Audi RS4 Avant and RS5 Carbon Editions launch

Audi has announced a new Carbon Edition option pack for the high-performance RS4 Avant estate and RS5 coupe. When ordered in this guise, both models get huge 20-inch machine-milled aluminium wheels, tinted windows, a sports RS exhaust and matrix LED headlights, which allow individual portions of the headlights to illuminate specific portions of the road.

Carbon fibre – or carbon fibre reinforced plastic to give it its full name – dominates the look of the two cars. A large stretch of this material stretches across the lower portion of their front grilles, branching out to frame the bumper air intakes as it does so. The RS4 Avant and RS5 cars get a similar treatment at the rear thanks to a carbon-fibre rear diffuser, while the side skirts beneath the cars’ doors are also finished in this lightweight, motorsport-inspired material.

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Carbon door mirrors, a carbon engine cover and metallic paint are also included in the Carbon Edition cars, while the RS5 coupe also gets a carbon fibre spoiler on its boot and a full carbon fibre roof. The latter trims off 3kg of weight, and joins the 2kg saving from each milled wheel to contribute to a weight saving of 60kg over the previous RS5, while the RS4 Carbon Edition is a full 80kg lighter than its predecessor.

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Inside owners will be treated to black leather seats with ‘Crescendo’ red stitching, in addition to carbon inlays on the dashboard.

Both the RS4 Avant and the RS5 coupe come with a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine, producing 444bhp. 0-62mph takes 3.9 seconds in the RS5 and 4.1 seconds in the RS4 Avant, and while both cars are electronically limited to 155mph, Audi will remove this feature for around £1,400.

Speaking of money, the RS4 Avant Carbon Edition is £71,625 while the RS5 Carbon Edition is £75,400. While this represents a respective increase of £10,000 and £12,500 over the base cars’ prices, the extra equipment included in the Carbon Edition package is expensive when purchased individually, with the carbon door mirrors coming in at £1,200 and the carbon roof costing £3,250 when specified with the RS5.

Both models are available to order now.