What's all this then?

This is Audi's SQ7, the high-performance version of the big Q7 SUV, which uses a meaty 4.0-litre V8 turbodiesel engine producing 435hp and a whopping 900Nm of torque.

And it's not just turbocharged, it's electrically turbocharged. There are two conventional sequential exhaust-gas driven turbos as well (one for low revs, the other for high), but there's a third electrically-driven turbo, which draws power from a new 48-volt electrical system and which provides on-demand boost to the engine when the other turbos are just waking up. Thanks to that (and the electric turbo can react in as little as 250 milliseconds) Audi claims to have eliminated turbo lag.

The rest of the engine's tech specs are pretty drool-worthy too. The exhaust and intake systems have been swapped around, which Audi says makes the car more responsive, and there's a new Audi Valve-Lift System (AVS), which is said to be good both for efficiency and power, not least because it can selectively divert exhaust gases to the turbo that can use them best. There's even an extra valve in the exhaust system that opens when you select Sport mode to allow more noise through. Grrrr.

The 0-62mph sprint is done and dusted in just 4.8 seconds, and Audi says it'll do 38mpg on the combined economy cycle, with CO₂ emissions of 194g/km.

Underneath there is centrally-controlled air suspension with an active anti-roll system, plus 20-inch wheels and, later this year, the option of carbon-ceramic brakes. Needless to say, the SQ7 has quattro four-wheel drive, but geared more to handling and performance than to checking out where your sheep have gotten to.

Inside you'll find wall-to-wall leather and Alcantara, plus some interesting trim bits including a copper-carbon weave. The sound system is banging (it's a 1,920-watt Bang and Olufsen setup) and the MMI system doesn't just connect to your smartphone, it also connects to the fully active Matrix LED headlights so that the satnav can tell them when a corner is coming up and they can alter their beam throw. Clever.

It's safe too - active city brake is standard, as is adaptive cruise control, which can also creep and steer the car in heavy traffic to take the strain off your commute.