RS4
After a long hiatus, the second generation RS4, now built on Audi's "B7" A4 platform, became available to European customers in the Summer of 2005. Price is roughly 66,629€ in Europe. It was introduced at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in January and arrived in August 2006 in North America with a base price of $66,000.
The B7 RS4 is an almost complete departure from previous RS cars, as it was launched as a sedan, with an Avant and Convertible version arriving later. Only the RS6 has gone this route before, the previous RS4 and RS2 were available exclusively as Avants. In addition, power comes from an FSI equipped, normally aspirated 4.2 L V8. This engine is very powerful, producing a total output of 420 PS (309 kW/414 hp), over 100 PS/litre. The engine also produces 430 N·m (317 ft·lbf) of torque. Curb weight for the 2007 model is stated at 3957 lb
Audi factory numbers indicate that the vehicle will be able to go 0-100 km (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds. Since Audi's factory times tend to be conservative, most experts seem to agree that a time under 4.5 seconds is a likely possibility.
BMW's upcoming, V8 powered M3 will be the RS4's primary competitor based on its pricepoint and it being the only other vehicle in the class with as much emphasis on sporty driving as the RS4. Mercedes-Benz's AMG variant of the C-Class (currently the C 55 AMG and upcoming C63) also provides some competition.
There are unsubstantiated rumors of an RS4 Plus being introduced in Europe in late 2006. Most likely the RS4 Plus would be a lightweight version of the RS4 that is more setup for track use, but still street legal.
