Still 2 seconds quicker than a 2.0T according to the same publication.

The Biturbo SQ5 TDI is insane.. Brutal power, and has no problem finding 155mph. none. Very very fast.

I agree. I prefer the subdued engine tone, the completely effortless acceleration. No fuss, no drama, just power.

same here. and all that torque is available from such a low rpm which is where the tach usually is. The gas engines need to be higher in the revs and yes they pull hard but at the same time your fuel economy falls off where as the diesel maintains it.

Put it this way, horespower is how fast you hit the wall, torque is how far you move the wall.

Funny story - I swapped out of an A7 TDI into an S7, and on pulling onto the road, my first reaction was, "where's the torque?"... Even that wonderful twin turbo 4.0 V8 engine needs more revs to make torque, and even then, it's not as much as the TDI makes.

Then again, once you clear 4k in the S7, you better be holding on tight. =)

0-60 MPH times are kind of useless if comparing overall speed of a TDI vs TFSI. 1/4 mile times and trap speeds tell more of the story. I like torque, but torque just FEELS fast while horsepower IS fast. At 4-6k RPMS in the TFSI SQ5, that's where you know you've got horsepower. The TDI certainly gets much much better fuel economy though.

Get back to us after you chip the S7 :)

TQ is for effortless power, HP wins races. You do all know that HP = TQ * RPM / 5252....right? Therefore, HP is nothing more than high RPM TQ.

Example of torque
 

Torque: Long ago, I woke up with a morning "woodie" and had to piss very badly. I stood in front of the toilet and tried to push it down, but I was ninteen years old and that thing just did not want to go back down. Finally, I pushed down so hard on it that my feet flew out from under me and I fell, face first, into the toilet. I pretty much have understood what torque is since that morning long ago.