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Customers in Europe have a new choice for efficiency and savings now, with the announcement of a new pair of entry level engines available in the Audi Q5 and A4 Allroad.
The Audi's 143hp 2.0 TDI diesel four-cylinder and the 180hp 2.0 TFSI gasoline four, both in conjunction with the 6-speed manual transmission, are available in Audi Q5. And the 2.0 TDI is now also available in the A4 allroad.
However, Americans have less options. The A4 allroad is not yet available in North America , and the Q5 is currently only available with a 3.2-liter gas V6 in North America .
Selling prices for the Audi Q5 start at EUR 36,800 for the 2.0 TFSI and EUR 36,500 for the 2.0 TDI. The base price for the Audi A4 allroad 2.0 TDI is EUR 37,100.
The competition of Hybrid-electric and other green propulsion systems becomes more and more deep. Already Lexus' new RX 450h is leading the compact crossover hybrid race and BMW is positioned to make an entry eventually with the X6 ActiveHybrid. In keeping with the times, Audi also announces its plans to bring a Q5 hybrid SUV to the U.S., most likely by 2011.
TheCarConnection is reporting that Audi will fit a new petrol-electric hybrid powertrain to the Q5 in 2011, and since the compact SUV shares much of its design with the A4 and A5 models the hybrid option may filter across to these as well. After the launch of the hybrid, Audi is then expected to introduce an efficient turbodiesel version of the Q5.
The latest news follows comments originating with Wolfgang Hatz, Audi's head of powertrain development, back at January’s Detroit Auto Show. Hatz cautioned that diesel is a more practical alternative, but there’s a catch. The cost-effectiveness of diesel technology is greater, though that calculus in the U.S. is very different from Europe, where the price of fuel is higher in general and the differential between diesel and petrol isn't as great.
Whether that calculation works out so dramatically in favor of diesel, however, acceptance of hybrid technology is clearly much greater in the U.S. That alone might be enough to justify the decision to bring in the hybrid Q5 before the diesel.
