I own an S4, and this weekend I saw an Audi RS4 on the road, between Atlanta and Charlotte.
One interesting thing is that the rear emblem "RS4" was on the right side of the car versus the normal position of the "S4" on the left side.
Is the RS4 being imported into the USA? I know the RS6's are coming in and being purchased as soon as they arrive.
What is the price tag on the RS4 or how does one go about getting one of these cars?
RS4 has never been "officially" available in North America. A handful of people imported them on their own - long and expensive process, but hey - if you can afford an RS4... money is probably not a big issue. ;-) The B5-platform RS4 has now been discountinued, even in Europe. Not sure when the successor will become available and if it'll come to the US...
Also, many people modify their A4s and S4s to make them look like RS4s. Some will go to a great extent in this. Some will just slap on an RS4 badge.
Cheers,
Pete
All the RS4s I've seen have the RS4 emblem on the left hand side of the tailgate. The emblem on the front grille is on the RHS of the car.
No, the RS4 was never officially imported into the USA. There may have been a handful of unofficial (ie non-Audi) imports.
There are dealers in the USA who have an RS6 available from stock, but most are ordered to customer specification. Delivery of the RS6 to the USA will end on 31 December because the car does not meet the new USA emission laws coming into effect for 2004.
The RS4 was produced in limited numbers and production ended well before the RS6 deliveries started. I have heard rumours of a dealer in Switzerland who ordered a number of RS4s for stock and still has some new cars left - but I suspect that they are being sold well above original list price.
I suspect that most 'RS4s' spotted in the USA are probably modded S4s. The incorrect positioning of the legend on the car you saw would suggest that it was one of these. A likely give-away for a non-genuine RS4 is that it probably won't have the wider wheel arches at the rear because they can only be effected by chopping the bodywork.
Parts which would need to be changed in order to make an S4 Avant look like an RS4 include: front and rear bumper assemblies, front wings (fenders?), rear doors and wheels. The lower sill mouldings would need to be added, and the rear wheel arches widened.
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