A Translation of “Joey’s Thoughts on the Audi Q5 e-tron”
By: 文 | 乔伊
To be honest, the Q5 e-tron is the first test car I have driven in over one hundred days. The feeling is both familiar and unfamiliar, much like the car itself.
The Q5 e-tron is derived from Audi, which we are familiar with, but it is made by SAIC-Audi, a company that has only recently been established. Although it may also be an SUV that we are familiar with, the Q5 e-tron is a pure electric vehicle. Furthermore, it is also an SUV that seems not entirely an SUV, creating an important appeal that makes me want to unlock everything about this car.
So, what makes the Q5 e-tron different from the Audi Q5 that we are familiar with?
The Q5 e-tron is a pure electric car, but that is not the most important difference. Nowadays, the wave of electrification in the automobile industry has already swept across the globe. The change from internal combustion engines to pure electric is just keeping up with the times. What is more important is that the Q5 e-tron seems to have moved away from the road of the Q5’s positioning as an SUV, making the car’s form more diverse.
How can you tell?
Firstly, from a visual perspective, it is clear that the Q5 e-tron no longer has the noticeably uplifted cabin that comes with an SUV. Instead, it has become longer and more streamlined. Secondly, the overall seat layout, as well as the “Roadjet” positioning given by SAIC-Audi, indicates that they would rather emphasize the “Land Jet” comfort attribute.
If one must ask what kind of car the Q5 e-tron is, I would prefer to call it a crossover between an SUV and an MPV. This is a good positioning that appeals to both the large group of SUV enthusiasts in the Chinese market for the past decade and the trend of the rise of MPV models.
Through this test drive, I am more convinced that this is a significant surprise for the Q5 e-tron, beyond its energy form.
The Platform is Not The Problem, The Car Is
More people may be very concerned about the fact that the Q5 e-tron comes from the MEB platform. However, such concerns are unnecessary. After all, within the same system, using the same car platform to build cars, should be the “heritage skill” of traditional car manufacturers (such as Toyota’s TNGA, which has been around for several years).
The benefit of doing so is twofold: firstly, it increases the shareability of parts between different products, in order to minimize the cost of the car manufacturing process. And as part of the Volkswagen Group, Audi is sure to take full advantage of this advantage, in order to bring about greater efficiency in car manufacturing.This kind of high efficiency is reflected by the MQB platform in the field of internal combustion engines, and now, in the field of electrification, it naturally depends on the MEB platform. However, this does not mean that the Q5 e-tron is a quantitative replica of any platform vehicle.
In fact, both Audi and SAIC Audi hope to fully embody the technological and luxury attributes that the Audi brand should have on this model.
These attributes can be reflected in the overall design details with a mech-style, such as the strongly metallic grille, the curves and corners distributed around it, and the alien-shaped steering wheel in the car; it can also be reflected in the bucket-shaped seats with a variety of stitching patterns; or it can be reflected in the combination of arcs and angles in various parts inside the car.
The concentrated embodiment of these design languages makes people feel that the Q5 e-tron is still at the forefront of the design trend, and it is also on the road of Audi’s tradition. This contrasting but not abrupt design makes people feel that the sense of technology and fashion can be highly regarded and can also fit the vehicle’s “Roadjet” positioning.
Still Audi’s Style
To be honest, nowadays, car manufacturers, especially traditional car giants, have already figured out the manufacturing and user experience of electric cars. For example, the BMW iX3 that impressed me last year is a product with almost no difference in driving feel from traditional internal combustion engine cars. And the Q5 e-tron, is the same.
