2011 Audi Q 5 Hybrid and New Generation 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid
2011 Audi Q 5 Hybrid and 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid
The 2011 Audi Q5 Hybrid features a novel display concept whereby each driving mode can be experienced. The tachometer has been replaced on the instrument cluster by a “power meter” that has a needle that indicates the total system output on a scale of 0 to 100. A second scale is divided into colored segments of green and orange that clearly show which drive system the Q5 Hybrid Quattro is currently operating under. An additional instrument displays the charge level of the battery. Several exterior visual effects that are signature to the Audi Q5 Hybrid Quattro are prominent. The rear hatch, fenders, and aluminum door sills bear hybrid badges. The radiator grill is painted a high-gloss black. And the tailpipes are trimmed in chrome. An exclusive Arctic Silver Metallic paint finish is available as an option. 19-inch, ten spoke, cast aluminum wheels were specially designed for the Q5 Hybrid. Audi also offers customers 19- and 20-inch diagonal wheels and an S line bumper is available from Quattro GmbH.
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| 2011 Audi Q5 Hybrid |
The 2011 Audi Q 5 Hybrid 2.0 TFSI engine has been overhauled for use in the Audi Q5 Hybrid. The drive of the ancillary units have been dropped, and the crankshaft bearing and fine tuning of the turbocharger have been adapted to the specific demands. A secondary air system at the cylinder head makes sure that the secondary gas treatment cuts in almost immediately. Integrated in the engine control unit, the so-called hybrid manager controls the efficient change and smooth transitions between the operating modes. The modified eight-speed tiptronic serves as a power transmission without the aid of a torque converter that has been replaced by the disk-shaped electric motor which, combined with a multi-plate clutch bathed in oil, couples and decouples the electric motor and the TFSI. The innovative decoupler operates precisely and smoothly under any situation.
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| 2011 Audi Q5 Hybrid |
2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid
The 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid appears to be little more than a totally stock Q5 2.0T Premium model. The hybrid bits are as cleanly integrated as in the 2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid and Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid just on a smaller, more sensible scale. While you're waiting, you can ride with us as we drive the 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid around Audi's headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany. The 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid to get to the United States, and we can't say we blame them. After all, this is the Q5 model that will render a diesel version of Audi's compact crossover SUV unnecessary. Audi promises that the gas-electric hybrid Q5 will be nearly as quick as the conventional V6-equipped Q5 while undercutting the fuel consumption of the base 2.0T model.
The 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid, there's nothing more exotic than a 208-horsepower, longitudinally mounted version of the turbocharged and direct-injected, 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder gasoline engine. Behind it, there's the latest ZF-designed eight-speed automatic transmission common to all four-cylinder 2011 Q5s. All-wheel drive is standard on the Q5 Hybrid, and unlike on other supposed four-wheel-drive hybrids, this remains a real AWD system, complete with a driveshaft and rear differential, thus preserving the authenticity of the Quattro badge.
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| 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid |
The 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid seems exceptionally normal. The 72-cell, 39-kilowatt lithium-ion pancake battery sits in the rear under the cargo floor where the spare tire used to be, and it impinges on the Q5's usual 29.1 cubic feet of cargo volume negligibly. Equally impressive is the fact that the battery pack weighs only 83 pounds. In normal conditions, the battery pack is cooled by air from the Q5's cabin, but if it gets too hot, a separate refrigerant line hooked up to the crossover's air-conditioner unit is activated.
The exterior, we spot the glossy black grille unique to the Q5 Hybrid along with a specifically designed set of 19-inch alloy wheels that, according to Audi officials, help reduce the Audi Q5's coefficient of drag from 0.33 Cd to an as yet undisclosed lower number. These wheels will only appear on the hybrid Q5, but buyers can opt for a different 19-inch design or bump up to 20s. Finally, the tailpipes are chromed, and you can have the 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid Quattro in any color you like, so long as it's Polar Silver.
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| 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid |
Compared to the Q5 2.0T, the hybrid's curb weight is up some 319 pounds. This is not a criticism, as the heft gives the ride added comfort qualities that do not exist on the stock Q5 with its sometimes rigid responses. Besides saving some fuel (the hybrid could approach an EPA-rated 30 mpg combined versus the Q5 2.0T's 22 mpg) and consequent CO2 emissions (Audi claims an average of 258 grams per mile here versus the 2.0T model's 303 g/mile), the electric motor's 156 pound-feet of torque results in respectably quick acceleration. Audi claims a 0-60-mph acceleration time of 7 seconds flat. For comparison, we recorded a 6.8-second 0-60 time in the Q5 3.2, which has a 270-hp 3.2-liter gasoline V6.
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| 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid |
Under the bonnet/hood is a 1.4 litre TSI petrol engine, producing 110 kilowatts (150 PS; 148 bhp). This will distribute its torque of 240 newton metres (177 ft·lbf) to the front roadwheels via an 'S tronic' Direct-Shift Gearbox. However, in the back of the car, beneath a perspex peephole, is a 30 kilowatts (41 PS; 40 bhp) electric motor which drives the rear axle, and can generate an additional 200 newton metres (148 ft·lbf) of torque, designed to create a zero emissions driving experience in residential or city areas, and increase torque while the 1.4 TSI engine is accelerating.
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| 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid Interior |
A lithium-ion battery pack supports a range of up to 100 kilometres (62 mi). In electric mode, the car has a top speed of more than 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). When both the engine and electric motors are working in unison, the car is transformed into a genuine quattro, with a combined torque output of 440 newton metres (325 ft·lbf) being shared between all four roadwheels. Stop-start technology will be utilised, as will regenerative braking. As a result, Audi claim a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency when compared to exclusive use of the internal combustion engine.
