It's anyone's guess whether the inventors of the original fuel-sipping TDI engines ever thought the technology would be used to enable feats of power and performance- though that's what seesms to be on the horizon. Audi has just announced that their Q7 V12 TDI model will be the most powerful diesel-powered passenger vehicle in its class.
Enabling sports-car performance from the large SUV is a 500 horsepower V12 engine that also cranks out nearly 760 lb.-ft of earth-shifting torque. That's well over twice as much as the average V8 SUV running on gasoline.
As a TDI powered vehicle, the engineers have worked hard to ensure an optimal blend of performance and fuel economy. Audi says that the mill can return 11.9 L / 100km in the fuel consumption department as an average figure- but that it can also rocket to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds. That's as quick as a TT 3.2 Quattro.
The six-speed tiptronic gearbox was specially designed to harness the monstrous torque of the V12 mill, which itself if based on the same powerplant that drove the R10 TDI race car to victory at LeMans.
The Q7 V12 TDI has special styling elements and features to help set it apart from less powerful models, and carbon ceramic brakes are standard equipment. Production begins this year- though there's no mention of whether the machine will be available to us Canadians.
What an awful tease this one could be.
photo:Audi
Enabling sports-car performance from the large SUV is a 500 horsepower V12 engine that also cranks out nearly 760 lb.-ft of earth-shifting torque. That's well over twice as much as the average V8 SUV running on gasoline.
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As a TDI powered vehicle, the engineers have worked hard to ensure an optimal blend of performance and fuel economy. Audi says that the mill can return 11.9 L / 100km in the fuel consumption department as an average figure- but that it can also rocket to 60 mph in just 5.5 seconds. That's as quick as a TT 3.2 Quattro.
The six-speed tiptronic gearbox was specially designed to harness the monstrous torque of the V12 mill, which itself if based on the same powerplant that drove the R10 TDI race car to victory at LeMans.
The Q7 V12 TDI has special styling elements and features to help set it apart from less powerful models, and carbon ceramic brakes are standard equipment. Production begins this year- though there's no mention of whether the machine will be available to us Canadians.
What an awful tease this one could be.
photo:Audi
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