Audi, First Drives

First Drive: 2009 Audi Q5

March 25, 2009

Audi Q7 TDI

The Audi Q7 is not new, but the big news for 2009 is the all-new 3.0-litre TDI (turbo-direct-injection) clean diesel engine. This is a small V6 diesel with monster power, producing only 221 horsepower but a more-impressive 406 lb-ft of torque – a massive amount of torque for such a small engine, and all of it useable. Though it is a big vehicle, the Q7 TDI accelerates quickly on the highway and it is a better cruiser than the Q5 with its slightly softer and quieter ride.

2009 Audi Q5. Click image to enlarge

The new TDI engine is whisper quiet, even more so than the gasoline engine in the Q5. Pressing your ear against the hood and the fender may help you determine that the engine is idling, but you will not learn much more from the sound. You will not believe that it is a diesel engine beneath the sheet metal as the typical diesel knock is non-existent. When accelerating hard, the only noise that can be heard is a whistle from the turbo – but this can only be heard with the windows down.

I travelled for over two hours and approximately 160 kilometres in the Q7 TDI and the gas gauge didn’t budge. When I started my trip the “estimated remaining mileage” was 900 km, at the end it was 910 km! This was probably because I was doing mostly highway driving.

I took note of the onboard fuel consumption readout: traveling between 110-120 km/h, my Q7 TDI was consuming an average of 8.6 L/100 km, remarkable for such a large vehicle. With a National Resource Canada rating of 13.2 L/100 km city and 8.3 L/100 km highway, this is one large crossover that will be easy on your pocket at the pumps.

The Q7 TDI engine uses AdBlue technology, which means that this fluid needs to be topped up at each oil change. There is a low-fluid warning indicator at 2,200 km and 1,100 km, but the typical fill should last approximately 15,000 km. Normally, there is no need to worry about running out in the middle of nowhere with no refill available.

While I was driving the new Q7 TDI clean diesel on the roads surrounding Sebring, Team Audi was cleaning up on the racetrack with their new R15 LMP1 race car. This is a V10-powered diesel machine that for 12 hours straight lapped Sebring International Raceway in the 1 minute 45 second range, battling another diesel-powered rocket built by Peugeot, with both companies proving that diesels can be clean, fun and FAST!

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