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From the standpoint of the average Q7 diesel buyer, the answer is more than likely no. Few if any Q7 TDI shoppers will be resorting to tactics like drafting semis or sticking to 65 mph with the dedication of a Buddhist monk. Instead, they'll set the adaptive cruise control to 75-80 and forget about it until the nav tells them it's time to exit and fuel up. On a drive as long as this one, the difference between 65 and 80 is about an hour and a half. Time, unlike fuel, can't be bought at the nearest Shell station. My partner for the trip, Jennifer Geiger of Consumer Guide, feels the same way. Conflict of interest avoided. Both of us have agreed to drive our diesel chariot the way we'd drive any other car -- since that's how it will be driven by Audi's customers.

On trips of this length, misadventures are always a possibility. But they usually don't happen within the first mile or two. As pilots of Q7 No. 1, we were told to lead the caravan and follow the video car. Unfortunately, the video car was on a different wavelength from everyone else and chose to take what can be best described as the scenic route through downtown Chicago. Jennifer, a Windy City native, repeatedly expressed her concern that we were going in every possible direction except the right one. Once everyone got in sync and the journey to Memphis finally got going, the rest of the trip has proceeded without a hitch. We've made several pit stops along the way, including lunch at the Depot Supper Club in Salem, Illinois. The closest we've gotten to another misadventure was when Jennifer had an unexpected lunchtime encounter with a German TV crew who asked her why Americans don't like diesels.

On our route through Illinois, the seemingly endless horizon of cornfields is interrupted by the occasional curiously placed subdivision. Further south, a span of various trees is replaced by more farmland. In Missouri, cotton has replaced corn. Quite a difference from what I'm used to in Southern California. We've also had several encounters throughout the day with folks curious about our heavily decaled SUV. One gentleman, who's spent some time in Europe, recognizes the TDI acronym and proceeds to praise the oil burner. Several other people, including a friend with whom I speak on the phone, pose the usual questions upon finding out we are driving a diesel: Is it loud? Does it smell? The answer of course is no. Those misconceptions are relics of a bygone era, but these encounters underscore the challenges Audi and others face in getting the mainstream public on board.

Far from being loud and rough, the 3.0L V-6 is smooth, quiet, and plenty powerful. On the highway, it's impossible to tell that the Q7 is in fact a diesel until you put the pedal to the floor and it hustles forward without much fuss. On city streets, the engine note is just different enough to give it away as different than a gas-burning V-6. Besides the engine, the diesel Q7 is remarkably similar to our since-departed 2007 Audi Q7 long-termer, which was powered by a 4.2L V-8. Though official prices won't be released until closer to the Q7 TDI's early 2009 launch, word on the street is the base price will be far less than the Q7 4.2's $60,000-plus asking price. Before options, of course.