Audi Q7 V12, R8 and TT diesels

By Guy Bird

Motor shows & events

06 March 2008 12:38

What’s new on Audi’s Geneva Motor Show stand?

The biggest news from a sales point of view might have been the A4 Avant – on an all-new chassis for improved driving ability and a bigger boot – but new variants of the TT, Q7 and R8 arguably stole its show stand thunder.

The production diesel TT and Q7 were finally unveiled. The oil-burning sportscar will do 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds thanks to its 168bhp 2.0 TDI engine and offers 53.3mpg and a lowly 140g/km of CO2. It is set to take a fifth of all TT coupe sales and 12 percent of roadster registrations from a summer 2008 on sale date. Prices start at £23,740.

The Q7 meanwhile gets the R8 concept’s massive 493bhp 6.0 V12 diesel to do the same 0-60 run in an extremely rapid 5.5 seconds. It will top the range from late 2008 for £75k-plus.

More curious was the boat-influenced Q7 Coastline ‘study’ featuring new velvet-touch cream leather seats and pinstripe walnut and smoked oak trim inlay on everything from the seatbacks to the boot floor. Audi hopes to make a limited run of 100.

There was another V12 diesel R8 study too – this time called Le Mans – featuring a slick, ducted glass roof – but insiders say it’s still 18 months away from production.

CAR highlight

The Coastline’s amazing ‘now you see them now you don’t’ pop-out boot floor aluminium boxes and the beautiful roof on the R8 TDI Le Mans.

What were they thinking?

In bright red with over-polished chrome wheels and side panel, the R8 Le Mans study looked over the top in the metal.

In a nutshell

Audi’s relentless niche-filling product onslaught continues – mostly successfully, if a bit predictably.

4/5

Audi TT TDI

By Mark Nichol

First official pictures

27 February 2008 17:57

The diesel TT is here. Audi will unveil the TT TDI Coupe and Roadster at the Geneva Motor Show next week. It was always an obvious thing to do, yet it’s taken the Ingolstadt slowcoach ten years to send its ubiquitous sports car to the black pump.

Let me guess, Audi says the TT TDI is fast and efficient?

Precisely. There’s really nothing revelatory about the principle behind the TT TDI, which is why we’re surprised it’s taken Audi so long.

Having said that, let’s not be too glib here – the TT TDI is remarkably efficient, returning well over 50mpg in both Coupe and Roadster forms (53.3mpg and 51.3mpg respectively) and its torque advantage means it will feel genuinely fast.

But will it actually be genuinely fast?

Let’s be honest, a 0-62mph time of 7.5 seconds (7.8 for the roadster) isn’t gut-wrenching, but the 168bhp diesel engine has 258lb ft of torque at only 1750rpm – 22lb ft more than the 3.2 V6 petrol – and is good for 140mph.

The TT TDI utilises the same 141bhp 2.0 TDI engine found in the new A4, but the saloon’s tubocharger has been dropped in favour of a bigger unit. Add to that standard Quattro four-wheel drive and the derv TT looks like it might become the pick of the range.

Are there any downsides to the TT TDI?

On paper, not really. We haven’t even mentioned the CO2 emissions yet, which are a lowly 140g/km for the Coupe (145g/km for the Roadster), and the engine already complies with the proposed new Euro 5 emissions regulations. The only real worry is the farmyard chunter when you start up.

Spec-wise the TT is like-for-like with the 2.0T petrol, our current favourite of the range, meaning you get 17” alloys, Alcantara sports seats and electronic climate control.

The TT TDI Coupe will cost £26,350 when the order book opens in early March for summer 2008 deliveries, about £1000 more than the 2.0 litre petrol. Add £2,000 for a TDI Roadster.

Audi A4 Avant

By Mark Nichol

First official pictures

20 February 2008 09:16

Audi knows where its bread and butter is and continues to stretch its A4 range every which way. So step forward the new A4 Avant, unveiled today.

The estate version of the A4 will major on sporty style rather than outright practicality, but the numbers are smaller (less thirsty than the old one) and larger (boot capacity up by 48 litres to 490, 1430 with the seats down) as appropriate.

That amount of space doesn’t seem class leading though

Nothing gets past you, does it? You’re right – it’s very slightly bigger than the 3-series Touring, for example, but miles behind the Mondeo estate, which trounces it with a gargantuan 1733-litre maximum loading capacity.

Audi is clearly benchmarking the 3-series though, emphasising the A4 Avant’s sporting credentials over its ability to swallow sofas and such. It naturally shares the saloon's new 'mid-front-engined' platform, whose front axle has been moved forward for better weight distribution and sharper handling.

So are you telling me it’s not practical at all?

Not for a moment, but this one definitely puts style over outright size. It's certainly no Audi A4 Transit, but you do get the option of an electric rear tailgate, and the rear seats feature the obligatory 60/40 split, as well as a loading-through hatch for the A4 owner fond of snowboarding and buying CD racks from Ikea. It’s nearly five inches longer than the current Avant, which liberates extra floor space behind the front seats.














Any surprises under the A4 Avant’s bonnet?

It’s standard Audi fare in that department, but that’s no bad thing. For the time being the range-toppers are the 3.2 FSI petrol with 265bhp and the 3.0 TDI with 240bhp. Both will reach 62mph in just over six seconds (6.4 and 6.3 respectively) and top out at 155mph.













Other engines available at launch are a 1.8 TFSI petrol with 160bhp and a 143bhp 2.0 TDI. A 170bhp version of the 2.0-litre diesel unit will be available at the end of 2008.













Power is sent through six-cog manual and Tiptronic transmissions, while Audi’s continuously variable Multitronic ‘box can be specified too. Expect a £1100 premium over the equivalent saloon when Audi starts taking orders in March for early June deliveries.