996\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1648328872.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-1541257996\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1648328872);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"content-subscribe\">\n        <div class=\"subscribe-box\">\n            <p class=\"subscribe-title\">Curated news for men, <br\/>delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n            <form class=\"subscribe-form\" method=\"POST\">\n                <div class=\"subscribe-input\">\n                    <label class=\"screen-reader-text\" for=\"subscribe-email\">Email:<\/label>\n                    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" id=\"subscribe-email\" placeholder=\"Enter your email\" required class=\"form-control\" autocomplete=\"on\" \/>\n                    <button type=\"submit\" class=\"button button-primary subscribe-button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"source\" value=\"article\" \/>\n                    <input type=\"hidden\" id=\"_wpnonce\" name=\"_wpnonce\" value=\"e2df992756\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395847\" \/>                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"form-result\"><\/div>\n            <\/form>\n            <p class=\"subscribe-copy\">Join the DMARGE newsletter \u2014 Be the first to receive the latest news and exclusive stories on style, travel, luxury, cars, and watches. Straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <p>There\u2019s only one issue: the current RS4 Avant is looking pretty long in the tooth. It\u2019s been in production since 2017, and while it holds up today aesthetically, it faces stiff competition from its fellow Germans \u2013 specifically, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/cars\/2022-bmw-m3-touring\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the new BMW M3 Touring<\/a>.<\/p><p>Thankfully, Audi has decided to get back in the fight with a new RS4 Avant\u2026 Although it won\u2019t be called the RS4 any more, which is a bit confusing.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2017-audi-rs4-grey-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-395906\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2017-audi-rs4-grey-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2017-audi-rs4-grey-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2017-audi-rs4-grey-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2017-audi-rs4-grey-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2017-audi-rs4-grey-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 640px) 600px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (max-width: 1024px) 800px, (min-width: 1025px) 1000px, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The current-gen B9 (Typ 8W) Audi RS4 Avant in Nardo Grey. Image: Audi<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>In March, Audi CEO Markus Duesmann told German publication <em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autobild.de\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Auto Bild<\/a><\/em> that the next-generation A4 will instead adopt the A5 name \u2013 which is a bit confusing \u2013 as Audi is changing its naming strategy to have even numbers for electric cars and odd numbers for internal combustion engined cars.<\/p><p><strong>RELATED<\/strong>: Audi Reveals It\u2019s Joining The Formula 1 Grid In 2026<\/p><p>The RS4 Avant will become the RS5 Avant, and the A4 range will actually disappear entirely \u2013 indeed, Audi\u2019s entire performance ICE range isn\u2019t long for this world. The A4 will return one day as a purely electric sedan to rival the Mercedes EQC and BMW i3 saloons, though their names haven\u2019t been confirmed, <em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.motor1.com\/news\/665705\/audi-s5-rs5-v6-power\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Motor1<\/a><\/em> reports.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-664357615\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_125183409 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_125183409 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[250,250],[300,100],[300,250],[320,100],[336,280]],\"incontent-664357615\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_125183409.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-664357615\");});};adsQueue.push(load_125183409);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <p>What\u2019s more important than the car\u2019s name is what\u2019s set to be under the hood. Audi Sport managing director Oliver Hoffmann told <em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.autocar.co.uk\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Autocar<\/a><\/em> in 2019 that the new RS5 Avant (i.e. the new RS4) will be a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).<\/p><p><strong>WATCH Audi\u2019s new flagship electric sports car, the RS e-tron GT, out for a spin below.<\/strong><\/p><script src=\"https:\/\/cdn.jwplayer.com\/players\/PBZ1gbx1-KKjjplFe.js\"><\/script><p><strong>RELATED<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/cars\/audi-e-tron-gt-australia\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Audi\u2019s New Electric Sports Car Leaves Australian Luxury Buyers With Quite The Predicament<\/a><\/p><p>Audi has already ruled out doing four-cylinder RS cars, which means the new Avant will necessarily have to be powered by either one of Audi\u2019s fire-breathing five-cylinders\u2026 Or more likely, the same V6 unit in the current RS4 Avant.<\/p><p>What that means is that it\u2019s almost certainly going to make more power than the BMW M3 Touring, which has beaten Audi to the punch in the current-gen performance wagon game. Indeed, BMW should be more than a bit nervous once the new RS5 Avant comes out in 2025, as it\u2019ll be both newer and (likely) faster.<\/p>                <div class=\"row row-center collapse\">\n                    <div class=\"column\">\n                        <div class=\"dmg-ad\"><div id=\"incontent-728022995\" class=\"ad-container\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var load_1644808952 = function () {googletag.cmd.push(function () {var slot_1644808952 = googletag.defineSlot(\"\/1017963\/DMarge\/incontent\",[[250,250],[300,100],[300,250],[320,100],[336,280]],\"incontent-728022995\").addService(googletag.pubads()).setTargeting('refresh', 'true');if (gamData && gamData.sizeMap && gamData.sizeMap.hasOwnProperty('incontent')) {slot_1644808952.defineSizeMapping(gamData.sizeMap['incontent']);}googletag.display(\"incontent-728022995\");});};adsQueue.push(load_1644808952);<\/script><\/div><\/div>                    <\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <p>But it\u2019s not just the prospect of another fast wagon war that\u2019s getting us excited. The real reason we think the new RS5 Avant will be a game-changer is that it might be the car that makes plug-in hybrids cool \u2013 or, at the very least, be a cool plug-in hybrid that mere mortals stand half a chance of being able to drive.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2024-audi-s4-s5-avant-2-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-395872\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2024-audi-s4-s5-avant-2-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2024-audi-s4-s5-avant-2-960x640.jpg 960w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2024-audi-s4-s5-avant-2-640x427.jpg 640w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2024-audi-s4-s5-avant-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/2024-audi-s4-s5-avant-2-480x320.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 400px, (max-width: 640px) 600px, (max-width: 768px) 700px, (max-width: 1024px) 800px, (min-width: 1025px) 1000px, 2048px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The unreleased, next-gen Audi S5 Avant spotted in the wild. Image: AutoEvolution<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Over the years, auto makers have produced some pretty impressive plug-in hybrid supercars \u2013 like the Ferrari SF90 Stradale, McLaren P1 or Porsche 918 Spyder \u2013 but those are all million-dollar machines. The new RS5 Avant won\u2019t be cheap, but it will be fast\u2026 And it could really help shift the needle regarding the public perception of PHEVs.<\/p><p>Spy shots have already started to emerge of the S5 Avant being tested, which is set to come out next year (the new A5 will come out later this year). Initial impressions? It looks pretty good, and it looks pretty sporty. We\u2019re just keen to see how it drives, and keen to see what an RS5 version looks like.<\/p><p>Until then, BMW remains king of the fast wagons \u2013 but heavy is the head the wears the crown\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Although it might not be called the RS4 any more&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101060,"featured_media":395871,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1167],"tags":[],"coauthors":[146236],"class_list":{"0":"post-395847","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cars"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101060"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=395847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/395871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=395847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=395847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=395847"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dmarge.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=395847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}