Audi Blog, Performance, Tuning, Motorsport, and Modification News

Here it is officially is, the Audi SQ5 3.0 TFSI. In November of last year AudiBoost reported thanks to a leak that this variant would be coming and the details were completely correct. A 354 horsepower 3.0 TFSI motor which offers a bit more horsepower than the European only SQ5 3.0 TDI diesel variant which offers 313 horses. Unlike the diesel variant though, this SQ5 will be coming to the United States thankfully. ...

The B9 generation A4 is coming in 2014 and Audi plans to implement some significant technological upgrades to the A4. The first of which will be cylinder deactivation technology. Obviously this is popular and being implemented due to gains in fuel efficiency when only half the cylinders are being used. A plug-in hybrid model is also planned as Audi intends to extend their hybrid technology with what the VW group is learning from various hybrid/electric projects (Audi E-Tron models, Porsche 918 Spyder, etc.). ...

The R8 received an update recently with minor styling changes as well as mechanical changes the most important of which is the S-Tronic dual clutch transmission replacing the R-Tronic sequential manual gearbox. What you may not realize is just how much testing Audi and Quattro GmbH puts into the R8. Literally thousands upon thousands of hours of testing in harsh conditions namely on the Nurburgring which Audi feels is the toughest test for a street car. ...

The switch from the ancient naturally aspirated 4.2 liter V8 in the Audi S5 to the 3.0 TFSI supercharged V6 is proving to be an excellent move by Audi. Car and Driver recorded acceleration figures that matched the 4.2 V8 S5 exactly with the new V6 supercharged motor. This, despite the fact the car is now 77 pounds heavier. A little more weight but well worth it with improved weight distribution of 55.7/44.3 versus 57.7/42.3 for the V8 (due to the positioning of the more compact V6 in the engine bay) and MPG gains of 3 in the city and 4 highway versus the V8. ...

Hard to disagree with Audi's reasoning here. Rather than invest a ton of money to compete with the BMW i3 Audi simply said screw it and canned their A2. The A2 was scheduled to go into production in 2015 as a 100% electric to combat the BMW i3 as well as in a plug-in hybrid format. The A2 was set to have a battery underneath the floorboard powering a 114 horsepower electric motor which drove the front wheels and provided a 125 mile range. ...

The R8 received a facelift which you should be ware of unless you were living under a rock. The V10 car gets a minimal power boost to 550 horsepower but it is still basically the same motor with a more aggressive tune. The main change is the dual clutch 7-speed S-tronic transmission. This makes for a nice difference in acceleration as the car is now faster than even the lightweight R8 GT models. ...

So Audi is coming out with an RS7, no surprise. The surprise is that the RS7 is going to take the spot of what would be an RS6 sedan in the North American market. If you want Audi's twin turbo 4.0 TFSI motor aggressively tuned in a lighter body than the S8 the RS7 is going to be the only way to get it in the United States. This is somewhat of a downer as the C7 A6 body style is very attractive and some prefer it to the "four door coupe" A7. ...

This Audi and BMW rivalry sure is heating up. BMW is holding onto a global sales lead although it is not all that large of a lead. Audi announced it intends to spend $17 billion to catch and pass BMW. They have the money, as the VW group is making so much it almost seems like they are printing it. Chief financial officer Axel Strotbek stated, “We will keep investing large sums to pursue our growth strategy. The expansion of our global manufacturing infrastructure will help us to continue growing.” ...

Audi simply continues to impress with their 4.0 TFSI motor. Just a couple months ago we saw how potent the S8 with the 4.0 TFSI is capable of 11's in the 1/4 mile stock with an 11.8@118.3. The A8L long wheel base with the standard 4.0 TFSI motor at "only" 420 horsepower is no slouch either. Edmunds testsed the A8L and recorded a 0-60 of 4.2 seconds (S8 does the same spring it in 3.5) and 1/4 mile of 12.5@110. ...

