New Audi Q5 55 TFSIe quattro: the hybrid offensive of Audi begins

The new Audi Q5 TFSIe is the first of a series of plug-in hybrids that Audi will launch on the market this year. It has 367 CV, an EV-mode range of more than 40 km, costs 66,060 euros and carries the Zero label from the DGT.

Audi announced at the last Geneva Motor Show an offensive of models plug-in hybrids that will reach dealerships throughout this year. And the first of them is the new Audi Q5 TFSIe.

Remember these letters, TFSIe, which from now on will identify the plug-in hybrids of Audi, while the name “e-tron” is reserved for the fully electric versions. The first of them is already on the market too, and we have taken the wheel. Here you can read the road test of the Audi e-tron, the first 100% electric vehicle from the brand of the four rings.

But today we are talking about plug-in hybrids. It is Audi’s bet on the transition to the electric car, setting aside, at least for now, “self-charging” hybrids that cannot recharge their batteries from the electrical grid.

367 CV power, more than 40 km of range in EV mode

In the case of the Audi Q5 55 TFSIe, the power of the hybrid drive system reaches 367 CV (270 kW), resulting from combining the well-known 2.0 TFSI four-cylinder petrol engine, with 252 CV, and an electric motor of 105 kW. The system’s maximum torque reaches 500 Nm, with the advantage that it is available almost from idle: it is on tap from 1,250 rpm.

With such horsepower, the performance of the Q5 55 TFSIe looks more like that of a high-performance GTI than that of an SUV: it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds. And it reaches a top speed of 239 km/h.

The homologated consumption is no surprise, considering we are talking about a plug-in hybrid: between 2.4 and 2.6 l/100 km. The Q5 TFSIe can cover more than 40 km in fully electric mode (WLTP figures, both range and consumption), and move through traffic without burning fuel with great agility. In fact, in EV mode it easily reaches 135 km/h. This electric-mode range entitles the Q5 TFSIe to display the Zero label from the DGT, with the advantages that this brings.

Permanent all-wheel drive

Unlike other plug-in hybrids, the Q5 TFSIe uses a configuration with the electric motor integrated into the S tronic gearbox. A clutch takes care of engaging the electric and combustion motors when they combine their power, or of letting them work separately.

There is therefore no electric motor driving the rear wheels. In the Q5 TFSIe quattro, all-wheel drive is “real”, with a mechanical connection between the front and rear axles. It also uses ultra technology from Audi: the car behaves like a front-wheel-drive vehicle, and the system transmits power to the rear axle when needed. It does so predictively, that is, anticipating the driving situation.

The predictive efficiency assistant, which takes into account route data stored in the navigation system, as well as traffic thanks to the analysis of data collected by radar sensors and video cameras, helps the hybrid system also work predictively. It decides whether to run on one motor or the other, and when to take advantage of energy recovery to reduce consumption.

Even so, the driver can choose between hybrid mode, electric EV mode, or Battery Hold mode, which lets you reserve the charge stored in the batteries for later use. For example, when arriving in the city.

With the 7.4 kW on-board charger fitted, the Q5 55 TFSIe quattro can recover the battery charge in about six hours from a 220-volt domestic socket. If an industrial power outlet (400 volts and 16 amps) is used, charging time drops to 2.5 hours.

The price in Spain for the Audi Q5 55 TFSIe quattro is 66,060 euros. Standard equipment includes Matrix LED headlights, sport seats, three-zone climate control and 19-inch wheels.

Technical specifications of this car

CrossoverAudi Q528 versions · from 63,000 €