Photo: Original photo edited by autoevolution
The entire European auto industry is busy downsizing its engines to the point where the Talisman's biggest unit is a 1.6 and Volvo's is the 2.0-liter. But Audi has been fighting the trend over the past year. The all-new A4 is not actually their first attempt, as the 2015 model year A6 came right before it.
More specifically, Audi secretly dropped an engine into the range of the 2015 A6 allroad that we didn't discover until today. It's a 3.0 TDI that has the same output that you usually get from 2.0 TDI with 33% fewer cylinders and displacement.
We believe the engine was introduced to make development easier, as all the other A6 allroad models also use the 3.0 TDI block. Torque is something this de-tuned unit has in high quantities, 500 Nm of it available from 1,250rpm. Audi advertises the engine as being fitted with a 7-speed S tronic capable of reaching 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 221 km/h.
The price of the basic model in Germany is €55,800 or about €2,000 less than the regular 218 PS version. We can't tell you if it's worth it, but the decision to buy such a vehicle is usually determined by road taxes, not love for driving.
After doing a bit more research, we've found that the de-tuned 3.0 TDI is also offered by the A7 four-door coupe in several European countries. The funny thing is that there's also a front-wheel drive version that is restricted to 400 Nm of torque. That makes it a perfect copy of the 2.0 TDI's output. It too entered production in 2015 without an official word from the automaker.
A few days ago, we also discovered a version of the A1 supermini with only 82 PS from a 1-liter turbo. So it seems Audi is gravitating towards using one main displacement per car and offering less power.
We believe the engine was introduced to make development easier, as all the other A6 allroad models also use the 3.0 TDI block. Torque is something this de-tuned unit has in high quantities, 500 Nm of it available from 1,250rpm. Audi advertises the engine as being fitted with a 7-speed S tronic capable of reaching 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and a top speed of 221 km/h.
The price of the basic model in Germany is €55,800 or about €2,000 less than the regular 218 PS version. We can't tell you if it's worth it, but the decision to buy such a vehicle is usually determined by road taxes, not love for driving.
After doing a bit more research, we've found that the de-tuned 3.0 TDI is also offered by the A7 four-door coupe in several European countries. The funny thing is that there's also a front-wheel drive version that is restricted to 400 Nm of torque. That makes it a perfect copy of the 2.0 TDI's output. It too entered production in 2015 without an official word from the automaker.
A few days ago, we also discovered a version of the A1 supermini with only 82 PS from a 1-liter turbo. So it seems Audi is gravitating towards using one main displacement per car and offering less power.
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