Audi Mileage Marathon and 2009 Audi Q5
Is Volkswagen's premium brand about to launch an American "clean-diesel" offensive? Audi says no, but its L.A. Show press conference suggested otherwise. Johan de Nysschen, chief of Audi North America, extolled the benefits of the brand's TDI (Turbo Direct Injection) technology, with particular emphasis on the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 that becomes available next April in the big Q7 SUV. But journalists also saw a video about the recent Audi Mileage Marathon in which Q7 traveled coast-to-coast in company with TDI-powered A3 and A4 premium-compact cars and a turbodiesel version of Audi's new Q5 premium-compact SUV. What's more, all four Marathon whips were available for brief drives around the L.A. Convention Center. It was hard to escape the sense that Audi is laying the groundwork for at least three more U.S.-market TDI models.
The upcoming Q7 TDI option produces 225 horsepower and a stout 406 pound-feet of torque. A like-equipped Q5 ran the Marathon, but the smaller SUV would likely reach showrooms with an optional 2.0-liter TDI 4-cylinder engine making around 140 horsepower and a more-than-adequate 236 pound-feet. This would also be the choice for a U.S.-market TDI A3 and A4, assuming Audi takes the plunge. Parent Volkswagen already has with its 2009 TDI Jetta sedan, which uses this same basic engine. The oil-burner A3 won the Mileage Marathon with consistent averages above 50 mpg, but the TDI Q5 recorded a best of 38.5 and the Q7 delivered up to 33.1 mpg.
Two more things. First, Audi showed the Q5 at L.A., but didn't announce pricing or other details for the U.S. version, which apparently gets its formal rollout at Detroit. Second, Online Managing Editor Jennifer Geiger took part in the Marathon, and you can read her take on the new Q7 TDI by clicking here.
The 2009 Audi Q5 was on display in L.A. but will make its formal debut in Detroit.
- L.A. Auto Show Home Page
- Consumer Guide's 2009 Auto Show coverage
- Consumer Guide New Car Reviews and Prices: Road test results, photos, specifications, and prices for hundreds of new cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs from the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide.
- Consumer Guide's 2009 Best Buys and Recommendeds: Our Best Buy and Recommended picks focus on overall vehicle value and take into account performance, economy, reliability, ease of use, comfort, and price.
- Future Cars: Check out what's just on the horizon.
