The best-of-both-worlds versatility, with the environmental and financial benefits of zero-emission electric driving, but increased range, has been made possible by an increased capacity battery. This technology also comes to the Q5 TFSI e SUV and TFSI e versions of the A6 and A7 Sportback.
Like most of its cohort the new plug-in Q5 Sportback delivers its zero-emissions driving capability with a choice of outputs - 50 TFSI e quattro models can draw on 299PS and will be available in the UK in conjunction with Sport, S line, Edition 1 and Vorsprung specification. Competition and Competition Vorsprung equipment options are fittingly reserved for 55 TFSI e quattro variants with their 367 PS power peak.
The 50 TFSI e quattro with 299 PS and 450 Nm accelerates to 62mph from a standing start in 6.1 seconds, while the 55 TFSI e quattro with 367 PS and 500 Nm dispatches the sprint in 5.3 seconds. Both top out at an electronically limited top speed of 148mph, and depending on specification both are capable of returning economy figures ranging from 141.2 MPG to 156.9 MPG, which equates to CO2 output of between 42 and 45 g/km.
In both output formats, maximum torque is available from fractionally above idle speed, giving acceleration the impressive immediacy that is one of the many benefits of electrification. When the electric motor that makes this possible is operating alone, WLTP tests have confirmed that the plug-in hybrids can travel for up to 37 miles at speeds of up to 83mph.
Simultaneously upgraded: Q5 SUV, A6 and A7 Sportback models
The uprated battery that enables the new Q5 Sportback TFSI e quattro models to hit the ground running for even greater electric-only distances is quickly establishing itself in the wider TFSI e range. The A6 and A7 Sportback model lines, the former notably now incorporating a newly introduced Avant version of the popular 50 TFSI e quattro, also get an uprated battery. In WLTP testing these cars achieved an impressive zero emission driving range of up to 41 miles in UK Sport specification for the Avant, only marginally behind the equivalent Saloon with its 43-mile scope. The A7 Sportback has an all-electric range of 42 miles.
Convenient: fast charging in just a few hours
The Audi Q5 Sportback TFSI e models are supplied as standard with the Compact charging system comprising cables for household and industrial outlets plus a control unit. The integrated charger charges the lithium-ion battery with a maximum power of 7.4 kW, meaning that at a household outlet an empty battery can be fully and conveniently recharged overnight in a little over eight hours. While on the road, the driver can also charge at public charging terminals with the standard mode 3 cable with a type 2 plug, and can streamline the process by making use of Audi’s proprietary e-tron Charging Service. It offers e-tron and TFSI e customers the opportunity to subscribe to one of two attractive fixed price charging tariffs, and to access a vast number of charge points operated by 18 suppliers across the UK and Europe using one RFID payment card.
BIK taxation – from 10% to 6% in many cases
The additional miles coverable in zero-emission EV mode are of course the key benefit unlocked by the new battery, but its impact on running costs, and most notably benefit-in-kind (BIK) taxation charges for business users, is also important, not least as a means of maximising and broadening the appeal of more environmentally compatible travel. Following the improvements, the BIK tax rate for the majority of A6 50 TFSI e quattro Saloon models decreases from 10 percent to 6 percent, and this rate also applies to Sport and S line versions of the new A6 Avant 50 TFSI e quattro. Sport, S line and Black Edition versions of the upgraded A7 Sportback also fall into this category.