In detail: New Audi V6

Audi has revealed more details about its forthcoming supercharged V6 engine, which will power the next S4 and feature in next year’s A6 refresh.The 3.0-litre, direct-injection unit produces 286bhp at 4850rpm, and 310lb ft torque at 2500rpm. It’ll be known as the 3.0-litre TFSI, even though the ‘T’ traditionally stands for ‘turbo’. The new engine uses an Eaton supercharger and has an air-to-air intercooler rather than a water-to-air unit. Speculation was rife that Audi would fit its 3.2-litre V6 with twin turbos in an effort to rival BMW’s similarly specified 3.0-litre unit, which has just won Engine of the Year for the second year in succession. But the Ingolstadt engineers decided that the increasing weight of cars demanded a solution promising greater torque at low revs. Audi bosses believe that larger models like the Q7 and A8 - also likely to get the supercharged V6 - will benefit from low-down power delivery. Packaging a supercharger is also simpler than a twin-turbo, because it sits between the cylinders, although this does raise the centre of gravity.