Exciting New Addition: Audi Q5 Introduces V6 Diesel with Electric Turbocharger

Audi has launched a new V6 turbo-dieselengine in the latest Q5 SUV as well as the A6 sedan, complete with the brand’s latest ‘MHEV plus’ mild-hybrid system and an electric turbocharger.

Available to order now in select markets throughout Europe, the new V6 TDI engine is a 3.0-litre unit generating 220kW of power and 580Nm of torque – by comparison, the previous-generation 3.0 V6 TDI made up to 210kW/600Nm.

However, Audi’s MHEV plus system adds a generator, belt alternator stater and a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery into the mix, which can add up to 18kW/230Nm when “starting off and overtaking”. Further, the system can feed up to 25kW of energy back into the hybrid battery.

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Further to the new MHEV tech, the V6 TDI ‘EA897 evo4’ also gets a new electrically powered compressor, which compared to previous implementations of the technology claims to be “significantly” more powerful and operable across “the entire speed range”.

“When the load demand from the accelerator pedal is high, and the energy supply on the turbine side is low, the intake air is directed to the electrically powered compressor,” Audi explains in its media release.

“There, this air – already compressed by the exhaust-driven turbocharger – is further compressed before entering the combustion chamber.”

Audi claims this all contributes to more linear and faster response, particularly in the mid-range, as well as “more direct pedal feel, increased efficiency, and improved long-term durability”.

Max boost of 3.6 bar is claimed to build up nearly a second faster than before, with the compressor wheel spinning up to 90,000 revolutions per minute within 250 milliseconds, an increase of 40 per cent. The company says “it closely resembles the feel of an electric drive with similar power”.