2022 Audi S3 joins rising listing of automobiles to undertake a petroleum particulate filter in Australia

The brand new 2022 Audi S3 will grow to be the newest new automotive geared up with an emissions-busting petrol particulate filter (PPF) in Australia, when it goes on sale early subsequent 12 months.

Petrol particulate filters – used extensively in Europe to fulfill stringent emissions rules – have been lengthy thought of incompatible with sulphurous Australian gasoline.

New automobiles bought in Europe geared up with petrol particulate filters are designed to run on premium unleaded with a most of 10 elements per million (ppm) of sulphur. Nonetheless, premium unleaded bought in Australia remains to be permitted to have as much as 50ppm of sulphur (whereas common unleaded has as much as 150ppm of sulphur).

Regardless of initially claiming Australia’s gasoline high quality was not appropriate for automobiles geared up with petrol particulate filters, various European manufacturers – together with Peugeot and Renault – have supplied PPF-equipped automobiles in Australia since 2019.

Volkswagen-owned manufacturers Skoda and Audi launched various PPF-equipped automobiles in 2020, with Audi including a PPF to the final iteration of its outgoing RS3 scorching hatch.

Technical consultants and producers advise homeowners of automobiles geared up with PPFs in Australia to solely use premium unleaded petrol, or threat injury to the PPF system and, in excessive instances, engine failure.

Along with adopting a PPF, the two.0-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine within the new S3 will include the similar 228kW/400Nm output as variations bought in Europe (quite than the detuned 213kW/380Nm outputs of the outgoing mannequin) after Australia was reclassified by the Volkswagen Group and not deemed a harsh “scorching and dusty” local weather.

The underlying 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, seven-speed dual-clutch automated transmission, and all-wheel-drive system are all shared with European fashions. Trade guides counsel 95 RON unleaded can be set because the minimal for the brand new S3 in Australia (quite than 98 RON), as per the outgoing mannequin.

Whereas the brand new Audi S3 hatch and sedan line-up will include a petroleum particulate filter, it has but to be confirmed whether or not PPFs can be fitted to the Audi’s twins beneath the pores and skin, the new-generation Volkswagen Golf R, due on sale in Australia in February or March 2022 in a selection of hatchback and wagon physique kinds.

A Volkswagen Australia spokesperson informed Drive the corporate is “searching for affirmation” on whether or not the brand new Golf R can be geared up with a PPF domestically.

It is understood that of the 2 physique kinds, the wagon is probably to undertake a particulate filter – although PPFs have but to be confirmed or dominated out for both mannequin.

Powering the brand new Golf R (and its Tiguan and Arteon R platform-mates) is similar 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine because the S3, referred to as the ‘EA888 evo4’ – although outputs are bumped to 235kW and 420Nm, and it is paired to a extra superior all-wheel-drive system with an R Efficiency torque-vectoring rear differential.

Additional native particulars of the 2022 Volkswagen Golf R can be introduced in October 2021, forward of its Australian launch in early 2022, alongside the brand new 2022 Audi S3 vary.