Despite being falsely accused by members of the B&B of hating wagons, I will formally declare that I adore them – I’m just a realist about their sales prospects in the United States. The 2013 Audi RS4 Avant forces me to confront the dissonance over lusting after such a car, while knowing that it would be a non-starter in North America for all but the most eccentric rich dudes, ala the Mercedes E63 Wagon.
The crew at AutoGuide obtained these spy shots, and apparently this car will share the RS5’s 4.2L V8 and 7-speed dual clutch gearbox. Personally, I’m pulling for this, as a naturally aspirated V8 is a welcome change from the boosted engines being offered in so many of Audi’s (and other manufacturers) vehicles these days. The RS4 will get an official reveal at March’s Geneva Auto Show. Look for a brown version to show up in a press fleet near you sometime soon.
This eccentric poor dude would be content with a “plain” ole S4 wagon here in the US. I love the lines of the current A4 avant. Seems like the A4 Allroad is on its way over to the US, so maybe there is hope for a sport avant in S or RS form. I know there is a limited market for small wagons, let alone small luxury wagons in the US, but any idea why Audi doesn’t import a token few since the car already exists in other markets? Technically the car already exists in the US, but with a trunk. Would an S4 Avant require any modification to bring it to the US?
Right now you can’t even get a vanilla A4 Avant with a stick shift.
However, you CAN get a used B6 S4 Wagon (that’s the V8 one) with a stick shift, for the $17-20,000 range. One of those might just be my next car.
Ooh, Ape. For that price, you’re talking 80K miles+, and some really expensive repairs/maintenance around the corner, considering that generation’s reputation.
Don’t do it!!! I love the brand, but I wouldn’t own an Audi out of warranty. I got a heck of a deal leasing a preowned certified 2007 sprint blue S4 sedan, REALLY wanted the wagon, but couldn’t find a pre-owned certified one with low miles. At 12,000 miles the manual transmission was popping out of gear and consequently it had to be replaced. The local Audi dealership held the car for over a month waiting for the new transmission. The car was returned to me like new and I couldn’t have been happier with the dealership experience, the cool loaner cars they loaned me and everything being covered under warranty. I asked the service manager had the car not been covered under warranty how much would it have cost out of my wallet? With the work done, the answer was upwards of $15,000 USD. I think a performance car (or dare I say an Audi in general?) is a great car to lease for the short term because it is always under warranty (provided you don’t drive the hell out of it), but I’m not convinced about long term ownership. That’s why car number 1 is a rock solid OWNED 2011 Toyota 4Runner and car number 2 a leased 2010 VW. : )
@ Speed Spaniel,
$15K for an f’n transmission replacement??!!?!
The best things in life are rarely the best sellers.
This is true.
The Camo job is just great, makes me wish you could order cars with a camo option.
I honestly can’t see the point of Audi masking its new cars, as apart from the proportions, they will look exactly the same as Audi’s existing models.
Yup, you can forget the RS4 Avant for the USA, as well as that Subaru XTI or S model Forester with the WRX engine, and oh so many other vehicles.
Instead we’ll get the A4 Allroad with the usual 2.0 Turbo Audi engine.
The apparent problem, Subaru reps told me, is EPA red tape makes it hideously difficult and expensive to bring new models to the USA. Foreign Automakers won’t bring ’em unless they know they will sell a gadzillion of each.
How many TT-RS cars does Audi really expect to sell here? They still managed to get that over to us. What I’d like to see more than the RS4 Avant is their new diesel – 300hp, 450ft.lbs, AND fuel efficient? I’ll take three.
Depends how many secretaries know about TT-RS cars. Doh!
While I understand it, I never quite bought into the “don’t buy used, the repairs are costly” mentality.
These cars new, depreciated many many times over the repair costs to keep a an older one on the road. And you don’t need to spend $50 to $60K up front.
What is wrong with putting up only $17 to $20k and then spending an additional $1 to $2k on additional repairs as things wear out.
These cars do run well in my experience. I have never been left stranded, even on occasions where there was something definitely wrong.
My old Camry fills in when (rarely) needed.