'Turbo lag is history' in all-new Audi SQ7 TDI

Audi's Q7 fullsize sport utility is getting the S treatment, with the automaker announcing the 435-horsepower SQ7 TDI.

Powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre diesel V8, the SQ7 makes 435 horsepower and 664 lb.-ft. of torque, making it the most powerful diesel SUV on the market, according to Audi.

The engine, which Audi says has been reworked "from the ground up," features what is essentially two-stage turbocharging—exhaust gas flows through one turbocharger at lower engine speeds, while the second kicks it at higher rpm—and an electric-powered compressor that "augments the work of the two turbochargers."

Working at low engine speeds, the compressor is driven by a small electric motor to circumvent the bout of lag turbocharged engines traditionally suffer through under acceleration.

It is powered by its own 48-volt lithium-ion battery, which is mounted beneath the luggage compartment, with a 48-volt electrical subsystem connecting the two.

Thanks to the electric-powered compressor, the first ever application in a production vehicle, Audi claims there is "no perceptible lag" in the SQ7 off the line.

Power is translated through a reworked eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission, and gets put to all four wheels thanks to Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system that features a self-locking centre differential.

Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes just 4.8 seconds, according to the automaker.

Audi's drive select driving dynamics system and adaptive air suspension with S-specific tuning is standard on the SQ7, while a carbon-ceramic bake package will be available.

Also standard is an electromechanical active body roll stabilization system that runs off of a small electric motor with a three-stage planetary gearbox.

Audi says the stabilizers are decoupled on uneven road surfaces, while the front and rear stabilizers can be adjusted independently of each other.

The SQ7 can be had in five- or seven-passenger configurations, while the interior is decked out in typical S fashion, with a sporty luxuriousness not found in many other vehicles on the market.

Audi did not specify whether the SQ7 would be sold in North America, though it did note that the powertrain is "a core element" of its global diesel strategy, and is "ideally suited for markets such as the United States."