The next generation Audi Q7 is just one of the eagerly anticipated new cars from the German automaker, expected to come out within a year. As the current generation is quite old, we expect huge technological leaps to be made in just about every major field, from safety to weight and engine efficiency.
But that's not all. In order to compete with BMW's X5 M50d and its tri-turbo 3-liter, Audi is working on its own tri-charged V6.
The engine has been previewed by the RS5 TDI concept shown at the Worthersee. It delivers a very impressive 385 PS and 750 Nm (553.2 lb-ft) of torque to the crankshaft. Here's how it works:
a twin-turbocharger setup offers regular diesel engine efficiency and low torque, with up to 2.4 bar of boost pressure
this is helped by an additional charger driven at up to 70,000rpm by an electric motor
it's mounted next to the intercooler and comes with its own 48-volt electric circuit and lithium-ion battery
the supplemental e-boost provides for staggering power when starting off
Could this be what we're looking at in our video, recently taken during Q7 development testing? It certainly has the exhaust pipes Audi usually puts on V6 models and we suspect the "tri-turbo" Q7, as it will probably be known, will be available from the model's debut, since technology helps sell expensive cars more easily.
And before you examine the exhaust note and tell us it sounds too good for a diesel, remember that Audi uses an active exhaust system with "speakers" mounted fitted to the final muffler on BiTDI V6 engines.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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