German tuning house Abt Sportsline has done a little bit of reasoning and deduced that the most powerful Audi Q5 in the current line-up is not, in fact, the supposedly range-topping SQ5 performance derivative, but actually the 55 TFSI e quattro plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) version - which uses the same drivetrain as the likes of the A6 Avant 55 TFSI e for figures of 367hp and 500Nm. To that end, it's the Q5 PHEV to which Abt has turned its attention.
425hp from a Q5
With those outputs, the 55 TFSI e is 20hp up on the SQ5 but 200Nm down, but that hasn't stopped Abt getting to gips with the 252hp/370Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine in the Q5 PHEV. Keeping the standard 105kW (143hp) electric motor as it is, Abt has had a fiddle with the engine management of the combustion motor to liberate peak numbers of 310hp and 420Nm. Combined with the electrical running gear, the Abt Q5 now delivers 425hp and 550Nm in total. Not only that, but the physical make-up of the Q5 PHEV, with its battery pack mounted low down in the floor, means it has a better centre of gravity and therefore slightly improved handling manners, despite its tall stature. Hans-Jürgen Abt, CEO of the company, said: "For us, this Q5 represents a real first - this SUV is our first hybrid vehicle [which we have tuned]."
Beyond the engine upgrades, a bicolour set of Abt GR 20-inch alloys are available for the Q5 55 TFSI e (really, as its power has gone beyond 374hp, it should be called the 'Q5 60 TFSI e' to fit in with Audi's nonsensical numbering system, but we digress), which have a gloss-black centre and a diamond-machined rim. As an alternative, the wheel can be finished in matte black with its entire surface diamond-machined, and as a final finishing touch for the uprated Audi SUV, Abt will offer detail changes for the interior - such as integrated entrance lights with a logo projection, a start-stop switch and a cover for the gearlever.
50 TFSI e not forgotten
Audi also does a lower-powered PHEV Q5 called the 50 TFSI e, which delivers 299hp and 450Nm from the factory. Abt will also tune this one up as well, if you want, lifting it to almost the same numbers as the factory 55 TFSI e - so you get 357hp and 500Nm from the model with the smaller e-motor. For more details on the options for these Q5s, visit the Abt website.