More info is trickling out on the upcoming Audi hybrid diesel supercar set to be slotted above the R8. The car will utilize technology from the R18 E-Tron race cars. The name for this vehicle is now said to be "R20" placing it numerically above the R18 Le Mans car. Apparently this is because the car will be styled similar to a Le Mans vehicle complete with a full aerodynamic tailfin just like the real deal R18. ...

Audi in a recent teaser showed four new models coming for 2013. The first model is revealed in the teaser making it quite obvious, the RS5 convertible. The model to its left is fairly obvious as well, the new RS6 Avant. That leaves two models under the covers that are not accounted for. What is very interesting is that clearly one of those models is a sport utility based vehicle which has to be based on either the Q3 or Q5. ...

The 24 Hours of Le Mans has basically belonged to Audi. They flat out own this race winning year after year. The R18 E-Tron Quattro won last year in its first year of competition and Audi will be fielding an all E-Tron LMP-1 lineup for the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans with three cars. The non-hybrid R18 Ultra's fielded last year will not be used. It is likely Audi will repeat for their 12th 24 Hours of Le Mans overall victory as they plan to make tweaks the R18 E-Tron increasing energy storage which would put them only four behind Porsche for most victories all time. ...

The Audi Q5 will ditch its naturally aspirated V6 for the 3.0 TFSI motor starting with late 2013 model year cars. This makes for a major upgrade under the hood providing 272 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque despite only 2 more horses on paper than the previous 3.2 V6. The motor is significantly detuned from the B8 S4 which has 333 horsepower and the 272 rating is even 38 horses less than the A6 featuring the same motor. On the bright side, it is likely that all one needs to get all that power back and then some is some aftermarket software tuning. 400+ horsepower Q5 anyone? ...

Mercedes-Benz may have unintentionally pushed Audi to outgun them by making their 2.0 liter AMG four-cylinder have such a high output of 354 horsepower. Audi now feels pressured to update their 2.5 TFSI which sees duty in the RS3 and TT-RS. Head of Quattro development Stephan Reil stated, “The five-cylinder engine will have a big future with us. But the numbers I see from AMG’s engine are enormous from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder." ...

We all know the 3.0 TFSI 3.0 liter supercharged V6 from Audi is pretty strong by now, right? Continuous engine of the year awards, great architecture, and an ability to gain a lot of power through tuning are all great reasons to love this motor. APR appears to be set to take it to the next level on the 3.0 TFSI platform announcing they will be doing what they are referring to as a Stage III upgrade. ...

Yet another body kit launch from Prior Design this time for the Audi R8. This PD650 widebody kit was introduced by Prior Design at the Essen Auto Show. It consists of a new front bumper, side skirts, lip spoiler, rear diffuser, wing, roof scoop, and of course widened fenders. The material use is Dural-Flex FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic). The body kit is available for either V8 or V10 equipped R8 models. Nice looking kit but that roof scoop and spoiler are a bit too much, AudiBoost would prefer their kit without those two parts. ...

APR just continues to roll out excellent products for VW and Audi platforms especially those equipped with 2.0 turbocharged motors. The kit makes for a very nice performance boost taking cars from baseline of 239 all wheel horsepower to up to 425 on 100 octane. The figures on 91 and 93 octane are 351 and and 371 all wheel horsepower respectively. Excellent increases in horsepower and torque across the board. ...

Very impressive race here showcasing just how quick a K04 upgraded B5 S5 can be. The 2013 Nissan GTR in stock form obviously is a very fast vehicle as we all know. The B5 S4 is a much older car with a smaller motor but one that responds very well to upgrades. A K04 upgrade is relatively cheap and easy for the B5 S4 and with a good tune it can be quite formidable as the run in the video below with the GTR shows. ...

More information continues to trickle out on the upcoming Audi R10 Diesel Hybrid Supercar. As reported earlier, the vehicle will incorporate technology from Audi's Le Mans winning R18 diesel race cars. Early reports suggest the drivetrain will offer horsepower in the 700 range with torque at 740 pound-feet. Big numbers and if combined with a carbon fiber body along with aluminum chassis to keep weight down this thing will simply fly. ...