Switching from the angry 2.7 V6 Twin Turbo used in the first RS4 B5, is the RS4 B7. With it's high revving 4.2 V8 engine that screams all the way to 8400RPM; it has caught the world with storm and placed Audi nicely within the ranks of automotive utopia. Well, seems like the first non Turbo RS model from Audi will be a modern classic.
The upcoming B8 RS4 however is confirmed to be using a 3.0 V6 Supercharged engine, mentioned by an undisclosed Audi engineer during a recent conversation with representatives from CAR.
The move from the 4.2 V8 high displacement, high rev NA engine that had received numerous awards, even highly acclaimed by Jeremy Clarkson as being one of the best engines ever to be made; back to Audi's familiar territory - Forced induction.
This is a rather puzzling move; given that Audi had moved the bar high up during the introduction of the B7 RS4 with powers delivering 420hp, BMW follow suit with an exact displacement engine producing exactly the same number of horses and definitely the next M3 and RS4 had to be more powerful than the current one, especially considering the B8 A4 is a rather huge car.
It's mentioned that the new engine is supposed to bring more low rpm torque for the car with a supercharger available, but this can't help us avoid figuring that since Audi currently already had a 3.2 V6 engine, and the 4.2 V8 is extremely good, and since for marketing purposes, the new RS4 definitely have to develop more hp than the current one, how much more they can squeeze out from the 3.0 is really something to be worried given that the current is already 420hp.
Should they end up like the current S3, which uses the 4 cylinder 2.0 TFSi to squeeze out 265hp, whereas the cheaper 3.2 V6 A3 produces 250hp using a larger V6 engine with more smoothness and torque really leaves us worry.
Our bet for the best next RS4? 4.2 V8 TFSi sounds very nice.
