First Drive: 2008 Audi Q7 4.2 TDI

Previews

We’re not getting this V-8 diesel here, but we can tell you that the current Q7 flagship lacks soul, and that Audi’s B&O doesn’t stink.

At the tail end of our first drive experience of Audi’s mouth-watering A5 and S5 coupes, we were thrust into the driver’s seat of something entirely different in pretty much every conceivable way: the newly minted Q7 4.2 TDI. Some of us rolled our eyes at this, since this particular oil-burner, positioned as the current flagship of the Q7 line (until the V-12 TDI launches) in Europe, won’t be making it Stateside any time soon. Furthermore, Audi didn’t bring any 3.0 TDIs—which we will get late next year as an ’09 model—for comparison. But we set out to learn a thing or two anyway, as the Q7 4.2 TDI represents the interesting combination of a diesel SUV with a performance bent, and where better to explore the limits of this torquiest of all Audis than on the German autobahn? And so we did.

No surprises

Driving the big diesel Q7 offered absolutely zero surprises. With 561 lb-ft of torque available between 1800 and 2500 rpm, the 4134cc (yes, that rounds to 4.1 liters—don’t ask) turbo-diesel V-8 pulls the Q7’s three tons of metal, glass, rubber, and fattened-up passengers as if tethered to a Lufthansa 747. Audi says the big beast shoots from zero to 62 mph in 6.4 seconds—entirely believable, if a bit cautious. The Quattro all-wheel-drive system’s 40/60 front/rear torque split makes for predictable, tractable acceleration both in a straight line as well as in turns, and the Tiptronic six-speed is fitted with steering-wheel-mounted paddle-shifters, not that we desperately needed them with all that torque.

At high speeds, there is no drop-off in the fun factor. With 326 hp, the Q7 4.2 TDI has no problem maintaining speed and stability while the speedo climbs up into the 140-mph range (gotta love autobahns), offering plenty of passing power when called upon to take to the left lane. (The Q7 4.2 TDI’s top speed is 240 km/h, or about 145 mph). All the while, the interior remains remarkably quiet—not exactly silent as in an A8, but comfortable and conversation-friendly.


Pricing and Power

No soul

What’s missing, however, is soul. The Q7’s direct-injection gasoline motors in the Q7 3.6 and the Q7 4.2, are not only capable, but when pushed, they emit somewhat of a hearty, sexy growl, and by comparison the diesel V-8 feels disengaged, as if there is another pilot aboard taking care of propulsion. Yes, it is quick. Yes, it offers fuel economy (21 mpg average on the Euro combined cycle) relative to the petrol V-8. But no, it ain’t sexy in sound nor fury.

And it’s expensive.

How expensive, exactly? The price is set at 70,500 Euros (about $95,500) in Germany—3300 Euros more dear than the 4.2 petrol V-8—thus, the diesel is positioned as the Q7 flagship. In America, when we get the smaller 3.0 TDI with its 240-hp, 370 lb-ft V-6, we can expect about a 10-percent price hike above the Q7 3.6. There are no plans to bring us the big oil burner.

No V-12 for us

What about that Q7 with the monster 5.9-liter V-12 TDI that Audi said back at last January’s NAIAS that we could get as early as next year? Well, it ain’t gonna happen here, according to Audi of America’s latest assertions. Why not? Same reason we won’t get the 4.2 TDI: evidently we Americans still don’t see diesels as suitable powertrains for truly premium vehicles. Not even with 493 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque, which would have helped the Q7 hit 60 in the mid-five-second range and peg a top speed of 155 mph.

For what it’s worth, the engine is still being developed for eventual introduction to the European market, but there is no official word as to when it might be taken out of the oven. Don’t look for it until at least 2009.


Bang & Olufsen Sound System

First ever B&O sound system in an SUV

In the meantime, something we can look forward to in U.S.-bound Q7s is something that sounds far more fabulous than any diesel engine we’ve ever heard: the Q7’s new Bang & Olufsen speaker system that will make its debut on the options list later this year. Like that found in the A8/S8, the sound system sends more than 1000 watts through 14 strategically placed speakers, each of which is powered by its own amp (yes, that’s 14 amplifiers).

Also like the A8/S8, the Q7 accommodates a pair of nifty pop-up tweeters near the base of the A-pillars that, through their 180-degree “acoustic lenses,” make true stereo sound for passengers regardless of seating position. Altogether, it does a remarkable job of dissecting tracks and distributing music in a simulated three-dimensional fashion, although the B&O system does not play DVD-A tracks (i.e.: audio DVDs).

When it becomes available on the Q7 this fall, expect a price of $6300, which is what it costs in both the A8 and S8.

BY STEVE SILER
caranddriver.com