What It Is: A high-performance trim level of the new Q7 SUV, because people who used to buy sports cars now want to sit five feet in the air while having their midlife crises. The SQ7 TDI won’t be quite as powerful as the Mercedes-AMG and BMW M sport utes, but it will be less costly.
Why It Matters: The performance-SUV segment might be absurd—no, it is definitely absurd—but it’s also hugely profitable. Yay to profits.
Platform: The donor Q7 is the VW Group’s first vehicle built on the modular-longitudinal MLB Evo platform, which will underpin the group’s other large utes. Four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering will be standard.
Powertrain: Power comes from a 4.0-liter diesel V-8 that carries two conventional turbochargers as well as an electric-powered charger, the first in a production car. The engine produces 435 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque. It’s bolted to an eight-speed automatic.
Competition: The V-8–powered BMW X5, Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged, Mercedes-Benz GLS-class, a therapist.
What Might Go Wrong: Customers enamored with the hunchbacked BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE coupe might not like the comparatively dowdy SQ7 TDI.
Estimated Arrival and Price: Late 2017; priced above $70K.
