Again order books are open now for Audi’s first plug-in hybrid Q family model with deliveries starting in August.
Audi does of course have their A3 e tron plug-in family car model but the big five-seater Q7 e tron is aimed at a completely different market
The Q7 e tron is priced from £64,950 but add in the extra cost options and our test car weighed in at £78,505 on-the-road. Because of its high price the Q7 e tron is not applicable for The Government’s Plug-In Vehicle Grant but it is exempt from VED road tax, with its low 48g/km of CO2 emissions the main buyers – company car drivers, will pay only 10% Benefit-in-Kind tax and the London Congestion Charge is free.
The UK sales growth of plug-in hybrids has been significant due to their low business-user tax costs with the less prestigious than the Q7, but more affordable, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV leading the way with almost 12,000 registrations last year. Audi’s aspirations for their Q7 e tron plug-in hybrid SUV are far less with around 370 UK sales in a full year, mostly to business-users looking to reduce their company car tax costs.
Unlike the rest of the Q7 large SUV models the e tron is a five instead of seven seater with some of the rear space taken up by the by the lithium-ion battery pack. However with five seats in use the boot still offers 650-litres of luggage space with the load area increasing to 1,835-litres with the rear three seats folded down.
To get to the crux of the Q7 e tron’s technical features, a 3.0-litre, V6 TDI turbodiesel engine is mated with 94kW electric motor driving the quattro 4WD system through an 8-speed auto gearbox. The combined power output is 373hp and 700Nm of torque from 1,250rpm. Officially on standard 19-inch wheels the Combined Cycle fuel economy is up to 156.9mpg with a CO2 rating as little as 48g/km. An electric power only driving range is up to 34 miles with an overall driving range combining diesel and electric power of up to 820-miles.
On our media launch test drive over 40 miles using Cotswold winding but traffic busy roads the figure was 72.8mpg. The battery power ran-out after 21-miles and then the vehicle used mainly the diesel engine coupled with the electric power harvested during the over-run periods. It is a fact that plug-in hybrids whether coupled with petrol or diesel engines perform best for fuel economy only if they are regularly charged. Long runs with no charging during a journey reduce the mpg figures to those of conventional non-hybrid powertrains. The battery can be fully charged in as little as 2.5 hours via a public charge point or domestic wallbox but it will take eight hours using a normal domestic socket.
There are selectable three driving modes. The EV mode is electric power only, Hybrid auto mode decides the most appropriate use of power between diesel and electric and in Hybrid Hold mode the system stores the electric power for use at a later time in the journey when it would be more appropriate. The vehicle generally starts off silently in electric mode with the diesel engine coming into play when the driver presses the accelerator more firmly. The performance in terms of speed is impressive with 143mph and a zero to 62mph acceleration time of 6.2-seconds. In whatever mode the electric to diesel power transition is seamless as are the gearchanges through the 8-speed auto gearbox and of course there is quattro all wheel drive for added grip. For even more refinement take the £2,000 adaptive air suspension system which irons out the firm ride.
Standard specification includes Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, predictive efficiency assistant, MMI navigation, smartphone interface, Audi Connect infotainment and e tron connected services.
UK sales of plug-in hybrids have increased rapidly but they still only take a small proportion of new vehicle sales and Audi’s conservative predictions mirror this with the Q7 e tron. For most Q7 owners the conventional 3.0-litre TDI turbodiesel versions will save around £15k on the purchase price, still return over 40mpg but road tax will cost £185 instead of nothing and the all-important company car tax is much higher at 30%. The Q7 e tron has its advantages but at a high initial cost.
Mini Milestones: Audi Q7 e tron 3.0 TDI diesel/electric plug-in hybrid, quattro SUV. Price: From £64,950. Power unit/transmission: 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel, 94kW electric motor, combined power output 373hp, 700m of torque from 1,250rpm, 8-speed auto, quattro all wheel drive. Performance: 143mph, 0-62mph 6.2-seconds, Combined Cycle up to 156.9mpg (72.8mpg on test), CO2 48g/km, VED £0, Benefit-in-Kind company car tax 10%. Insurance group: 44E. Warranty: 3-years/60,000-miles. For: Lower running costs and taxes versus Q7 diesel models, impressive fuel saving performance potential, seamless changes between electric/diesel driving modes, superb interior. Against: Much higher purchase price over Q7 3.0-litre TDI models, only five seats as opposed to other seven-seater Q7s, not as agile in handling due to the added weight of its electric motor and battery pack, regular battery charging must be used to obtain the official fuel economy figures. Miles Better News Agency
