2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid First Impressions

[ahmed_7erzon]

The next instalment in my Audi Electrification adventure landed me in a Q5 Hybrid. We all know that compact crossovers are the “in” segment at the moment. Mix in luxury, and your vehicle is a sure-fire winner. Throw in “hybrid” and you're now dabbling in a backyard that has seen only one player for the last few years, the Lexus RX. Well-established and highly-regarded, the RX is no pushover and nor does Audi intend on aiming straight at it.


Instead, the Q5 Hybrid will target those that want to enjoy the drive, feel good about their green choice and, well, be cool. That's because everybody knows that nothing is hipper these days than being a new Audi owner.

As part of Audi's Electromobility Strategy, the Q5 Hybrid displays one of the many possibilities of the application of an electric motor and a battery pack. Unlike the A1 and R8 e-tron, the Q5 Hybrid offers the more common platform (we've all heard of a hybrid) but for Audi, this is the first of its kind.

Enhanced electric drive
The Q5 Hybrid will be dubbed the performance hybrid alternative in its segment. And it will work. And it will sell.

My barely-more-than-brief drive took me from the Audi Sportpark, south-east of the brand's headquarters in Ingolstadt, through a series of urban driving situations with a few opportunities to nail the throttle in between.

First, the Q5 Hybrid uses the phenomenal 2.0 TFSI 4-cylinder engine as its base of operations. On its own, this mill produces 211 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. It, with the new 8-speed automatic transmission and the all-important quattro AWD system, would be quite the trio to make this lithe CUV a blast for fun and economical daily driving. Enter the hybrid “boost”.

Mounted directly between the 'box and the 2.0 TFSI is the electric motor. Here's where things get interesting. Total output of both forms of motivation is 245 hp and a stonking 354 lb-ft of torque! These numbers are good enough to propel the Q5 to 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds (only a couple tenths off of a GTI's time) and a 80-120 km/h time of only 5.9 seconds. Fuel consumption numbers hover in the 7L per 100 km zone, which corresponds to CO2 emissions of less than 160 g/km (compared to 199 g/km for the 2.0 TFSI on its own). Not a bad series of enhancements I'd say. Driving As with most automatic “transmissioned” vehicles, the Q5 has a “D” and an “S” position for the shifter. The “D” mode optimizes fuel economy and energy efficiency. In it, the electric batteries supply enough juice to the powertrain to get the Q5 up and going, this, after the start/stop system has done its job. If you are careful enough, the batteries will get you up to 60 km/h without TFSI involvement for up to 3 km. This I was able to manage, however I was unable to experience the claimed “driven up to 100 km/h under electric power alone”. In “S” mode, start/stop is disabled and the electric motor serves as boost for the gasoline engine, effectively making the compact CUV move as though it was powered by a larger engine. Impressions were limited to finding that the transition between EV, I.C.E. and the combination of both was jerky at best. Steering felt heavy and the regenerative braking was rather intrusive. The vehicles we tested were not production models, but from what the Audi rep in the passenger seat said, these Q5 hybrids were very close to the final thing. Modular setup The Q5 hybrid system is extremely compact and efficient. The weight of the entire getup is of only 130 kg. Of that, the battery pack represents less than 1/3 of the total mass; in other words, 38 kg. It consists of 72 cells that are seriously cooled by a heavy-duty active cooling system. This same hybrid system, given its flexibility and limited girth, will serve as the basis for many, if not all, future hybrids from Audi. Namely, expect an A8, an A6 and more. Incidentally, if you recall reading about a Q7 hybrid, it was “replaced” by the Q5. Inside and out The Q5 Hybrid is nearly identical to the run-of-the-mill Q5. From the outside, only unique 19” alloy wheels (which cover larger front discs), a few selective aerodynamic touches and hybrid badges distinguish one from the other. The same applies on the inside. The passenger cabin remains just as elegant as the stock Q5's. Actually, the full set of digital and analog gauges along with the centre display screen add a very tangible touch of techie-ness that many will appreciate. Many hybrids suffer luggage-space loss, but that is not the case with the Q5. The only compromise is the loss of the spare tire as that is where the battery pack is located. Hybrid The success of this model would normally depend on the asking price. Certainly, given that this is a premium product, a 10 to 15% increase over the regular retail price will most likely not deter the purchaser of a near $50,000 vehicle. If Audi can smoothen out the transitional phases between energy sources, this will be a very convincing product. It is expected to arrive in dealerships in mid-2011.