Audi dropping 3.2-liter V6 from 2010 A3, A4 and TT
2009 Audi A4 - Click above for a high-res gallery
Since the 2009 Audi A4's introduction last year, the number of sedans rolling off dealer lots equipped with the company's turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four versus the 3.2-liter V6 has been nine-to-one. With almost 90% of all A4s equipped with the peppy, fuel-efficient and thoroughly entertaining four-pot, Audi has decided to cease offering the V6 on the A4 – along with the A3 and TT – for the 2010 model year.
"We're not backing away from the V6 strategy," Audi's U.S. Corporate Communications head, Bradley Stertz told Autoblog, "We're recalibrating our mix."
According to Stertz, Audi's rejiggered engine strategy has less to do with the slow-sales of the V6 and more to do with the brand's expanding lineup. With Audi's new supercharged V6 making its way to the States in the new S4, along with the introduction of the TT S and A3 TDI, the 3.2-liter's standing in the engine hierarchy was lessened. And with the 2.0-liter mill delivering the best bang-for-the-buck – not to mention placing Audi in the enviable position of being the only German luxury marque offering a four-cylinder in the U.S. – the automaker's new tactic should continue to pay-off on the sales front.
Get a WordPress.com Blog
_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg "2011 Audi A8: Live from Miami")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
tipsi88 9:48AM (4/23/2009)
Красиво смотреться!
Reply
The WagonMonster 2:36PM (4/22/2009)
Awesome, the 2.0T has always been a far superior motor anyway.
Reply
YouFaceTheTick 1:01AM (4/23/2009)
Yep, the 2.0T is a much better engine. VW should just give it a little boost and it'll be almost as powerful as the 3.2 but with better economy and more torque matched to lower weight.
bn 2:37PM (4/22/2009)
They are going to make the 2.0T more powerful though, right? Or atleast offer that option? There's a huge gap between the 200/210-hp 2.0T engine and the supercharged 3.2 in the S4 (330/340-hp). What's in between?
Reply
mapoftazifosho 2:45PM (4/22/2009)
For 2009, the 3.2L offered in th A4 is NA...not supercharged...that will be in the 2010 S4 which is still coming.
EU_reader 2:51PM (4/22/2009)
That 2.0T is offered in 'seats' at a standard 240 bhp. Golf GTI's can have it chipped to 260 without problems.
If you want more power, there's the supercharged V6, i don't see the problem? That NA 3.2 V6 was totally obsolete. No one is buying that engine (except for the big spenders who don't care anyway and can buy a S4)
In a TT-S this 2.0T comes standard with 272bhp, factory warranted off course.
The 3.2 is awful in road tax where i live (based on displacement), bad mpg compared to the turbocharged 2.0 and very heavy. Good riddens!
bn 3:04PM (4/22/2009)
As I mentioned in the other post. Price-wise, the S4 is more expensive than the 335i. The V6 A4, costs about the same as the 335i (atleast in North America).
There's the problem. If Audi boosted the hp on the 2.0T to 260hp, problem solved.
Turall 3:33PM (4/22/2009)
Horsepower isn't everything.
The 2.0T in the new A4 is actually an all new engine. it produces only slightly more power, but it has a massive torque plateau at 258 lb-ft. One magazine clocked an Avant (which are all equipped with a tiptronic, 2.0T and quattro) at hitting 60 in 5.7 seconds.
audi_arena 3:53PM (4/22/2009)
Dude, you are an idiot- The A4 2.0 is a faster car than the BMW 328xi, and the S4 pricing hasn't even been released yet. It's expected to be the same price as the 335, and will run circles around it. Maybe if you studied some numbers other than peak hp you'd realize how stupid you sound.
fobunited 3:43PM (4/22/2009)
Biased much?
bn 3:48PM (4/22/2009)
Dang, don't get all your panties bunched up. No need for personal attacks (though you seem to be an ardent Audi fan).
Hmmmm. Tell me, the starting price for the A4 3.2 in Canada is $50,000CAD. The starting price for the 335i sedan in Canada is $50,000CAD.
So you seriously think Audi is going to price the S4 at $50,000 too, when the S5 is priced at $65,000 (vs. 335i coupe @ $51,000)?
Valentino Amoro 3:48PM (4/22/2009)
@EU_reader
Road tax based on displacement??? That sounds like a North Koreaish idea. WTF???
How does that do anything other than direct innovation down a random way thats chosen by politicians and lobbyists and environmentalists, who are not engineers.
I wonder how a Z06 would be taxed (not to mention the Viper!) *Grin.
And honestly both those cars return far higher gas mileage than a comparable small displacement Ferrari or European super car with similar power.
Gosh I love living in the US.
bn 3:56PM (4/22/2009)
We have an extra displacement fee for our car registration here to in Quebec (it's not much, but there's a difference).
Also, my insurance on my GTI is cheaper than on my Jetta 2.5. Go figure.
EU_reader 4:05PM (4/22/2009)
@Valentino
Yeah man, Socialists!! Communists!! Marxists!! Fascists!! Oh noess, it's Kim Jong IL himself!! Burn the commies, the land burniing peasants! Long live USA!! Come and liberate us again!!
First of all, this is done in an effort to encourage manufacturers to produce lower displacement (and therefore better mileage) engines. Don't worry. People who can afford ZR1's or ferraris will have no trouble whatsoever paying the road tax that comes with it. For A ZR1 i guess it would be like 3500+ euro/year.
That's why
EU_reader 4:07PM (4/22/2009)
2.0Turbocharged engines are so popular here. VAG, Opel, renault, alfa ... everyone has them or comparable. Except Euro-fords. That's why the 3.2 is such a dumb and useless engine. Hardly any performance benefits compared to the 2.0T, heavier and thirstier.
If i'm not mistaken, road tax in the Netherlands is based on weight of the car (which is even dumber if you ask me) and in the UK it's based on CO2 emissions (since last year I think). Anyway, I think that road tax based on CO2 will be the future for the whole of Europe pretty soon
200-250pk in lighter euro hatches is more than enough for normal daily use and plenty of fun. I'm not complaining. And i wouldn't want to own a ZR1 anyway.
Tool 6:59PM (4/22/2009)
The problem with the 3.2 V6 is that it isn't that powerful of an engine, especially when you compare it to the BMW TT 3.0 that generates 300+ hp.
I suspect that Audi is losing a lot of performance buyers to BMW.
The Audi 2.0T is a decent engine but I think Audi needs to re-examine its engine strategy if it really is trying to out-BMW BMW.
bn 2:40PM (4/22/2009)
I must say though, Audi is proving that you can sell cars that look nice but aren't all that powerful or fast in North America (and more fuel-efficient). Their cars have a huge power-deficit to BMW's.
Reply
Mazda FTW! 2:42PM (4/22/2009)
A lot of people buying BMWs and Audis aren't buying it for what's under the hood but for the logo stuck to that hood/grille.
Jimbo 2:50PM (4/22/2009)
Actually, there isn't really a power deficit. The A4 2.0T makes 211 hp/ 258 ft-lbs while the BMW 328i makes 230 hp/200 ft-lbs. The 328 might have the smoother engine, but the A4 has more torque.
Same thing with the 335i (300/300) vs S4 (330/325). Need I go on?
bn 3:04PM (4/22/2009)
The only problem is that the S4 will probably be a heck of a lot more expensive than the 335i. The 3.2 A4 (not S4) costs as much as a 335i, and a lot slower.
So that was my question. Will Audi offer the 2.0T with 250hp for example, to replace the V6?