The Audi 80 (B3) obtained a major facelift in the autumn of 1991, although the UK launch was not until early 1992. From then on it was known internally as the B4 (or
Typ 8C). Changes from the B3 included a longer
wheelbase, a fully redesigned
fuel tank and rear axle to enable the use of folding seats, 15" wheels with more prominent wheel arches, redesigned and painted rear and front bumpers, as well as higher-quality materials for the interior, and a larger boot. The front
grille was merged with the bonnet and given a bolder look. This design had been previewed on the 1990
Audi Coupé S2 and was applied to the full lineup of the B3-based Coupés as well in July 1991. The
Cabriolet (
Typ 8G) had been introduced in May 1991 and continued to be built long after the B4 had been replaced, receiving similar updates to the Audi 80 B4 and succeeding
Audi A4. The B4 also marked the beginning of Audi's move into the German luxury mid-sized vehicle segment, which until then was clearly dominated by
Mercedes-Benz and
BMW. On the European market, and in Germany in particular, the B4 and its variants were highly successful and popular. In Europe, the 90 designation for five-cylinder models was dropped for this generation, and all saloons were badged as 80, regardless of which engine they had. Audi of America went the opposite direction, and sold the saloon as the 90. B4s for the American market typically offered more luxury and style even in the standard version, such as
automatic transmission,
cruise control,
air conditioning, and leather seats, all of which were usually optional at additional cost on European models. Because the United States does not recognise the international
ECE Regulations on auto safety components and constructions, but rather maintains its own Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, the front of the B4 had to be specially redesigned for vehicles sold in North America. The front and
bumper had to be designed to accommodate impact energy absorbers not required outside North America. Instead of the dual-reflector headlamps, a single-reflector design was used inboard of an amber combination
turn signal,
parking, and
side marker lamp and reflector wrapping around the corner, and fog lamps smaller than the rest-of-world items were placed on the corners of the bumper air duct. European market cars were now available with a selection of
inline four-cylinder engines, as well as the familiar
in-line five, and two different new
V6 engines (2.6-litre and 2.8-litre); the later 2.8-litre V6 was the only engine available for vehicles sold in North America. As another first, Audi introduced a new high-
torque,
direct-injection,
turbocharged diesel engine, the 1.9-litre TDI (
Turbocharged Direct Injection). The standard 1.8-litre
petrol engine of the B3 was discontinued; a two-litre, , four-cylinder petrol engine, a variation of the previously known 2.0 E engine, was now available for the base model. Altogether, although some layouts were not available everywhere outside Germany, Audi offered the following engine range for the 80/90 B4:
Petrol engines: • 1.6 – ,
in-line four-cylinder (export only) • 1.6 E – , in-line four-cylinder • 2.0 – , in-line four-cylinder (base model in Germany) • 2.0 E – , in-line four-cylinder • 2.0 E 16v – , 16-valve, in-line four-cylinder • 2.3 E 10v – , 10-valve,
in-line five-cylinder • 2.6 E – ,
V6 • 2.8 E – , V6 • S2 – , 2.2 L, 20-valve
turbocharged in-line five-cylinder • RS2 Avant – , 2.2 L, 20-valve turbocharged in-line five-cylinder
Diesel engines: • 1.9 TD – ,
in-line four-cylinder turbodiesel • 1.9 TDI – , in-line four-cylinder
direct-injection turbodiesel (with
intercooler) Most petrol versions could be ordered with
quattro permanent
four-wheel-drive; at the time, however, it could only be combined with a five-speed
manual transmission. Additionally, Audi built around 2,500 units of the
Quattro Competition for the German and European market. It was a street
homologation of the B4-based
Super Tourenwagen Cup (STW) race car saloon with four-wheel drive and a modified , 16-valve, two-litre petrol engine. The
powertrain had its roots in the two-litre, four-cylinder
inline engines that most European Audi 80s were equipped with at the time. On the outside, the
Quattro Competition featured the same bumpers as the S2, the V6 headlights, and a
