donkeykong
Track Technician
It’s been an active couple of weeks for Audi engineers at the Nurburgring. Just a few weeks ago, what was believed to be the first RS 4 Avant test mule had the equivalent of a Nordschliefe coming out party and now today comes the facelifted Audi S4.
Though also black and also an Avant, we can say with some certainty that this is not second RS 4 mule. Though that car too had a Darth Vader color scheme and S4 badging, this one lacks the widened arches and track of the previous car.
From what we can tell in photos, the S4 (and thus A4) makes use of some subtle updating as this is, after all, a mid-life-cycle product improvement or PI. As with the A1, A6, A7 and A8, the trademark Audi grille on the nose gets the slanted upper corners for an edgier look. Expect a similar effect on the A4 and also the A5/S5/RS 5 offerings.
Look lower at the bumper design and it appears that the S4 and presumably the A4 S-line will receive this frowning lower fascia no doubt inspired by current RS car design. Expect the rear lights to also receive an upgrade to something more like the new A7 and A6 and perhaps Audi’s 4-series may benefit from all-LED headlights as seen on its up market stablemates.
As for engine, expect the S4 to continue on with Audi’s supercharged 3.0T FSI and a choice of manual gearbox or S-tronic DSG transmission. It’s possible the car could get a power bump to correspond with the facelift and we may also see the crown gear all-wheel drive system from the RS 5 migrate over as well just as has been seen with the A6 and A7.
Expect to see the facelifted A4 and S4 no sooner than Frankfurt in September. Our sources inside Audi of America place the new car in the US market by late next summer as a 2013 model.
Spied: 2013 Audi S4 Avant Facelift at Nurburgring
