Audi’s S6 and S7 go DIESEL with the SQ5’s 48V mild hybrid

The Audi S6, S6 Avant and S7 Sportback are heading to the UK with a new 3.0 litre diesel engine with 48V Mild Hybrid help.

Times they are a changing, and diesel is no longer flavour of the month. Unless you’re Audi.

Having brought back the SQ5 with a 3.0 litre diesel V6 complete with 48V mild hybrid system, Audi is now sticking the same MHEV unit under the bonnet of the S6, S6 Avant and S7 Sportback.

Gone are the lovely V8 petrols of old (and V10, for that matter) to be replaced with an oil-burner. Although if the A6 and A7 have to have a diesel engine, the 3.0 litre V6 MHEV is perhaps as good as it will get.

That said, the rest of the world will get the big Audis with the same 2.9 litre V6 petrol as the S4, but in the UK and Europe it looks like Hobson’s, with the 3.0 litre V6 diesel with electric compressor and a 48V mild hybrid the only offering.

That means 344bhp and 516lb/ft of torque – typically diesel, with less power but more twisty stuff than the old petrol versions – enough for a 0-62mph in 5.0 seconds (0.1s slower in the S6 Avant and S7), but with the promise of something around 40mpg most of the time. You’d probably not do much better than 20mpg in the with the old petrols.

There are some chassis tweaks going on too, with sports suspension, progressive steering and Audi’s electronic chassis platform, with options including ceramic brakes, four-wheel steering and adaptive air suspension.

Audi hasn’t released prices for the new S6 and S7 models, but expect them to span a range between £60-70k when they arrive in the UK later this summer.