Click the Q7 4.2 TDI for a high-res gallery

At the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, Audi made a big show of the Q7 TDI that they were planning to introduce to the U.S. market. That particular model is coming late this year or early next and will be powered by a 3.0L V-6 diesel. At the same show the Germans also showed a concept version of the Q7 powered (or should I say torqued?) by a new 6.0L V-12 TDI paying homage to the success of the R10 TDI Le Mans race car. Last month at the Geneva Motor Show, Audi announced that the V-12 Q7 would be going into limited production later this year.

In between those two diesel extremes lies a third Q7 TDI that's been available in Europe for the past year. This third model uses Audi's 4.2L V-8 diesel and it won't be coming to the U.S. market. However, thanks to the kind folks at Honeywell, we had a chance to sample a Q7 4.2 TDI recently in and around Ann Arbor. Like fuel and exhaust system supplier Bosch, Honeywell has a vested interest in promoting diesel adoption in the U.S. market. Honeywell is the owner of the turbocharger manufacturer formerly known as Garret and they supply turbos for many of the diesel engines currently on the market. To help promote the technology they have a fleet of current European diesel models that they are exposing to American media including this Q7. Read on after the jump to find out how the Q7 TDI comported itself.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

It's huge, it's powerful and it's a um, green? The upcoming Audi Q7 hybrid, coming to "certain markets" late next year, is supposed to spit out about 23 percent fewer emissions and use 23 percent less fuel than the standard Q7 3.6 FSI, according to Audi. The Q7 hybrid uses a 288-volt nickel metal hydride battery and a parallel configuration. Either the gasoline electric engine can move the car, or they can work together. Earlier we said that the Q7 hybrid can go up to 31 mph on electricity alone, Audi today says that number is 30 mph. You can drive for just over a mile on the battery, too.

We still don't have official MPG numbers for this petrol/electric hybrid prototype, but we were estimating around 23 mpg; Audi says it'll get 28.8. The Q7 3.0 TDI quattro gets 34.9 using diesel.

Press release after the break.

[Source: Audi]

We'll relay the information in this article on Auto 123 in the ever-popular backwards-first method of news reporting. That article ends this way: "Further down the road, as oil reserves become exhausted, bigger and better solutions will be needed." While that may seem obvious, another point worth pondering is this: why wait until then?

In an effort to stave off the impending exhaustion of our oil reserves, Audi is testing and marketing a few alternatives to the gasoline engine. While still relying on some fossil fuels for power, the E85-capable A5 coupe (the red one above) uses far less crude oil than the standard 2.0 four-cylinder would. Of course, ethanol raises other environmental issues which we'll save for other posts. Audi also has A5 models powered by CNG. Then there are the obligatory hybrid models that will be made available by Audi shortly in the form of the Q7 and its 3.6-liter V6 coupled to an electric motor. Of course, Audi is rightly proud of their class and Le Mans leading diesel technology. Although dealyed, these vehicles are likely to be sold in the U.S. in addition to Europe.

Lastly, in the "one of these things is not like the other" category, Audi is showing off some alternatives to the... uh, alternatives mentioned above: monitoring driving habits. The writers at Auto 123 were not so sure that this technology would be accepted in the marketplace, and they may be right. But, we are sure that there are a certain number of drivers who would welcome a little training on how to eke the most miles from a gallon of fuel as possible. Bring it on, Audi!

[Source: Auto 123]