2013 Audi Q5 Premium Sport Utility 4-door 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Audi sets diesel records on road and track

Ever the proponent of diesel propulsion, Audi has claimed two very different kinds of records in Europe with its finest oil-burners. The more exciting of the two was achieved recently at the Sachsenring, where the Audi RS5 TDI Competition Concept posted the fastest diesel-powered lap time ever recorded on the track. As you may recall, Audi revealed the RS5 TDI Concept last year, swapping the gasoline-burning 4.2-liter V8 in the production RS5 coupe for a 3.0-liter V6 diesel with two turbochargers and an electric supercharger. The result was 385 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, but Audi's been working on the prototype over the course of the past year. In the new Competition version, output is up to 435 hp and 590 lb-ft, and despite the inherently heavier diesel engine, it actually weighs 531 pounds less than the production model. That helped the RS5 TDI Competition lap the circuit in 1:35.35, besting the previous diesel lap record by 1.87 seconds, and adding to the Hockenheim record it took previously. Around the same time, another team set out from Maastricht in the Netherlands in an Audi A6 TDI Ultra and drove it for 28 hours straight, hitting 14 countries and logging 1,158.9 miles on a single tank of diesel. The achievement, certified by Guinness World Records, was completed in a showroom-stock vehicle, with automotive journalist Andrew Frankel and racing driver Rebecca Jackson splitting driving duties. They achieved an average of 75.9 miles per gallon – much better than the advertised rating of 67 mpg – as they cruised through from Holland to Hungary, passing along the way through Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia. Record: Audi RS 5 TDI competition concept drives to record time on the Sachsenring track - Audi sets new lap record for cars with diesel engines - Superior technology platform with 435 hp and 800 Nm (590.0 lb-ft) - Electric compressor: overcomes turbo lag, enhances sprint performance Audi has set a new record time on the Sachsenring for cars with a diesel engine. The Audi RS 5 TDI competition concept rounded the 3.6 km (2.2 mi) race course in a time of 1 minute 35.35 seconds. The technology platform draws its power from a 3.0-liter V6 biturbo TDI with 320 kW (435 hp) of power and 800 Nm (590.0 lb-ft) of torque. The highlight is an electrically driven compressor.

Audi Q3 production begins in Spain

2012 Audi Q3 - Click above for high-res image gallery
It wasn't that long ago that Audi had no SUVs in its lineup - aside from the A6 Allroad Quattro - despite being known for its all-wheel-drive vehicles. But that's all changed, just as it has for BMW and Porsche. The Q7 was followed by the Q5, and now the Q3 has started production as well.
The first Q3 rolled off the assembly line today at the plant in Martorell, Spain. The facility belongs principally to Audi's sister-company Seat, but has gone through a considerable expansion - funded by both Audi and Seat - to prepare for the Q3's production.

Daily Driver: 2016 Audi A7

Daily Driver videos are micro-reviews of vehicles in theAutoblog test fleet, reviewed by the staffers who drive them every day. Today's Daily Driver features the 2016 Audi A6, reviewed by Seyth Miersma. You can watch the video above or read a transcript below. Watch more Autoblog videos at /videos. Show full video transcript text Hey, all. This is Seyth with Autoblog, and I'm in the 2016 Audi A7 3.0. It's interesting, initially, I thought that I wouldn't do any kind of video review on this car because I've already done reviews on the Audi RS7 and the Audi S7. I didn't want to be overly heavy handed on the Audi A7 range, but I thought I'd at least do a quick update because it's a little bit interesting to compare and contrast all three versions of the car. This A7 has got a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine. It makes 333 horsepower, 325 pound-feet of torque. The MSRP starts around $69,000 when you factor in the destination charge. The one that I'm driving is right around $78,000. You look around the cabin, and you see typically nice Audi fare. It definitely feels like you're in a high-end car. Compare that to the S7, and you lose about 120 horsepower, and you add to that sticker price around $14,000. Move up to the RS7, which if you'll remember I characterized as a supercar with a hatchback, you're down way more than 200 horsepower and right around $35,000. When you take the step down especially in power you expect that the performance is not only going to lag but might be a little bit disappointing being as I was in the fancier ones first. The truth is after all these miles, this car is really fantastic especially the RS7. It really surprised me with its ability to combine just crazy good performance with great livability, never overly harsh, not a lot of impact noises. The suspension didn't beat you up. All that is obviously true of this A7 too. You don't have that top end and maybe not all of the outright ability, but it still feels very capable and a lot of fun to drive when you want to push it. You get a powerful V6, which makes the car feel pretty damn fast. Now as I'm speeding along here, I don't get the same sort of aural enjoyment from this car as I do from the V8s. Those guys just sound crazy good especially when you're really getting into it. The V6 you really got to work at to hear even, but it's satisfying, and it just feels nice and light and powerful when you're going down the road.