Vhuthu Owen Mulamu
Diesel combustion engines, you’d usually find these in heavy duty vehicles like trucks, buses and bakkies and that’s because they inherently produce more torque, which you need if you’re going to be carrying or pulling heavy loads or even offroading. However, you can also find these engines in light passenger vehicles and that’s because they are inherently more fuel efficient than their petrol counterparts. Essentially there are two main reasons for using a diesel engine – torque and fuel efficiency. Which brings us to the heartbeat of the new AUDI SQ8 – a 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 diesel engine producing 320 KW of power and 900 NM of torque. As if the sheer amount of torque wasn’t impressive enough, it is all available at just 1000 rpm.
So the SQ8 may be powered by a diesel engine but it is a big displacement diesel engine and obviously won’t be what we’d say “light on fuel” although you’d still be spending less than if it was a petrol engine with similar performance figures. One may ask then “what’s the point?” and the answer to that is the performance, along with a battery pack that assists the turbochargers when the engine is at low revs, this big hunk of a machine goes from 0 to 100 kph in just 4.8 seconds. Now that is really impressive, more so when you consider the heft of this car, but what if you also want to take corners? well it can be fitted with active anti-roll bars that help it corner flat and disengage in the straights so you can still enjoy that soft pneumatic ride comfort. If you feel that isn’t enough, you can also opt for a four-wheel steering system which turns the rear wheels at the opposite direction at slow speeds and at the same direction as the front wheels at higher speeds.
The exterior of the car has also undergone some changes, the grille has been revised to make it look more purposeful, the wheel arches have been flared but only slightly, there’s a redesigned diffuser and the air suspension sits lower than in the standard Q8. At the rear you will find two pairs of actual real exhaust pipes. While we’re here, let’s just address the elephant in the room, and no I’m not referring to the car but rather the dreadful exhaust note typical of diesel engines, well do not be dismayed, AUDI has taken the liberty to fit sound actuators that make this diesel SQ8 sound more like a petrol V8, however if you ever get tired of that sound then you can easily switch off the sound actuators on your lavish infotainment system.
Inside, the SQ8 gets a nice revision as well, things like aluminium pedals, other metal trim pieces and the “S” badge on the steering wheel and the new sport seats. while local specification has not yet been confirmed, you can expert a wide range of options, from performance options such as the active ant-roll bars and four-wheel steering to leisure options such as carbon fiber accents in the cabin and softer leather on the seats. AUDI SA has confirmed that the SQ8 will arrive on the first quarter of 2020 and while you’re waiting for that, keep in mind, the RSQ8 is already being cooked up.
