AUDI'S SLEEK HYBRID
German automaker releases an exceptional blend of sophistication and performance
Germany has finally produced a hybrid that proves it can compete with the best of Toyota. When it comes to melding electric and fossil fuel motors, to get on par with the Japanese giant is quite a statement.
The machine in question is Audi's latest Q5, the 55 TFSI e. It's not just a hybrid, but a plug-in hybrid. More importantly, it's not just a plug-in hybrid, but the smoothest-running, most sophisticated and impressively silent plug-in hybrid I've tested.
Now, of course, silence is to be expected when operating on electric power alone. But, what truly impresses is that when Audi's 2.0-litre turbocharged TFSI engine kicks in, it is impressively soundless as well. I'm not quite sure how Audi did it, but this is the sweetest transition between electric and hybrid power I've seen.
That same sophistication continues when you really put your foot into it. The Q5 PHEV is certainly not shy about proclaiming that it is a performance-oriented plug-in, and Audi promises we'll see more in the future, including S and perhaps even RS models. Thanks to a total system output of 362 horsepow
er, it'll fling itself from zero to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds, the fastest of Q5s save for the S version. That's no mean feat, considering it weighs almost 300 kilograms more than the gas-powered Q5.
In pure electric mode, the Q5 doesn't exactly hang around, either. There's 141 h.p. available without dipping into the fossil fuel — and an even more important 258 pound-feet of torque — which means that even in EV mode there's plenty of pep. Like many PHEVs, the Q5 is limited to 135
km/h when operating on electrons alone, but even cruising at a steady 120, it doesn't feel underpowered. In other words, in hybrid or electric mode, the Q5 offers an exceptional blend of sophistication and performance.
Except for the fact it simply doesn't have enough range. Audi claims the Q5 TFSI e is good for 40 km of emissions-free motoring, though I usually ran out of electrons around the 35-km mark. Come winter, the maximum range will probably drop to 28 or 30 km.
Compare that with the almost 70 km I could sometimes eke out of a RAV4 Prime, and you have the difference between scurrying around town all day on electrons or desperately looking for a plug so you don't have to use fossil fuels.
Part of the problem is that the battery has but 14.1 kWh of lithium ions. Compare that with the 17.8 the new RAV4 Prime boasts. As well, the Audi averaged about 29 kWh/100 km in my testing, a couple more than the totally efficient Toyota. Whatever the case, the Q5 55 TFSI e deserves more range and the simplest way Audi can extend that is by fitting a bigger battery. Even in PHEVs, it seems, the battleground is electric range.
The good news is that, while I did use some gas during my weeklong test, the gas gauge barely budged, my normally heavy right foot using a bit less than one-fifth of the Q5 PHEV's 54 litres. When I bothered to plug in it at night — I deliberately didn't for a few nights, so I could test its purely hybrid fuel economy — I averaged 2.1 L/100 km for my daily 60-km commute. When the battery wasn't charged, fuel economy ranged from 5.8 to 10 L/100 km. The average was probably about 7.5 L/100 km, but that included some highway mileage.
All this the electric hardware will cost you: the Q5 TFSI e starts at $72,100, some $16,000 more than equivalent gas-fed Q5 Technik.
As for the rest of the Q5 55 TFSI e, it's pure Audi, meaning pretty darn good. The cabin is roomy, with exquisite leather and a great infotainment system, though the battery pack in the rear does eat up about 90 L of cargo space.
Besides being quiet, the cabin is also calm; Audi's suspension is both compliant enough for a delicious ride and sufficiently firm that handling doesn't suffer. It also offers some impressive high-tech, including predictive Ultra technology, a quattro all-wheel-drive system that anticipates demand for traction, and Audi's Predictive Efficiency Assistant that varies the level of recuperation depending on where you are and even the distance to the vehicle ahead.
The real reason you'll buy the new Audi Q5 55 TFSI e is because it's partially electrified. And with excellent performance, leading-edge sophistication and decent handling, all it needs is a bigger battery to be the perfect plug-in.