Just as it would feel uncomfortable for Batman to be out-superheroed by his sidekick Robin, so it must have felt for Audi to be out-muscled by its less upmarket cousin Volkswagen.
When the Vorsprung lads launched their Q7 quattro SUV a couple of years ago they didn't have anything to compete with VW's five-litre V10 Touareg.
But this was redressed in February 2008 Audi SA unveiled a 4.2-litre, V8 Q7 which makes exactly 10kW more power and 10Nm more torque than the V10 Volksie.
Its 240kW and 760Nm make the Q7 the country's most powerful diesel SUV although an even more potent, V12 version packing 368kW and 1000Nm will be headed here in 2009.
Even the V8 Q7 has more power than you'll ever need unless your neighbour owns a Porsche Cayenne Turbo and needs to be put in his place - in fact it has more torque than the Porsche.
It's all there for effortless cruising, towing, or climbing steep sand dunes with no chance that you'll ever feel under-endowed.
Squeezing this much superhero out of a 4.2-litre engine involved fitting not one but two intercooled turbochargers, each with electrically adjustable turbines that deliver the best of both worlds: strong top end power with mighty bottom-end grunt.
The big Audi accelerates briskly, even brutally if you briefly hold the brake with your left foot while winding up the throttle.
We tried this trick while chasing Audi's claimed 6.4sec 0-100km/h sprint.
That was a failure, but the 7.5sec we did achieve at Gauteng altitude is still very impressive for a vehicle weighing 2.4 tons. So was its braking; this heavy beast comes to a very rapid halt when necessary.
Directing the power to all four wheels is a six-speed, semi-automatic gearbox; diesels with automatic transmissions often suffer from annoying turbo lag, especially at high altitude, but there's no such issue here. Apart from a small hesitation right at the start, which will probably disappear altogether at sea level, this car pulls like a bullet train.
It's all very refined too; the chugga-chugga soundtrack is so well hidden that you're seldom aware this vehicle sips the darker fuel. It's less successful in terms of fuel consumption, however; our test car's 14.2 litres/100km was considerably thirstier than Audi's 11.1-litre claim.
The 4.2-litre Q7 goes big on the bling scale with 20" rims and dual exhausts but pulls it off with European finesse and a sexy, coupé-like figure rather than the brash, in-your-faceness of a Hummer.
760Nm makes low-range unnecessary
The 45-profile tyres limit your off-roading options but, let's face it, that's not why people buy Q7s. If you do want to risk scratching that shiny paintwork, the car has the wherewithal to scale steep hills and churn through rutted tracks by virtue of its all-wheel drive with traction control and height-adjustable air suspension which allows ground clearance to be set from 180mm to 240mm.
Not to forget the 760Nm that makes a low-range transfer case unnecessary.
The Q7 does the business, however, on the tar where it will spend most of its life.
The handling's not bad considering its size and it gets through corners without too much top-heaviness with the suspension on its lowest setting; the quattro drive and super-wide, 275mm tyres help it stick to the road like controversy to Jacob Zuma.
The variable ratio steering maintains great directional stability on fast straights but gets more direct in corners.
Cabin charm is Audi's strong point and it still blends style and quality better than the opposition. Hop aboard and you're met with heaps of space and class.
The R710 000 price tag includes cruise control, electrically-adjustable front seats, an electric tailgate and a parking sensor, but satellite navigation and a third row of seats are part of a long list of extra-cost options.
One of these, offered by Audi for the first time, is a lane assist system that alerts the driver if he or she is about to change lanes without indicating by of slight vibration in the steering wheel.
VERDICT
Audi's double victory at Le Mans with its R10 TDi made diesel power cool - not that we need much convincing with an engine spec sheet that looks this good. Perhaps the next Batmobile could even be a diesel. Star Motoring