For Volkswagen fans this is a story you’re going to like. Word is Volkswagen is working on an all-new 3.0 litre narrow angle V6 engine. With a 15° angle, suitable for transverse mounting, this marks a return to its much loved VR6 engine, first seen with a 2.8 litre capacity in the Mk3 Golf VR6 of the early 1990s.
Last seen in the Passat R36, with a 3.6 litre capacity, the VR6 was thought to be banished forever in favour of more efficient and lower emitting four cylinder units.
The news of the VR6’s return gets better, too. Fritz Eichler is the man in charge of the new engine and in a former life he had a role in the development of AMG engines for Mercedes-Benz.
But there’s still more! Cast your mind back to May this year when Volkswagen revealed its Design Vision GTI at the 2013 Wörthersee show. It was powered by a 370kW (500hp)/560Nm engine. That’s a lot for a GTI, right. So what sort of engine had VW dreamed up for this creation? A 3.0 litre V6 with twin turbochargers.
And therein lies the secret to its probable return. The benefits of turbocharging, fuel efficiency and lower emissions, look like giving the narrow-angle V6 a new future. Expect production engines to have somewhere around 250–335kW.
While the addition of turbocharging may rob the VR6 of some its rorty induction sound we’re pretty sure most fans will accept that as a small price to pay.
Let’s hope improvements in production techniques also result in a lighter weight engine, thereby removing one of the old VR6’s major flaws where the heavy engine mounted on the front axle increased the tendency to understeer.
Thinking further ahead, though, a next-gen Scirocco with a 250kW+ VR6? Sign us up!
To remind you all what a well-sorted VR6 engine sounds like we’ve added one of our favourite YouTube clips after the break.
[Source: AutoWeek | Thanks to SlyOne for the tip]