Audi has announced that the 2018 Audi Q7 e-tron quattro will be in Australia from January.
The Audi Q7 e-tron holds a unique place in the new car market, it’s the only diesel PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) currently available.
The Q7 e-tron will feature a 3.0 TDI quattro engine which develops 190kW of power and 600Nm of torque with the electric motor is capable of 94kW/350Nm. These figures combined represent a combined output of 275kW/700Nm.
To complete the powertrain an eight-speed tiptronic transmission is employed. This allows the Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro to complete the 0 to 100km/h dash in 6.2 seconds with a top speed of 230km/h.
Due to the hybrid technology, Audi claims the Q7 e-tron quattro consumes only 1.9L/100km. In full electric mode, a distance of 56km may be achieved with careful driving and a steady foot.
To capitalize on the hybrid aspect a 17.3kWh lithium-ion battery system is used. It is located under the rear luggage compartment floor for convenient charging via industrial or household power systems. Depending on the power output, Audi claims the battery can be charged fully in 2.5 hours via an industrial setup or 10 hours for a domestic system.
Charging equipment can be set up in-home or at a place of work by an Audi partner.
ANCAP and EuroNCAP have awarded the maximum safety rating of 5-stars to the Q7 e-tron quattro. This is due to a vast selection of standard safety features fitted to all models.
Standard safety features include Audi pre-sense city with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go and Traffic Jam assist, active lane assist, exit warning system, cross traffic assist, Audi side assist blind spot warning system.
There’s also Audi pre-sense basic (belt tensioning, window closing and other preventative measures if an emergency is detected), Audi pre-sense rear (warns following traffic if they are at risk of running into the rear of the car) and parking system plus with a rear-view camera.
Other standard features include MMI Navigation displayed on an 8.3-inch high-resolution screen with 3D maps, live traffic info and natural voice recognition for hands-free control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as Audi Connect which enables a high-speed 4G LTE connection via a regular data SIM card.
The Audi Q7 e-tron quattro runs on 19-inch alloy wheels, displays the Virtual Cockpit system, utilizes Audi drive select, has heated front seats, a 180w Audi sound system plays the beats, uses LED headlights with dynamic indicators at the rear and features e-tron specific exterior design with adaptive air suspension.
Available in Australia will be the dedicated five-seater Q7 3.0 TDI e-tron quattro, the batteries occupy the space in the floor where the extra seats would be stowed.
The 2018 Audi Q7 e-tron quattro is priced at $139,900 plus on-road costs. For context, this puts the e-tron at the pointy end of the range. The base 160kW Q7 starts at $97,800 (all prices before on-road costs), with the 200kW variant costing $106,900. Finally the performance model, the SQ7 is currently priced at $155,511.
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