rear wing mounted on the bootlid. Together with the saloon, Audi produced a B4-based estate, the
Audi 80 Avant, and a convertible, the
Audi Cabriolet, which was largely based on the B3 Coupé. This meant that Audi now had saloon, coupé, cabriolet, and estate variants of the 80 available to European customers. For the North American market, however, Audi only sold coupés during the 1990 and 1991
model years, and the estate was never officially available. prototype As of the 1994 model year, a
limited edition model, known as
Europa, was introduced on the European market. It could be ordered both as a saloon and an Avant. It was factory-equipped with power mirrors,
alloy wheels, rear seat headrests, an
airbag steering wheel, and offered a choice between power
sunroof or
air conditioning. It came in five different special colours. For "regular" 1994 B4 saloons and Avants, standard features as well as options available were stepped up too, including an airbag steering wheel and redesigned door liners (standard), and passenger airbags and a built-in
engine immobiliser (optional). The 80-series was effectively replaced by the new
Audi A4 in 1994, a variant of the 1996 (B5) Volkswagen Passat. By that time it was feeling very dated in comparison with more modern rivals such as the
BMW E36. Production ceased at a time when prestige European manufacturers were making the transition of older executive saloons to newer models based on newer platforms in the compact executive car market. The B4 saloon was discontinued at the end of the 1994. The Avant was axed in 1995, and the Coupé (with no immediate replacement) followed suit in 1996. The
Cabriolet, however, continued in production until August 2000. The B4 platform saloon was replaced by the
Audi A4 for the 1995
model year (1996 in North America), followed by a new
A4 Avant later in 1996. A mid-sized convertible was not available again until 2002, when the A4 Cabriolet was introduced. Since 2007, Audi has produced
Audi A5 - which is similar in concept to the old 80-based Coupé.
Audi S2 Audi developed a sports version of the Coupé in 1990, called the
Audi Coupé S2. This replaced the famous
Audi Quattro and was capable of 150 mph. In 1993, the S2 received some cosmetic updates, including new AVUS-style alloy wheels, ellipsoid beam (projector) headlamps, and clear front indicator lenses. This coincided with the introduction of the five-door S2 Avant, along with a limited run of four-door S2
sedan models, of which 306 were produced. The S2 saloon and Avant feature a lot of similarities in the rear axle support system to the later B5 A4 quattro. The B4 platform S2 Avant was also used between 1993 and 1995 as the basis for Audi's
RS2 Avant super-sports estate, which was modified for Audi with assistance from
Porsche.
Audi RS2 Avant The
Audi RS2 Avant is fitted with a similar 2.2-litre turbocharged engine to the S2, but producing . It can accelerate from in 4.8 seconds and has a top speed of . The Audi RS2 was generally only available as an Avant, although four 4-door saloon models were officially produced by the factory, including one for the chief of the RS2 development programme. The RS2 was at least partially assembled at the Porsche Rossle-Bau plant in
Zuffenhausen. Prior to manufacturing the RS2, the Porsche Zuffenhausen assembly line was busy producing the high-performance
W124 bodystyle
Mercedes-Benz 500E. The RS2/Porsche link is further exemplified by the RS2's dual circuit Porsche braking system (wearing
Brembo calipers with a Porsche name), 7.0Jx17"
alloy wheels that were identical in design to the
Porsche 911 Turbo wheels of that era, and side view mirrors are also borrowed from the Porsche 911 Turbo. Additionally, the word "PORSCHE" is inscribed in the RS2 factory emblems affixed to the tailgate and front
grille, and on the engine's inlet manifold. Porsche modified the Avant S2 body optics, added more
power, better
brakes, bigger
anti-roll bars to front and rear, fine tuned the interior – and a super-sports estate was born. Porsche's involvement in the project was on the strict understanding that a coupé model would not be produced, as this was felt to be too close to Porsche's own products. Audi 2.3 L SOHC 10V I5 engine.jpg|10V-five-cylinder (MKB: NG) ==
Type codes==