New 295bhp Audi A5 e-hybrid PHEV launches in saloon and estate guises

This is our first look at the new Audi A5 e-hybrid, which is one of 10 new plug-in hybrids the brand will launch this year. The new plug-in hybrid will be available in five-door hatch and estate ‘Avant’ guises. 

The new A5 also represents the first time we’ve seen plug-in hybrid technology on the A5; there have been no PHEV A4s in the past either. Prices will start from £48,950 for the hatch and £50,850 for the Avant, and first deliveries are scheduled for June. Audi has also chosen the moment to ditch its old ‘TFSI e’ naming structure, and replace it with the new ‘e-hybrid’ name. 

Audi’s latest Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) underpins the new A5. Under the bonnet lies a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine (the same unit you’ll find in a host of other Audis), and it’s linked to a 141bhp electric motor that’s connected to a seven-speed automatic gearbox for a combined 295bhp. A 362bhp variant will be available in other markets, but not the UK. Quattro all-wheel drive is standard. 

The Audi A5 e-hybrid can reach 62mph from a standstill in 5.9 seconds, and its 20.7kWh battery can provide up to 67 miles of electric-only running. A maximum recharging rate of 11kWh will also replenish the battery from zero to 100 per cent in 2.5 hours. It’s also possible to top up the battery via brake regeneration, and you’ll be able to alter the intensity of this via paddles behind the steering wheel. 

Audi says the A5 e-hybrid will return 134.5mpg on a combined cycle, with 47g/km of CO2 emissions.

“Plug-in hybrids are an integral part of Audi’s portfolio,” Audi’s CEO Gernot Döllner told us recently. “They will make an important contribution to achieving our CO2-reduction targets.” Further specifications and details on the new A5 e-hybrid will be made available nearer to its summer launch. 

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