# 3.0 Twin Turbo with 7-Speed Manual Planned for Audi MLB B8-Based Variant, But Here's the Rub...



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

Greg Kable has filed a most interesting report over at AutoCar. The report involves intel on a new engine - namely a new 3.0-liter twin turbo V6. The new engine will feature twin sequential Borg Warner turbochargers and air-to-air intercooler system and internal upgrades that will result in a power output in the neighborhood of 370 bhp and 400 lb ft. The engine will be paired with a new 7-speed manual that is derived from the unit found in the Porsche 911 or an optional 7-speed twin-clutch DSG.

All of this is enough to send Audi enthusiasts (we're looking at you B5 S4/RS 4 nutters) into salivary overload we are certain, except there's just one rub... This intel report is about the upcoming Porsche Macan.










As regular readers of this blog already know, the Porsche Macan is set to be based on the next-generation MLB platform and share a fair number of components with the Audi Q5. And just in case it wasn't obvious yet, Kable's piece isn't about a new Audi model. It's about the Macan.

The engine mentioned above (and even more detailed in Kable's report linked below) is slated for the Macan Turbo and, though built with a 90-degree V, is derived form the Cayenne's 3.6 V6 and not the Audi 3.0 utilized by the supercharged 3.0 TFSI in the Q5, S4, etc.

This new biturbo 3.0 appears to be a brainchild of Wolfgang Hatz. Now head of development at Porsche, Hatz is a former Audi board member and has few peers in the world of engine development. Hatz's thumbprint at Audi includes FSI, for TFSI and for high-rev engines like that of the R8. The automotive world can thank Hatz for the E30 BMW M3 engine and the once and done championship winning Opel DTM program back in the 90s.

Interestingly, a source at quattro GmbH told us that a biturbo V6 program was examined alongside the high-rev 4.2 that ended up in the last-generation RS 4 (and R8). A different source told us that a biturbo 3.0 TFSI was examined alongside the supercharged 3.0 TFSI program that we see in production at Audi today. During Hatz's tenure in Ingolstadt, the idea of a biturbo 3.0 TFSI was very much examined.

So could this new 3.0 biturbo see use in an Audi? This remains uncertain. With the exception of diesels and base engines (2.0 TFSI says Kable in regards to the Macan), Porsche has made a point of keeping its engines to itself and not sharing with the rest of the group. At least up until now, re-tuned versions of Volkswagen Group engines tend to flow toward Porsche and not the other way around.

Still, we're hopeful. Both this engine and the new 7-speed manual transmission being compatible with MLB suggests there may be some potential at some point. The Volkswagen Group knows the value of uniqueness as it pertains to brand but the group also understands the value of economies of scale in regards to components acquisition. Using this engine in other models within the group makes sense... and Audi has a virtual monopoly on MLB product within the group.

There's another interesting element at play here and that is Porsche's desire to include Audi's latest twin turbo "Bi-TDI" in the Macan. We've sampled the engine briefly in an A6 and can vouch for both the impressive power delivery and also the incredible sound. Word is Audi doesn't really want to share it with Porsche but maybe there's the possibility of reciprocity and perhaps Audi might benefit from use of the 3.0 biturbo and/or the 7-speed manual.

Read Kable's AutoCar Report after the jump.

* Full Story *


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## R5T (Apr 7, 2010)

Nothing new there, the engine is talk of the town for a while.
It will be based on the 4.0 V8 TFSI and will also power the next gen Audi S4 and RS4 for starters.
The Audi V6 3.0TFSI supercharged engine is always be rumored to have a 7 year life span, meaning it will be in production till the end of the B8 based cars.
After that the new engine (power range from 350-500 hp) will take that spot in the MLB floorplan based cars.


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