Audi has revealed its new Q3 TFSIe, a plug-in hybrid version of its popular SUV, which will go on sale in the Spring of 2021.
245hp and low emissions
The Q3 TFSIe uses the now-familiar Volkswagen Group 1.4 TSI turbo petrol engine aided by an 85kW electric motor. Power for the electric half of the drivetrain comes from a 13kWh battery, which when fully-charged gives the Q3 TFSIe an electric-only range of 51km on the WLTP cycle. Combined power is 245hp, with 400Nm of torque, and Audi claims a 0-100km/h time of 7.3 seconds.
The plug-in hybrid tech is available in both the standard Q3 and in the Q3 Sportback and is badged as a '45 TFSIe' in the current Audi badging language. Oddly, Audi doesn't quote the WLTP fuel economy and emissions figures, instead saying that the Q3 and Q3 Sportback return figures of 32 to 39g/km of CO2 and fuel economy of 1.4 litres per 100km. At any rate, the CO2 emissions are unlikely to be much different under WLTP, and the fuel economy will be largely fictional anyway and will be hugely dependent upon how often you plug your Q3 TFSIe in to charge.
Auto Hybrid mode
Audi says that the Q3 plug-in will always start-up in electric mode unless it's in very cold conditions and that there's an active sound system on the outside of the car to warn pedestrians that you're coming. When running in 'Auto Hybrid' mode, the Q3 has an engine-off coasting feature, which helps to save a little extra fuel, while the computer that decides how best to juggle electric and petrol power can also take info from the sat-nav to predict how best to deploy that power.
There is, of course, the option to charge the battery while driving, and there's an S setting for the gearbox which allows brief bursts of maximum torque (all 330Nm of it) from the electric motor for when you need to accelerate hard.
Smaller boot
The brake energy recuperation system can slow the car, when you lift off the throttle, at as much as 0.3G, and Audi reckons that it can recover 40kW of power during braking. Charging from a home socket with 3.6kW output, the Q3's battery can be recharged in just under four hours, and you can use the MyAudi smartphone app to monitor and schedule that charging.
The fitting of the battery pack has impacted practicality a little though, reducing the Q3's boot space to 380 litres, or only about as much as you'd get in a standard Volkswagen Golf. The cabin and exterior styling are essentially unchanged, aside from the addition of an extra cover for the charging point.
We don't have Irish prices and specs for the Q3 TFSIe just yet but will update this piece when we do.