Blown V6 for next S4

AUDI Australia has all but confirmed the rumour that its hot new S4 model, based on the new B8-series A4, will be powered by the German giant's new supercharged 3.0-litre V6 recently unveiled in the facelifted Audi A6.

Audi Australia marketing manager Immo Buschmann was asked at last week's A4 Avant launch if the new S4 would be powered by a supercharged V6 engine instead of a V8 as before, to which he responded: “Yes, that could be the case.” John Roberts, Audi Australia’s product planner, also gave a strong indication of the supercharged "3.0 TFSI" engine being the chosen powerplant for the new S4 - without actually saying so directly - when asked if the blown petrol V6 would suit the A4 body.

“There is a new 3.0-litre V6 engine with a supercharger... we’ll see the engine next year. I think with the V6, to get the best fuel consumption and efficiency with performance in that application the supercharger is the best way to go.” The 3.0 TFSI engine just unveiled in the Audi A6 produces 213kW between 2500rpm and 4850rpm, plus 420Nm of torque.

This compares favourably with the most powerful engine currently available in the A4 range, the 3.2-litre naturally-aspirated V6 that produces 195kW and 330Nm.

The new supercharged engine, as it appears in the new A6 unveiled at the Moscow motor show last month, is not as powerful as the previous-generation S4's 253kW/410Nm 4.2-litre V8, but offers 10Nm more torque.

Audi may also boost its kiloWatt count for the new S4 (not to mention the B8-series RS4 that will follow it), but even in its current state of tune the supercharged V6 should prove a stunner, going by the performance figures quoted for the bigger, heavier A6.

With a six-speed automatic transmission linked to a permanent quattro AWD system, the new supercharged A6 3.0 TFSI sedan sprints to 100km/h in a claimed 5.9 seconds, has a governed 250km/h top speed and returns average EU fuel consumption of 9.5L/100km – down from both the current A6 4.2 quattro sedan’s 11.8L/100km and the A6 3.2 FSI quattro sedan's 11.1L/100km figures.

These reduced consumption figures (and hence lower C02 figures) are why the Volkswagen Group is changing to smaller-displacement engines with forced induction in preference to larger-displacement naturally-aspirated engines.

The news means Audi's S4 model returns to its force-fed roots, with the first two versions of the S4 powered by a turbocharged 2.2-litre five-cylinder and a twin-turbo 2.7-litre V6 respectively (that latter available in both sedan and wagon guise between December 1999 and August 2003), before the previous S4 arrived with V8 power.

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