The Audi Q7 has never been a shrinking violet, but is bolder now than ever, thanks to a mighty new engine with a special racing connection. David Thomson explains.
Audi powered its way into the record books in June 2006, scoring the first victory by a diesel-powered racing car in the classic Le Mans 24-hour race.
That feat, which became a hat trick with further wins in 2007 and 2008, confirmed Audi as the world leader in high-performance diesel racing technology.
Audi then revealed its intent to take such technology from the race track to the road in 2008 via a diesel concept version of its R8 supercar, but abandoned that project last year after reviewing the cost of redesigning the mid-engined machine for the motor.
While the diesel supercar has fallen by the wayside, the mighty diesel that was to power it already has another home, in the rather more accommodating engine compartment of Audi's Q7 SUV.
The Q7 has always been a machine that generates big numbers: it is more than 5m long and 2m wide for starters, and stands over 1.7m tall. Even in its lightest form, it tips the scales at 2.2 tonnes.
The numbers become even bigger with the race-derived engine in place. The motor is a V12 twin turbo, and displaces 5934cc. Its peak outputs, a staggering 368kW of power and a colossal 1000Nm of torque, set new records for a diesel car. Weight, meantime, swells to 2.6 tonnes, and the price tag rockets from the $151,500 of the standard 4.2-litre V8 Q7 to $275,000.
We won't even bother to check off the full standard equipment list here; suffice to say the Q7 V12 TDI is decently appointed, with features such as quad-zone climate control, adaptive bi-xenon headlights, an on-board television system, reversing camera, satellite navigation, leather trim, and heated front and outer rear seats.
There is also a lengthy options list ranging from a $300 reversible boot mat to a premium sound system that costs as much as a decent secondhand family car. From this selection, the test car boasted the $3900 adaptive radar cruise control.
Body-kitted, sitting on 21-inch alloy wheels and 295/35 tyres, and fitted with substantial ceramic brakes, the test car managed to look menacing, even in white. The cabin, meantime, provided a suitably commanding driving position, with very nice sports seats up front, and accommodation
for a further five occupants in two rows of seats behind.
Brought to life by pressing the start button, the engine immediately makes its presence felt, rumbling ominously and uneasily at idle.
The V12 TDI is remarkably relaxed driven gently around town, with the rev counter barely troubled as the vehicle's ox-strong six-speed Tiptronic gearbox shuffles up and down the ratios. But, like other members of the Q7 family, this variant is simply too large to feel at home in an urban environment.
Given the chance to stretch its legs out on the highway, or better still byway, the vehicle leaps forward at a pace that would be staggering for any other diesel or SUV, let alone both at once.
Audi quotes a 0-100kmh sprint time of 5.5 seconds, and a 0-160kmh time of 12.6 seconds. The first part of that equation seems right on track to me, and if the second part is as well, then the Q7 V12 TDI is pretty much as quick as the current hot Commodores and Falcons produced by HSV and FPV in Australia, or the latest out of Mitsubishi's rally-bred Evo line.
Actually, I reckon it could be quicker in real-world acceleration than those times suggest, since a good half second is lost during the standing start overcoming the car's mass (and its quattro four-wheel-drive system) to get it rolling.
Top speed, incidentally, is limited to 250kmh.
It is the feeling of relentless thrust, rather than the sound that accompanies it, that is memorable, though; while aggressive, the engine note under hard acceleration is somewhat discordant.
Multi-mode adaptive air-suspension joins forces with those big, grippy tyres to tame the handling of this remarkable machine. Selecting the sports mode in the suspension system provides the sharpest handling responses, but at a cost in terms of ride comfort, which is marked on Otago roads.
Comfort is a better setting for everyday driving on the more open provincial and country roads that are this car's bread and butter; pushed along such routes with verve in both the wet and dry, the test car always felt secure and balanced through the bends, and composed over humps
and bumps.
Don't expect a lithe, nimble or especially engaging handling performance, though - this is a bulky machine that garners admiration for brutal efficiency rather than finesse as it goes about the business of covering ground quickly and comfortably.
If you get the feeling this was a car I found hard to love you'd be right.
That point made, don't confuse a lack of affection for a lack of admiration; the Q7 V12 TDI is a remarkable technical achievement on the grounds of its engine alone, made all the more impressive through being oddly practical in everyday motoring.
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