Especially the German ones, are bringing more diesel-powered SUVs to America, high fuel prices have once again propelled compression-ignition engines into the mainstream, so it’s no surprise that automakers. BMW’s in-line-six oil burner will appear in the X5 by year’s end, and Volkswagen soon will retire the Touareg’s V-10 diesel engine in favor of a more modern, efficient, and less expensive 3.0-liter V-6 TDI. Audi, of course, won’t be left out. It will use the same diesel V-6 as VW in its Q7 3.0 TDI, which goes on sale in the States early next year.

Audi’s seven-passenger SUV is now available with a 225-hp, 3.0-liter diesel V-6, but it’s otherwise identical to its gasoline-powered siblings. Delivering 406 pound-feet of torque to the road means just a little bit of right foot is all that’s needed to get this 5651-pound dreadnought off the line.

What makes the new Q7 TDI’s mileage remarkable is that it comes from a full-size, luxurious SUV that seats seven, tips the scales at more than 2.5 tons, and has fourteen cupholders. This isn’t your typical eco-weenie penalty box on wheels – it’s a leather-lined and fully equipped vehicle with just about every feature you could want.

These features, however, don’t separate the 2009 Q7 from any other highline SUV; Audi’s fifty-state legal 3.0-liter TDI V-6 does. The turbocharged (T) diesel with direct injection (DI) joins two gasoline engines in the Q7 lineup: a 3.5-liter V-6 and a 4.2-liter V-8.

It’s quite a thing, torque, and the Q7 TDI has a surplus of the twisty stuff. Depressing the accelerator in anything close to an aggressive manner releases a robust kick in the back that feels powerful enough to tow a 747 down a runway. The 0-60 time of 8.5 seconds is enough to make you forget that the TDI engine only revs to 4,600 rpm.

Labeling the diesel as refined would be an understatement - aside from the offbeat soundtrack under heavy load and a stereotypical diesel “stall” when you flip the ignition off, this feels like it’s running on 91 octane.