Audi adds the Q7 TFSI e quattro to its portfolio

The SUV starts in fully electric “EV” mode. A loudspeaker in the right wheel arch emits a synthetic e-sound to warn pedestrians and cyclists in city traffic.

In accordance with the EU guidelines, this acoustic vehicle alerting system (AVAS) can be heard clearly up to 20 km/h (12.4 mph) and gradually fades out as the speed increases. The gasoline engine is activated only when the driver depresses the right-hand pedal, the “active accelerator pedal,” beyond a specific level of resistance.

“Hybrid” mode offers two operating modes: “Auto” and “Hold”. In “Auto” mode, the predictive operating strategy is activated automatically when route guidance is started in the standard MMI navigation plus. The battery charge is spread intelligently along the route, with large electric portions in the city and in stop-and-go traffic. In most cases, the TFSI engine accelerates the vehicle and the electric motor provides support as needed. When accelerating from low rotational speeds, for example, it bridges those tenths of a second that the turbocharger needs to build up pressure, ensuring that the drive has a very spontaneous response. Generally speaking, the predictive operating strategy endeavors to drive as far as possible on electric power and to use the available battery charge completely by the time the destination is reached.

A different strategy is used in “Hold” mode: In this case, the battery's existing state of charge is kept at the current level with just minimum fluctuations. This is done by recovering brake energy, i.e. recuperation and shifting the load point - in other words, by means of targeted interventions in the management of the 3.0 TFSI. Following a long-distance journey that is driven the conventional way, for example, this allows the subsequent urban drive to be covered on purely electric power, i.e. without emissions and nearly silent.

The phases in which the driver takes their foot off the accelerator pedal are also important for the efficiency of the Q7 with plug-in hybrid drive. The PEA takes over the regulation in such situations. In addition to the navigation data, it also takes the distance to the car in front into account and then decides between freewheeling with the TFSI switched off (“gliding”) and recuperation, i.e. the recovery of kinetic energy and its conversion into electric energy. In overrun mode, the Q7 TFSI e quattro can recover up to 25 kW of power and feed it back to the lithium-ion battery.

When operated as an alternator, the electric motor performs all light and medium brake applications up to 0.3 g, which make up more than 90% of all deceleration processes in everyday customer operation. The hydraulic wheel brakes are activated only in the case of heavier deceleration processes. Thanks to sophisticated fine tuning, the transition, also known as “blending,” between the electric and hydraulic brakes is virtually imperceptible; the brake pedal always provides good feedback and can thus be modulated precisely. During a brake application, the hybrid SUV achieves a recuperation power of up to 80 kW.

In addition to the “EV” soft key, the driver of the Audi Q7 TFSI e quattro can influence the ride character at a second level: the Audi drive select system. The driver can use the ride profiles “comfort,” “efficiency,” “auto,” “dynamic,” “individual,” “allroad” (with the optional adaptive air suspension) and “offroad” to influence the setup of the drive, air spring suspension and steering.

Depending on the settings, the way in which the drives work together changes when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal. In the “dynamic” profile of Audi drive select and in transmission mode “S,” the electric motor supports the 3.0 TFSI with a pronounced boost function for high levels of dynamism and agility. When the foot is taken off the accelerator pedal, freewheeling is blocked in this setting; the electric motor thus recuperates whenever the foot is taken off the right-hand pedal.

The Audi Q7 60 TFSI e quattro's sporty appeal is reinforced by the standard S line exterior with a full paint finish in the body colour and striking design details at the front and rear ends. The look is completed by the black styling package and the Matrix LED headlights. Red brake calipers are installed behind the 20-inch wheels and the adaptive air suspension provides a great range from taut handling to comfortable rolling.

The interior of the Q7 60 TFSI e quattro features the interior S line/S line sport package. This includes sport seats with S line embossing, black headlining and aluminium inlays. When the doors are opened, LED lights in the door sills project the four rings onto the ground. Most equipment features are also available for the Audi Q7 55 TFSI e quattro upon request.

The charging socket of the new plug-in hybrids is located in the rear section of the left sidewall, opposite the tank filler neck. The Audi Q7 TFSI e quattro can be charged conveniently at public charging terminals while on the road, using the standard mode 3 cable with a type 2 connector. Upon request, Audi's own charging service, the e-tron Charging Service, provides access to more than 110,000 charging points in Europe. Customers can use a single card to charge at terminals from numerous different providers.

The myAudi app allows customers to use the services from the Audi connect portfolio on their smartphones. They can also check the battery and range status, start charging processes, program the charge timer and view the charge and consumption statistics. The charging stations are listed in both the app and the vehicle's navigation system.

The Audi Q7 60 TFSI e quattro can now be ordered at a base price of €89,500 ($99,345) in Germany and the Audi Q7 55 TFSI e quattro is available for a base price of €74,800 ($83,028). The market introduction will begin at the end of 2019.