Snapshot
- Audi Q5 55 TFSIe confirmed for a mid-2023 arrival in Australia
- Sees Audi return to the PHEV market after being absent for a number of years
- Q5 55 TFSIe the most powerful Q5 Audi has ever offered
- Prices start at $102,900 positioning it as a technology flagship
Audi is primed to return to the plug-in hybrid segment in Australia, with the German brand today confirming the Q5 55 TFSIe PHEV for a mid-2023 arrival.
Set to be offered in both SUV and Sportback body styles, the Q5 55 TFSIe will be positioned as a technological flagship – thanks to its thrifty efficiency credentials and hefty performance outputs that rival the sporty SQ5.
Prices start at $102,900 for the Q5 55 TFSIe SUV, while the sleek and more richly equipped Sportback commands a $7300 premium at $110,200.
That pricing places the Q5 55 TFSIe above the existing petrol-powered 45 TFSI Quattro and diesel 35 TDI, 40 TDI and 50TDI, leaving only the SQ5 TDI at the top of the range.
| Q5 variant | Price (before on-road costs) |
|---|---|
| 35 TDI SUV | $66,900 |
| 40 TDI SUV/Sportback | $74,200/$82,000 |
| 40 TDI Sport SUV | $80,200 |
| 45 TFSI SUV/Sportback | $74,500/$90,600 |
| 45 TFSI Sport SUV | $81,500 |
| NEW: 55 TFSIe SUV/Sportback | $102,900/$110,200 |
| SQ5 SUV/Sportback | $110,400/$116200 |
Both versions of the Q5 55 TFSIe share the same powertrain, which combines a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with a 17.9kWh (gross) battery and a single electric motor.
Outputs are muscular at 270kW/500Nm, making it the most powerful Q5 Audi has ever offered. By comparison, the SQ5 delivers 294kW and 550Nm from its 3.0-litre turbo V6.
The Q5 55 TFSi claims a 0-100km/h time of 5.3 seconds, which is only two tenths adrift of the otherwise sportier diesel-powered SQ5.
“People really wanted it to be a performance vehicle as well an as efficiency vehicle,” Audi’s head of product planning, Peter Strudwicke, told Wheels.
On the efficiency front, the Q5 55 TFSIe drinks 2.0L/100km on the combined cycle and offers between 53-55km of WLTP electric only range at speeds up to 135km/h.
As you’d expect given its flagship positioning, standard equipment levels are high across both models with some subtle differences between the two.
2023 Audi Q5 55 TFSIe SUV equipment and features
| S-Line exterior | Ambient lighting |
| 20-inch wheels | Illuminated door sills |
| Panoramic sunroof | Audi connect plus |
| Privacy glass | Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto |
| Red brake callipers | 10-speaker 180W sound system |
| Leather appointed upholstery | Adaptive cruise control |
| Sports front seats with memory function | Swerve/park assist |
| Three zone climate control | 360 surround view camera |
The Q5 55 TFSIe Sportback is more richly equipped as standard and adds:
| Matrix LED headlights |
| S-Line interior |
| Nappa leather upholstery with contrast diamond stitching |
Another notable equipment difference is that roof racks are standard on the SUV, but optional on the Sportback.
Australia’s growing interest in electrified SUVs
Audi hasn’t offered a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) in Australia for a number of years since it deleted the slow-selling A3 e-tron and Q7 e-tron models from the local line-up.
Since then, though, demand for electrified SUVs has exploded and the premium mid-size segment is now overflowing with PHEV options.
Key rivals for Q5 55 TFSIe include the Volvo XC60 Recharge Ultimate ($100,990), Mercedes-Benz GLC 300e ($94,124), Peugeot 3008 GT PHEV ($84,790) and Lexus NX 450h+ F Sport Plug-in ($88,323).
“We did try, as you know, A3 and Q7 PHEV in the past – that was our first foot in the door for electric vehicles, and they hit our requirements,” said Audi Australia product manager Matthew Dale. “It was good, I mean, that was 2015-16 when we were testing the market.
“Right now is probably when the market is starting to grow. We’re starting to see rapid growth – like, from 2020-21 the market grew 300 percent in just EV and that’s plug-in hybrid and BEV [battery electric]. And then last year, we saw a 65 per cent increase. So the Australian market is growing and the only way from here is north.”
“The Australian [PHEV] market is growing and the only way from here is north.”
Don’t, however, think that the Q5 PHEV’s arrival foreshadows an influx of plug-in variants across Audi’s Aussie range.
When asked if a Q3 plug-in hybrid could also make its way Down Under, Audi’s Aussie managing director, Jeff Mannering, all but ruled it out.
“I’d say no, probably not. We’ll leave that one out,” he said. “There might be a bigger SUV that we’re talking about at the moment and we’ll just see how we go with that one. But Q5, for us, is important because it’s in a particular price range. It’s the most popular car in our range.”
Globally, Audi currently offers plug-in hybrid variants across its model range stretching from A3, A6, A7, A8, Q3, Q5, Q7 and Q8.
Keyword: 2023 Audi Q5 55 TFSIe price and features