Most powerful diesel turbo [BMW 7 Series vs Mercedes Benz S 350d vs Audi SQ8 TDi].

The author actually wants a diesel turbo car for his leg.

If I were to have two cars myself, one would be a high-octane petrol sports car and the other a diesel turbo car. On weekends, I enjoy blasting large volumes of exhaust fumes in a petrol car to fly down the motorway. To make such a car last longer and to save money on petrol, I want a different, more fuel-efficient and less expensive car for my everyday legs. So I thought diesel would be a cheap and fuel-efficient car on diesel fuel. However, with a pure diesel NA engine, the power band is at low revs and there is no fun in the high revs. So we turned our attention to cars with a turbo to compensate for the high revs, in other words diesel turbochargers.

BMW 7 Series 730d & 740d

BMW's top-of-the-range luxury car, the 7 Series, has two diesel models, the 730d and 740d. It was announced in July this year that the new and improved diesel engines will be fitted: the BMW with an 'i' after the three-digit number is the petrol model and the 'd' is the diesel model The 730d produces 286 hp, 21 hp more than its predecessor, and its torque band has increased from 2, 000 rpm to 1, 500 rpm. The torque band has been widened from 2,000 to 1,500 rpm. Its higher grade, the 740d, also produces 340 hp. Both are equipped with a 48 V mild hybrid, which charges a reserve battery with energy from braking.

730d	vs.	740d
In-line six-cylinder diesel turbo	engine	In-line six-cylinder diesel turbo
light oil	fuel	light oil
2,993 cc	(engine) displacement	2,993 cc
286ps	maximum horsepower	340 hp@4,400 rpm
650Nm@1,500~2,500rpm	Max. torque	700Nm@1,750~2,250rpm
n/a	rev limit	n/a
1,825 kg	Vehicle weight	1,935 kg
8AT	mission	8AT
5.6 s (published values)	0-100 km/h acceleration	5.0 s (published values)
25.5 s (previous generation)	0-200 km/h acceleration	19.6 sec (previous generation)
250 km/h (limiter activated)	Maximum speed	250 km/h (limiter activated)
21.3 km/L (European combined mode)	fuel consumption	19.2 km/L (European combined mode)

New Mercedes-Benz S-Class S 350d

On 15 September, orders for the new S-Class began in Europe. The base model is the S 350d, with prices starting at EUR 93,438 (approximately 11.65 million yen). It is powered by a new-generation direct-injection 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder diesel turbo engine. It delivers maximum output of 286 hp/3,400-4,600 rpm and maximum torque of 61.2 kgm/1,200-3,200 rpm, and is an FR vehicle with rear-wheel drive via the Mercedes 9G-Tronic (9AT). 0-100 km/h acceleration is in 6.4 seconds and European combined mode fuel economy is 16.1 km/L.

The SQ8 TDi, a high-performance model of Audi's top-of-the-range Q8 SUV, is also diesel-turbocharged.

On 24 June, Audi launched its top-of-the-range SUV, the Q8, and its diesel high-performance model, the SQ8 TDi. This SQ8 TDi is extremely powerful and, what's more, it is equipped with a diesel turbo engine. The newly developed 4.0-litre V8 diesel turbo engine produces maximum output of 435 hp at 3,750~4,750 rpm and maximum torque of 91.8 kgm (900 Nm) at 1,250~3,250 rpm, and the 8-speed Diptronic drives all four wheels in 4WD 'quattro' mode. 0 to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds and a European combined mode fuel consumption of 12.8 km/L. This SQ8 TDi is equipped with a 48 V mild hybrid, which is said to be able to coast by deactivating the engine for up to 40 seconds to gain fuel economy.

Mercedes-Benz S 350d vs Audi SQ8 TDi specs

	S 350d	730d	SQ8 TDI
engine	In-line six-cylinder diesel turbo	In-line six-cylinder diesel turbo	V8 diesel turbo
fuel	light oil	light oil	light oil
(engine) displacement	2,925 cc.	2,993 cc	3,956 cc.
Maximum output	286 PS @ 3,400-4,600 rpm	286ps	435PS@3,750~4,750rpm
Max. torque	600 Nm @ 1,200-3,200 rpm	650Nm@1,500~2,500rpm	900 Nm @ 1,250-3,250 rpm
rev limit	5,000 rpm	n/a	5,000 rpm
Vehicle weight	1,895 kg	1,825 kg	2,365 kg
mission	9G-Tronic	8AT	8AT
0-100 km/h acceleration	6.4 s (published values)	5.6 s (published values)	4.8 s (published values)
0-200 km/h acceleration	26.9 sec.	25.5 s (previous generation)	19.7 sec.
Maximum speed	250 km/h (limiter activated)	250 km/h (limiter activated)	250 km/h (limiter activated)
fuel consumption	16.1 km/L (European combined mode)	21.3 km/L (European combined mode)	12.8 km/L (European combined mode)