but things really began to get interestingaround this time, twenty years ago. This was when Audi, a brand best known for quattro all wheel drive, did something very innovative with the oil burner. Teaming up with Bosch they launched what would be the world's first common-rail turbodiesel-powered car, a giant step forward not only for Audi, but for the industry as a whole. Neither big, nor powerful, the Audi 100 TDI's 125-horsepower 2.5-liter inline-five turbodiesel opened a new chapter for diesel power.
Over the past two decades diesels have undergone tremendous innovation, and although North America has missed out on a lot of the action, we're starting to see some of these new clean diesels trickle into our market. Many powertrain ideas found in high-performance cars today, which are sometimes taken for granted, such as the variable geometry turbo or piezoinjectors, wouldn't be around if it weren't for the development of the diesel engine. And these technologies probably wouldn't be available - or at least not introduced as quickly as they were - if it weren't for that darn, grid-sweeping and series-dominating R10 TDI race car that's been cleaning up at Le Mans and ALMS for the past couple of years.
Every year, Audi budgets about $3 bn towards powertrains, and quite a lot of that money, year after year, has been spend on a new generation of diesel engines. As of late, a considerable portion goes to making sure that its engines will pass emissions all around the world. In fact, Audi's confidence levels on the subject of emissions are so high that it's claiming the new 3.0 TDI is the world's cleanest diesel.
For Audi, the re-launch of diesel in North America will focus around the Q7. It's the best suited vehicle for multiple reasons, starting with the reality that the Q7 was the first Audi designed primarily for North American consumption. Also, efficient yet torque-rich diesel engines offer the most impact when fitted to large, heavy SUVs, plus competitors Mercedes-Benz and BMW are/will be present in our market with diesel SUVs, and the last but not least important reason Audi's SUV was chosen was because the Q7 has been a hotbed for Audi's diesel R&D.
Audi is building a veritable diesel empire within the Q7 range. There are now two different engines available, including a smallish sounding 3.0-liter TDI V6 and the 4.2-liter V8 TDI, the latter of which at 326 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque is currently the most powerful diesel production SUV. To maintain its supremacy in diesel performance, Audi is launching the world's most powerful diesel automobile, the Q7 V12 TDI with its 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged V12 TDI that makes 500 horsepower and an astonishing 757 lb-ft of torque - equal to Mercedes' twin-turbocharged gasoline-powered V12 SL65 AMG. It'd have more, but the six-speed auto that it's equipped with would break under the stress. If its 5.5 second dash to 60 mph and 20 mpg average fuel economy isn't impressive, you really need to have your senses recalibrated.
The Q7s that we'll be getting have quite literally half of that V12 engine with identical bore and stroke measurements; it's a 90-degree V6 that's 3.0 liters in displacement, which incidentally is the same size as the Mercedes-Benz “320” series diesel engine in use in the GL/ML/R and Grand Cherokee CRD.It's also the same size as BMW's engine, expected to arrive here this fall. Audi has been receiving critical acclaim for this engine since it was launched in the Q7 back in '06,
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