Comments on: Audi Q5 Hybrid Revealed, Production Scheduled to Begin Next Year

By: Michael.Leroy

Michael.Leroy — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:10:03 +0000

If you are talking about the first generation Prius, then the battery pack is about 125lbs and it weighs 2765lbs. A current gen Prius does have a ~99 lbs battery pack like you say, but does weigh over 3000lbs. I remain unimpressed with the Prius when cars in the 80′s got over 50 highway mpg.

I will admit though those old cars you will die in, they are so unsafe compared to a modern car.

By: Godo Stoyke

Godo Stoyke — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 04:48:10 +0000

Actually, hybrid vehicles also excel at highway speeds, due to the smaller gas engine required. My Prius performs as rated for efficiency, once you account for winter conditions, extra passengers and other factors. This is no different from gas-powered cars which also perform less than their rating under normal use.

The Prius, currently the most efficient car in North America, uses 99 pounds of batteries compared to a total weight of 2,700 pounds, a little bit of extra weight to be sure, but hardly “an overweight package burdened with heavy batteries”.

By: Old cars

Old cars — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:22:18 +0000

Very difficult for Audi to price this competitively

By: Derek

Derek — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:51:33 +0000

Hybrid cars really benefit people who drive short distances and for getting around town. But most of America is spread out and many spend a lot of time on the highways traveling faster than 40 mph — situations where hybrids do not excel.

Why is Audi weakening under public pressure to produce a hybrid? Looking at the early specs, the Q5 hybrid is a joke. Audi should stick with its core competency and continue producing more cars with their TDI engines. Meanwhile, I’ll keep supporting and promoting clean diesel as much as possible since it is much cheaper than building a hybrid car and driving dynamics aren’t lost in an overweight package burdened with heavy batteries.

By: Matthew Wells

Matthew Wells — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:45:48 +0000

Making the Q5 into a Hybrid is one huge mistake and I am suprised that Audi hasn’t learned a lesson from what Hybrid owners finally come to realize………hybrid technology to increase mileage is a sham! Ask any current hybrid owner of any hybrid car and they will all tell you they are not getting near the mileage they were told. The reason for the poor mileage performance is that once you start using a hybrid on the expressways and freeways you loose all the benefits of a hybrid. Audi needs to smarten up and do what they do in Europe deliver this car in the states as a diesel! I decided not to buy a Q5 because it is not availabel in the states as a diesel.