Audi unveils updated Q5 for 2013, complete with new hybrid version

Audi’s mid-ranged crossover, the Q5, was brought into this world in 2008. Considering that it’s about four years old in its current guise, Audi had decided to give it a bit of a refresh with some updated engines and revised looks

Beginning with the more important stuff, the new 2013 Audi Q5 gets reinvigorated with a choice of five engines: three turbodiesels, two turbocharged gas engines, and one hybrid setup. Thanks to the addition of a standard stop-start system and direct fuel injection, all engines benefit from an increase in performance and a 15% decrease in fuel consumption.

The TDI turbodiesels can be had in three versions: two 2.0L four-bangers that produce 144hp and 236 lb-ft, and 177hp and 280 lb-ft. The third is a 3.0L turbodiesel V6, which produces 245hp and a whopping 428 lb-ft of torque.

The TFSI gas engines include a 2.0L four-pot that’s good for 225hp and 258 lb-ft, and a 3.0L supercharged V6 that produces 272hp and 295 lb-ft of torque.

The diesels are said to return 44.38 mpg for the 144hp turbodiesel, 39.2 mpg for the 177hp turbodiesel, and 36.75 mpg for the 3.0L V6. The gas versions return 31 mpg for the four-banger, and 28 mpg for the V6.

The base engines can be mated to a six-speed manual while the rest come standard with either Audi’s seven- or eight-speed gearboxes. All models except for the base 2.0 TDI model come with permanent Quattro all-wheel drive.

The first ever Q5 Hybrid also gets its release, being powered by a 2.0L TFSI gas four-pot that’s good for 211hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Combined with an electric motor that’s mounted where the torque converter usually is in Audi’s eight-speed auto, the motor has a peak output of 54hp and 155 lb-ft of torque, the Q5 Hybrid produces a total of 245hp and 354 lb-ft of torque in brief situations. Its combined fuel consumption has been rated at 34 mpg, while 60 mph comes up in just 7.1 seconds.

Pricing for the new 2013 Audi Q5 starts at just 39,900 for the European markets while the US still awaits its own debut with details and pricing of the updated Q5.

– By: Chris Chin