daf999999

Anybody with the Q5 hybrid care to comment on their actual mpg in city stop and go traffic? My driving is almost exclusively heavy city (Chicago)traffic - about 10 miles of rush hour stop/go on the highway into the downtown area - which is "good" for a traditional hybrid but perhaps less so for a performance hybrid like the Audi. All input welcome

thanks

daf999999

Sorry for the bump - but would love to hear MPG results from Q5 hybrid owners under any specified conditions - thanks

idale

I don't know that anyone here even has a hybrid at this point. There's a couple who were/are interested in them, but especially since they've only been out for about 6 months or so and they're really rare, it's hard to find someone actually in one yet.

daf999999

Thanks - any thoughts on whether the Cayenne Hybrid is a good comparison - maybe its the same system?

idale

I would think the hybrid portion should be similar, though of course the Touareg/Cayenne pairs with a V6 engine. If you can get info on how people have done with those hybrid systems, though, I would think it would be a similar story on the Q5 (in the sense of how the "real-world" consumption compares to the EPA estimates, obviously not specific numbers). Not that I've seen or heard anything about those hybrids' performance either, though, but then again I haven't specifically gone looking.

ErnestHouse

Sadly, I've researched the Q5 Hybrid more than a human should. I don't think there's an article written or review video made that I haven't read or watched. As others have said, there isn't a lot of real world experience out there yet. Even last weeks Chicago Times "review" was jsut from seeing one at the auto show and didn't actually drive one.

I think the Q5 hybrid is a well thought out design that uses the same fundamental design tenant of an inline electric motor as the Touareg (they are of course both from VAG) and for that matter, the upcoming Porsche hybrids. This is in contrast to the heavier and more complicated multi-electric motor designs of Lexus and BMW.

When I test drove the Q5 hybrid, it performed like the 245HP V6 I am accustomed to (similar size and weight MY 2004 crossover) and better than the 240HP X3 I drove back to back. In the Q5, I felt I would indeed have the performance of a V6 but the economy of a 4 cylinder.

HOWEVER, what goes undiscussed in most threads is that a hybrid system such as the Q5 affords the driver the opportunity through EV operation, coasting and braking regeneration and other hypermiling techniques to BEAT the EPA mileage numbers which is unheard of with TDI and petrol only vehicles. With a soft pedal and not-nearly-as-annoying-as-prius driving tactics, the realtime mileage on my 15 minutes of city driving was 29mpg without really trying.

Additionally, the electric motor relieves the ICE from running as hard or as often on both highway and around town which adds to the quieter ride, especially waiting in traffic.

If you price compare the base Q5 hybrid which is Prestige level without ADS and adaptive cruise, with a base Q5 3.0 Prestige, the Hybrid is $1400 cheaper in addition to saving fuel costs.

It might be nice to have a PHEV version but the batteries add weight and take up room. As is, the Audi design's impact to space is that there is no spare, only a repair kit. Fortunately though, you can buy a non-hybrid Q5 collapsed spare for times you want one in the trunk.

idale

To be overly nitpicky, many people find it rather easy to beat EPA estimates on TDIs. However, you'll always be using fuel (other than if start-stop-equipped, but that's only when completely stopped) and depending on your driving needs you might be able to EV on the hybrid to not use fuel at all for short durations (in addition to typical methods of conserving momentum that work for any vehicle). I would expect that there's a larger "margin of error" on the hybrid figures compared to the TDI (moderate) and the petrol (small), and so depending on your driving style and needs, you could either clean up or not see much of a difference. I probably wouldn't see much of any gains personally, though I haven't tested but my style is more in line with the TDI (use the low-end grunt to full potential) so it wouldn't be surprising.

It's definitely good to get at least some sort of "real" figure, though, regardless of whatever sort of range we might be able to expect, since almost everyone quotes the EPA figures which are especially meaningless in a vehicle that won't necessarily always be using gas. I think only C&D gave out any sort of "tested" figure, but that was a 29mpg for whatever loop they went on and they don't give any details for inferring how much city vs. highway that is (and especially for hybrids what type of "city" driving), nor do they give any insight on what their driving style was during the test (did they try and play to the hybrid's strengths, or thrash it to make it as hard as possible?).