The French tuning house Caractere has gone to work on the new upcoming Audi A4 Avant. Making subtle differences in facia, as well as adding stylish wheels and an exhaust Caractere is trying to position itself as a premium tuning brand.

While the 2009 Audi A4 Avant is a perfect subject to undergo these changes, we must wonder where all of these small tuning houses are popping out from. Since the days of Wings West and it’s rollercoaster ride in the industry, new entrees have been trying to fill a niche market, such as this one for premium styling products.

One must wonder when the bar will be raised so full fledges tuning houses such as Abt, APR, MTM will rid themselves of the “body kit and exhaust” type tuners.
Anyways, hats off to Caractere for a semi decent attempt at trying to accomplish something that has been over and done with for the past 5 years.

Log onto www.AudiForum.ca to discuss.

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Audi made a sudden move with the introduction of the 2009 RS6 Audi. Specific technical details and information have been handed over to the media, which eagerly learned about the new upcoming supercar.

Initially details and pictures were to be released at the Paris Motor Show, however spy photographers have caught a glimpse of the car, which might have caused the early release.

With numbers that make the RS6 overpower the M5, this car has a lot going for it. Powered by a twin-turbo 5 liter v10, it has gobs of power. Due to it’s direct injection technology and the 2 turbos, it rips up the pavement with 580hp and 479lb. ft. of torque.

For optimum oiling, Audi went with a dry-sump system, which is also found on high end limited production cars such as the ZL-1 Corvette.

It’s optioned from the factory with an automatic transmission, which has cut shift times by half compared to other models. Shifting is achieved by either paddles on the steering wheel, or moving the shifter as a manual.

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Well kids, the G-class Mercedes Benz has been around longer then I have.  I mean it started out as a military vehicle with a steel dash, kinda like a Hummer.  From then on tuners started to take notice and started adding some mojo.  I remember when I was in my teenage years I looked at some Brabus G-Class Mercedes that could outrun a 911 in a straight line.  Not anymore heh.

The 2009 Galendenwagen gets a new even more powerful engine for 2009.  Mercedes-Benz raised the bar from 292 to 382hp for the new year.  And they managed to add 3 very annoying gills to the front of the vehicle.  Horrible in my opinion, but what can you do.

Luckily the boxy look of the G has not been changed and I imagine the AMG version is still up there on the option list.  This vehicle is one of those timeless classic pieces that can truly stand the test of time, with its rugged durability offroad, to it’s outmost dependability on-road.