The SUV with tri-turbo forced induction powered by electricity. That’s 900Nm (!) of torque and 324kW in a seven-seater. Is the world ready?
There are certain fixed points in the world of motoring, unwritten but often initally understood rules and unmoving assumptions. The advent of the sports SUV (think Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover Sport, BMW X5 M) are bending the rules for the power dynamics of utility and excess.
There is a space for an unneccessary amount of power and torque, and the old ways “dictate” it be packaged in a lovely, but also slightly unhinged, supercar. Not anymore. The newest entrant in this bizzaro corner of the industry is the most recent SUV from Ingolstadt: the Audi SQ7, claimed to be the most powerful one in production, which curiously was not chosen to grace the Geneva Motor Show this year.
That monumental torque figure of 900Nm is derived from, it would seem, a systematic effort by the automaker to mix every proven ingredient in the book: big displacement, eight-cylinders, turbodiesel engine, one turbo, another turbo, one more turbo, and an electric motor to spool it up instantly.
To be clear, the tri-turbo arrangement employs two conventional turbochargers, with the third being fitted with an electric motor and a 48-volt electric subsystem to power it, enabling true on-demand turbine response and an elimination of turbo lag.
All that air is fed into a 4.0-litre V8 engine where 324kW and that aforementioned wall of torque is generated, reaching all four wheels via an eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission. From standstill, the SQ7 is claimed to reach 100km/h in 4.8 seconds and will keep going to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h. Despite having more torque than a Lamborghini Aventador SV, Audi says that the SQ7 is able to return a combined fuel consumption figure of 38.2mpg (or 6.16-litres/100km).
The idea of an electrically-augmented turbocharger isn’t a new one, at least from Audi, but prior to this the technology was relegated to concept vehicles, motorsport, and other engineering showcases.
The SQ7 sits on adaptive air suspension, but being a sports SUV, the SQ7 has torque vectoring on its all-wheel drive system and is offered with an optional driving dynamics package that includes a sport differential, all-wheel steering, and electromechanical active roll stabilisation. Audi also touts the SQ7 TDI as being rather light against the competition through a clever spread of materials used in its construction, but did not disclose an exact weight just yet.
On the outside, there’s a more aggressive exterior package with extra chrome, two-tone accents, an S-specific radiator grille and bumpers, side air inlets, quad tailpipes, optional Audi Matrix LED headlights, and 20-inch wheels that can be specified to 22-inchers.
Inside, standard features return from the other variants of Audi’s largest vehicle such as the 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit and MMI navigation plus. There’s lots of leather, obviously, but customers can choose between standard sports seats or optional sports seats plus, as well as optional ambient lighting.
Pricing will be confirmed closer to launch and is expected start in May for UK orders. First deliveries will begin in August.
