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From YourSITE.com Reviews & Road Tests Having landed in the market earlier this summer, the Audi Q7 4.2 has gathered impressive momentum, while the 3.6-liter gasoline version will be ready for sale at dealers any day now. Great-driving and great-looking, perhaps the only serious complaints about the Q7 might be its less-than-stellar fuel economy. Not-so for the Q7 3.0 TDI we recently sampled – a version that averaged over 25 mpg in mixed driving and likely represents the first new diesel model Audi has planned for the U.S. market in many, many years.
It’s important to note that this particular Q7 3.0 TDI that was sampled is not an American-spec version of Audis’s SUV. Aside from the diesel engine, there are also some key equipment differences including a cool motorized retracting trailer hitch and some very nice and very gripping alcantara sport seats. Neither of these pieces of kit are expected in the U.S.A. – sorry. However, since the 3.0 TDI installed underneath that chiseled hood is most certainly expected for this market, there’s much to be learned by climbing aboard the Q7 3.0 TDI and sampling all it has to offer.
Fire it up and the 3.0 TDI isn’t as smooth sounding as the 3.6-liter gasoline V6, though it’s nearly as quiet and nowhere near as clattery as the Q7 TDI’s American market cousin – the Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI. Perhaps you might chalk that extra refinement up to having 6 cylindes as compared to 10 in the VW. However, this is more attributable to the 3.0 TDI’s commonrail injection and new piezo injectors according to Bill Rutecki from Bosch. The inherent trait of the commonrail design, aside from improved performance, is significantly quieter engine noise, as well as lessened vibration. Combine that with comprehensive particulate filtration and the Q7 3.0 TDI exhibits none of the loud or smoky stereotypes that were coined by diesels of yore. We’ve heard from sources at Audi and Volkswagen that all new diesel engines being developed will now use commonrail technology. Get out on the road, and the 3.0 TDI is equally impressive. From standing stop at a redlight, the diesel-powered Q7 stayed all over the tail of a Q7 3.6 that was also at full throttle. From rest, the diesel is most satisfyingly torque-laden – a typical characteristic of the breed. This is also easily seen when you consider the 3.0 TDI’s numbers (230 bhp and 370 lb. ft. of torque).
On up to higher speeds, the 3.6 had slightly better pull, though the 3.0 TDI is no slouch. The TDI will nail out 0-60mph in 8.4 seconds according to other reports published, and though we had no testing equipment other than a stopwatch with us, this number seemed accurate. Additionally, the 3.0 TDI will max out at 134 mph. During our mix of highway and city driving, we got an average of over 25 mpg from the 3.0 TDI, about 10 mpg better than previous 4.2-liter gasoline versions we’ve sampled thus far under similar conditions.
With fuel consumption figures like that, you might wonder why the Q7 3.0 TDI isn’t here already. Unfortunately, the answer to that isn’t quite as simple as you might expect. The good news is that low-sulphur diesel fuel, something commonrail engines like the 3.0 TDI prefer, should be readily available in most of the country as you read this. The bad news is that even with this new lower-sulphur diesel, vehicles like this Q7 still don’t meet next year’s BIN requirements for NOx emissions. In as much, Audi and other manufacturers like it who wish to sell diesels in the North American market will have to implement Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology that is essentially urea injection. By doing so, NOx is lowered to an acceptable level and diesels can pass emissions for the U.S.A. However, planning urea refilling into the service schedule for diesel cars is just one of the matters that needs to be ironed out before these diesels hit the market.
Inside, this European market 3.0 TDI shows a handsome package that lamentably won’t be available in the U.S.A. Costs associated with federalization of the completely different design of the Q7’s sport seats, along with different fabrics such as alcantara would make just such an option too costly to make sense as of now. We hear the alcantara headliner of our tester might be seen as an option or as part of the upcoming Q7 S-line model, but the seats will unfortunately stay in Europe.
Same goes for the aforementioned motorized trailer hitch. This is one cool piece of kit, the arm and towball retracting and hiding itself behind a cover on the bumper at the touch of a button mounted in the trunk. Unfortunately, it doesen’t meet North American standards and as such won’t be sold here. Still, a U.S.-spec trailer hitch is standard on all North American Q7s, with the option to upgrade the weight rating on the order checklist should you need it. So when should we expect an American Q7 3.0 TDI? Very solid sources say calendar year 2008 is the most likely time. Whether this is as a 2008 or 2009 model remains to be seen, but the good news is that diesel is coming.
What might a 3.0 TDI Q7 cost if it came to America? The SCR system alone adds cost to the Q7 3.0 TDI, itself a more expensive engine than the 3.6. Audi sources won’t say anything on cost at this time, though we’d expect it at or just below the cost of the 4.2. Will there be more diesels? Audi is most eager to explore the potential for diesel in this market. However, the normal costs of entry apply and there has to be a business case for each model. There are currently two known diesel engines being developed for sale in the U.S. – the 3.0 TDI and a 2.0 TDI planned for the Volkswagen range. With just those two engines available, it’s feasible that there could be an A3 (2.0 TDI), A4 (3.0 TDI), A6 (3.0 TDI) or A8 (3.0 TDI). Don’t expect any other models initially, though successful sale of diesel cars and the expected continual rise of fuel prices could easily drive these new models to market. For now, we’ll take what we’ll be able to get: the Q7 3.0 TDI.
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