2020 Audi SQ8 TDI V-8 Turbo Introduce

2020 Audi SQ8 TDI V-8 Turbo Introduce https://youtu.be/2H2fJjw-f7w

The Audi SQ8 TDI can’t be sold in the US, where the German car-maker has pulled the plug on diesel-fuelled vehicles post Dieselgate, meaning consumers in the world’s largest SUV market will be denied one of the fastest SUVs Audi has ever made.


Even back in its native Europe, Audi will have its work cut out to shift the SQ8 TDI. With threats of outright diesel bans in many major European city centres, no matter how clean the smooth new V8 turbo-diesel is, many buyers may simply be frightened off into purchasing thirstier, dirtier rivals.

Or they’ll just wait for the petrol-powered SQ8 that’s rumoured to be on the way.

That would be a shame, because back home in Australia the big new Audi SQ8 TDI couldn’t be more relevant to the wants, needs and desires of the typical buyer in the market for a fast, premium SUV.
For evidence, just consider the numbers. I mean, who isn’t impressed by a triple-boosted 4.0-litre V8 diesel that produces 320kW of power and manages to churn out a monstrous 900Nm of torque?

Then there’s its range.

Brim the 85-litre tank and, thanks to the SQ8 TDI’s 7.8L/100km average fuel consumption, you should be able to easily cover 1100km between refills – an astonishing feat for a large 2.3-tonne vehicle that can hit 100km/h in a claimed 4.8 seconds.

Set to land in Australia in the first quarter of 2020, the Audi SQ8 TDI is expected to command a sobering $50,000 price premium over the standard Q8 ($129,300 in both 3.0-litre V6-powered 50 TDI diesel and 55 TFSI petrol forms.
Priced at around $180,000, the SQ8 lands smack bang in the middle of a highly competitive performance SUV marketplace. Closest rivals should be cars like the BMW X6 M, Mercedes GLE 63 Coupe and the Porsche Cayenne S Coupe.

But none of these really get close in terms of price – both the BMW and Benz are $20,000 more expensive while the Porsche is cheaper by the tune of $14,000, it can only muster a weedy peak torque of 550Nm.

Yes, BMW’s quad-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel X5 M50d is cheaper at $150K, but it delivers ‘only’ 294kW/760Nm and is slower. And while the same engine in the X6 costs $155K, the V8 petrol-powered X6 M50i is cheaper, quicker and more powerful, but a lot thirstier.

You might mention the V8-diesel-powered Range Rover here, but the Audi remains in another league for performance, mainly due to its torque – and the SQ8’s pulling power is something you can’t overlook because it dominates the driving experience.
When I asked one engineer how accomplished the SQ8, which has a towing capacity of 3500kg, is at hauling heavy loads, he just smirked and replied “you won’t notice it, whatever you’re towing”.

Behind the wheel such a remark doesn’t sound so flippant, since the technically accomplished turbo-diesel, which is shared with the Audi SQ7, generates all its herculean thrust from just 1250rpm.

That means you could drive an SQ8 for weeks without ever seeing the other side of 2000rpm.

Think big-block V8 without the epic soundtrack, as engineers have largely dialled out the noise made by the silky-smooth 4.0-litre bent eight.

Earlier we said the SQ8 lifts its engine from the SQ7 and it does, but not the current one. The V8 diesel is shared with the facelifted version of the large Audi SUV, which won’t arrive here until closer to mid-2020.

That explains the addition of new belt-driven alternator mild-hybrid technology that can claw back around 8kW under braking, saving as much as 0.5L/100km on the combined cycle.