tdi

Have you experienced that cars with new engine technology can be experienced as surprisingly agile on the road even when the engine has a small displacement and relatively modest performance? With new engines, it is more important than ever to get the engine power delivered in a good way.

Today, everyone knows how turbo technology has changed engine characteristics from focusing unilaterally on horsepower to focusing on both horsepower and torque. I like to explain the two concepts in the following way:

Imagine you are going to drag whetstone. Your arm is the horsepower, while the rotating grindstone is the torque. Imagine that you could use two whetstones, - one made of stone, the other of styrofoam. Stone represents a high-torque motor, while Styrofoam is low-torque. The power in your arm is the same. Now imagine someone trying to sharpen their scythe against the rotating disk. With stone in the disc, you hardly notice anything. You need less force to keep the disc moving smoothly. With styrofoam, you will notice much greater resistance and have to use more force in your arm to keep the disc in steady rotation.

rpm range The diagram shows how the torque and horsepower develop with the engine speed. The curve applies to the popular 2.0 TDI engine from Volkswagen with 110 horsepower. This engine pulls like a locomotive from 1500 to 2500 revolutions. During driving, the engine is best experienced at moderate revs. It is unusual if you come from a conventional petrol car not downshift before overtaking. You should rather consider gearing up for the engine to be at its best. During the overtaking, it is important to be aware that the gear you have at the entrance of the overtaking is quickly emptied. Acceleration then stops completely if you are not quick to follow up with the next gear.

If we take Volkswagen's small TDI engine as an example, we want to accelerate continuously from 50 to 120 km/h in order to perform safe overtaking under Norwegian conditions. With an effective rpm range of just 1000 rpm, it means that we mustn't use the gear lever, and that the ratios in the gearbox are designed so that the engine stays in the optimum rev range during the entire acceleration.

My best experience with a modern diesel engine and gearbox was in a new 2006 Volkswagen Passat with a 1.9 TDI 105 HP pump nozzle engine. It had a 5-speed gearbox which had two important features: You could shift gears quickly with it, and the ratios were optimal to make the most of the engine's relatively narrow rev range. This - on paper modest engine - provided traction on a par with the best family cars, provided the driver used the gear lever actively and correctly. For a less active driver, the engine would be nothing more than what it is on paper.

For me, this is real driving pleasure.

rpm range

But you cannot count on all new cars with new engine technology to really provide driving pleasure. If the interaction between engine and gearbox is not optimal, the driving experience can be anything but enjoyable. Imagine that the car manufacturer had chosen to equip the car with a gearbox that does not harmonize with the engine characteristics. Imagine that one gear sits in the middle of the performance curve. During acceleration, you experience that the gear is emptied far too quickly. Next time you skip this gear, but then experience landing outside engine performance curve. You think wrong. No, this is the everyday life of car manufacturers when they assemble cars based on off-the-shelf products. The VAG group today supplies a series of TDI engines that look physically identical, but have different performances. It is expensive to develop new components. It is then tempting to use the same gearbox on different engines, even if the engines have different performance curves.

As a car buyer, it is impossible to read up on this in brochures and interactive configurators. It must is tried. You have to take the car out on the road and test it for as long as possible. It actually takes a couple of months to get used to using a new car optimally. Do you feel like you're hitting the wrong gear despite upshifting at a smooth acceleration? It is the the feeling you get when the engine and gearbox don't harmonize. It has the greatest consequences in a variant with a weak engine than in a variant with a strong engine.

You can find plenty of driving pleasure in modern, high-tech cars. It is not the engine power that is most important, nor the rpm range within which the engine works best. The most important thing is the interaction between the components.

Good test ride!

See

Can an SUV built in Barcelona, based on Volkswagen's 4-wheel drive (Haldex 5) and the A6's drivetrain, be suitable in winter Norway? It's a thumbs up, especially in winter.

Look and feel

The Q3 has a look you can either love or hate. Either way, it looks expensive – more expensive than its identical twin, the Volkswagen Tiguan. You don't sit down in this car, but straight in. With Audi's sports seats in leather/alcantara, aluminum inserts in the interior, Bose system, extended interior lighting and navigation, the impression falls towards premium and luxury. This SUV has a couple of feminine features in the interior, namely a steering wheel that seems rather small, and a tiny, oval interior mirror. It is probably adapted to the small visibility you have out of the rear window.

On the operating side, there are a couple of minuses to draw. The buttons for the defroster and rear window heater are placed far too far down. After all, these are buttons that are used a lot in Norway. I could also imagine that the control wheel for the infotainment system and navigation was located between the seats instead of up on the dashboard.

audi q3 177-2 — I think the Q3's interior is rather feminine.

Driving pleasure

The drivetrain is ideal for this car: Common rail TDI with 177 horses and Audi's S-tronic 7-speed gearbox. There is also an engine installation that can also be found in the new A6. An excellent package!

When you drive the Q3, you are reminded that you are sitting high. The car rolls quite easily, without it feeling unsafe. You just have to hold on tight. But even if you sit in sports seats, it doesn't feel sporty. It is actually more fun to drive the car actively in the city than on a winding country road. As mentioned, you sit high in the Q3. Higher than in the competitor BMW X1. The height, however, makes the car easy to maneuver in tight spaces, and together with the automatic transmission, it is very easy to drive. In winter conditions and on bad roads, the car feels perfect. Perfect.

One small thing that drags it down is the Start & Stop system. This works perfectly on cars with a manual transmission where you activate the engine by pressing the clutch. In this car, the engine is activated by releasing the brake. The problem is that the sensor starts when the pressure on the brake pedal is released, long before the car rolls. This means that you inadvertently start the car many times at traffic lights. The function can - and must - be switched off with a separate button.

Comfort

On the tested car, the emphasis is on comfort - not sportiness. It is possible to choose a very comfortable sitting position in the front. The car's undercarriage takes away large and small bumps, even when we roll on 18 inch rims. There is little noise in the cabin. Seating comfort is also good in the back seat.

Place

The Q3 is based on the body shape of the A3 sportsback. It is not a large car, but it is not noticeable in the cabin. There is good legroom everywhere, even when I sit with my 1,88 behind me and the driver's seat at the lowest height. Where there may be a lack of space is in the boot, because the rear window slopes so that it is difficult to transport a normal suitcase standing up. The trunk makes the Q3 best suited for small families who do not need to transport a pram.

Although it steals space, I like the sloping rear window. It brings back memories of early Avants.

Safety

You feel very safe when you drive this car. With fat SUV tires the brakes work well. With 4-wheel drive, you are guaranteed stability and progress on bad roads. On the whole, the active safety is very good. For the record, I mention that the Q3 does not use Audi's permanent Quatro system, even though it has a Quatro badge in the grill. The 4-wheel drive is based on Haldex 5, which is the latest version of a system that engages the rear wheels when needed, - or, we can say, just before the wheels are about to let go of the roof. This is also the same solution that Volkswagen and Skoda use, and it works brilliantly.

You sit high above smaller cars. In addition, of course, Audi has built in all modern safety features. The Q3 can be ordered with adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and blind spot warning. This was not installed in the test car.

Economy

If you are going to buy a Q3, you have to shell out a lot of money. Forget the entry-level model without 4-wheel drive. If you want to save the supplement for 4-wheel drive, you should consider the Volkswagen Tiguan instead. In addition, you must expect to leave NOK 50-100 for necessary extra equipment. You must expect a relatively high loss in value in the first few years.

One positive thing to mention about Audi/Volkswagen's 2.0 TDIs is that engine power does not affect diesel consumption. The 177 horses are reasonably priced, so to speak.

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