The Audi Q3 for company car drivers

Germany The hybrid market leader is called Audi. No other brand is currently selling more hybrid cars. This is primarily due to marketing, because only a few Audi hybrids are actually electric. Most support only with electricity (mild hybrid). After a long wait, the Q3 will be a real plug-in hybrid from 2021. As the Q3 45 TFSI e, the compact SUV drives around 50 kilometers in all-electric mode. The electric motor and the combustion engine together produce 245 hp. Atypical for an Audi SUV: there is no all-wheel drive in the partially electric version.

The Audi Q3 45 TFSI e in brief

• First plug-in drive in the Audi Q3 and Q3 Sportback
• 13 kWh battery capacity for around 50 kilometers of electric range
• Electric motor and 1.4 liter turbo gasoline engine with 245 hp system output
• Only available with front wheel drive
• Base price Audi Q3 plug-in hybrid: 46,000 euros, less subsidies
• Can be ordered from January 2021

Delayed plug-in hybrid: Q3 45 TFSI e from 2021

The second Q3 generation has been on the market since 2018, so far only with diesel and gasoline engines. Audi only interprets the 150 hp petrol engine as a mild hybrid. An electric motor contributes power via a belt. Too little to drive – but enough to relieve the burner. Motto: Save fuel with a manageable effort.

In the long term, every class needs a real electric drive so that the consumption balance is correct. In the Q3 plug-in hybrid, a 1.4-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor share the work. Both drives are arranged in series and transmit their power to the front wheels via a dual clutch transmission. You can drive the car independently or together.

With a charged battery (capacity: 13 kWh), the Q3 45 TFSI e starts and drives electrically. In the (realistic) standard scenario, it creates a range of around 50 kilometers. Audi caps the all-electric top speed to 140 km / h. With an electrical output of 85 kW (115 PS), the SUV could theoretically drive faster, but would then be very inefficient.

As soon as the battery runs out of power (or the driver demands more power), the combustion engine switches on. When it runs for the first time, it stays on for about five minutes to bring the oil and exhaust gas cleaning up to temperature. The turbo gasoline engine has an output of 150 hp and a top speed of 210 km / h in the Q3 plug-in hybrid.

245 PS in the Audi Q3 45 TFSI e (2021)

Both engines deliver their full power at different speeds. The system output is therefore 245 hp and 400 Nm torque. They pull the Audi to 100 km / h in 7.3 seconds. The top speed does not increase in the group. This means that the Q3 Plug-in drives more slowly than the Q3 45 TFSI (without e) with the same power: the pure combustion engine sprints to 100 km / h in 6.3 seconds with all-wheel drive and runs at a top speed of 233 km / h.

The drive in the Q3 45 TFSI e corresponds mechanically to that of VW Golf GTE, Tiguan eHybrid, Cupra Leon eHybrid, Skoda Octavia RS iV and Audi A3 45 TFSI e. Audi does not offer all-wheel drive for the plug-in Q3. Currently, only one gearbox can accommodate the electric motor in its platform. There is no space for an angular drive towards the rear axle.

In the long term, a plug-in hybrid drive will remain in Audi’s compact SUV. Audi will not offer a second, cheaper performance level with 204 hp. The Q3 does not come as a purely electric car either. Instead, the Audi Q4 E-Tron will be launched at the end of 2021 with an electric range of 500 kilometers, all-wheel drive, similar dimensions and more space.

Audi Q3 plug-in hybrid: space and prices

When it comes to space, the Q3 plug-in hybrid fails. Its battery sits on the rear axle and takes up part of the trunk. Compared to other front-wheel drive Audi Q3s, the plug-in loads 150 liters less luggage. A 380 liter load fits under the cover. With the rear seats folded down, it stows a maximum of 1,375 liters (Sportback: 1,250 liters).

Apart from that, the part-time electric vehicle is no different from the normal compact SUV. At most the flap in the left fender out the Q3. The charging port is hidden behind it. The car charges with a maximum of 3.6 kW of AC 400 volts. DC chargers are rarely available in plug-in hybrids and are always combined with higher battery capacity.

The Q3 45 TFSI e can be ordered from the second week of January 2021. Without extras, it costs 46,000 euros, than the Q3 45 TFSI e Sportback 1,400 euros more (prices with 19 percent VAT). This means that the partially electric models are about as expensive as the combustion engine with the same output. LED lamps, two-zone automatic air conditioning, 17-inch rims and charging cables are included as standard.

The manufacturer and the state are promoting plug-in purchases with € 6,750. As a company car, the Q3 45 TFSI e is taxed at a flat rate of 0.5 percent. In the end, it costs less than the pure combustion engine.

Although the plug-in hybrid arrives late in Q3, it is up against manageable competition. In its own group, the VW Tiguan eHybrid starts with an identical drive and similar dimensions just a few months before it. It costs 42,500 euros. Peugeot, Opel and DS equip the compact SUVs 3008, Grandland X and DS7 Crossback with marginally weaker drives. They are already available from dealers for around 40,000 euros.