I don’t need to give you an overly descriptive parameter. The 6.7 second 0-100km/h acceleration and the quattro four-wheel drive system that will not be absent constitute the most basic user experience of the Q5 e-tron. On the one hand, this reflects Audi’s consistent pursuit of performance, and on the other hand, it also demonstrates the “four-wheel drive” element that Audi products must have.Just this time, the presentation has become simpler. The extremely fast acceleration characteristics of the motor initial stage matched with the four-wheel drive that can be achieved by multiple motor distribution not only retains the important tag of Audi, but also makes the implementation easier. The difficult point is how to fully approximate the driving experience with the Audi standard. For example, more precise steering, tough and robust chassis suspension. In actual driving, you can feel that the steering is very precise and Audi-like. The front MacPherson and rear multi-link suspension, which is the most widely used suspension form in the era of fuel cars, has also been tuned to remain useful. It has toughness, support, and comfort, and balancing these demands actually requires skill. And this kind of skill comes from accumulated time.
There is nothing worth mentioning about the Q5 e-tron’s infotainment system, as it still follows the traditional operation mode of traditional car manufacturers. There are no fanciful audio and video entertainment functions (such as binge-watching and gaming). But the advantage is that the HUD display clearly enhances the sense of technology during driving.
At the same time, an important aspect of electric vehicles is noise. Because there is no engine roar to counteract external noise, sound insulation has become an important task. Q5 e-tron actually performs well in this regard. Even during the acceleration of the Q5 e-tron, the motor’s roar can be greatly eliminated.
This kind of quiet effect actually comes from multiple aspects of engineering cooperation, such as double-layer glass being the minimum requirement, low rolling resistance tires are also essential, and more importantly, sound insulation materials and seals are installed in many possible areas of vibration throughout the car to achieve a better quiet state. These are the important indicators that test Audi’s technical level, SAIC Audi’s engineering capabilities, and whether car manufacturers are willing to spend money. But at least from the current perspective, these important driving and riding experience indicators have a good completion rate.
It is worth mentioning that its intelligent system has very high sensitivity. During the actual test drive, Q5 e-tron judged the emergency braking action of the front car from a very far distance (specifically not measured) and helped the vehicle to pre-brake through the intervention of the auxiliary system before my reaction.
This kind of reaction distance and time, based on the linkage of detectors and braking systems, has exceeded my personal reaction ability and effectively helped reduce risk. This experience comes from the Q5 e-tron’s 0-160km/h “full-speed domain” intelligent assistance function. In other words, basically at all speed ranges that you can drive in daily life, Q5 e-tron is actually thinking about how to help you.For veteran and inexperienced drivers who are not familiar with intelligent driving assistance features such as ACC cruise and lane change assist, the Q5 e-tron is a pleasant surprise. While veterans find these features unexpected, new drivers appreciate the unexpected assistance. Undoubtedly, this also reflects the importance of the Q5 e-tron possessing excellent driving assistance technology.
Of course, during the driving process, I have more demands that I want to be satisfied. For example, the second-row seats of the car need a richer and more flexible adjustment method and capacity. At the same time, if the car’s rear seat could have more air outlets, it would undoubtedly create a better travel experience during summer. But these could all be considered minor details, and any future versions (and it could be that low-end versions may lack such features) would be able to meet these demands quickly.
To be honest, in the field of pure electric vehicles, the Audi e-tron among the BBA brands was one of the earliest, but the delivery speed of actual products was seemingly unable to keep up. Last year, Mercedes-Benz had already established a preliminary line of electric SUV products, and BMW has been increasingly active in adding to their lineup of pure electric products. There are SUVs, sedans, and sports cars. But on this point, Audi’s pure electric product line currently does not seem to have a systematic nature.
For SAIC Audi, this is a very good opportunity, and for people who like the Audi brand and want to continue driving Audi in the era of electric vehicles, the Q5 e-tron is an excellent choice. For those who have always liked the Q5 series and want to continue owning it, or for those who failed to purchase it during the gasoline era, it can also easily guide this part of the potential consumer market’s purchasing desire.
More importantly, compared to its important competitors with prices that can skyrocket to 500,000, the Q5 e-tron, initially priced at over 370,000 yuan, has strong price competitiveness. For SAIC Audi, if they can use their system’s strength to help this car achieve sufficient sales volume, then for this new company, taking the first successful step is undoubtedly achieved.
Therefore, now looking back at the significance of the Q5 e-tron, it is quite clear that it is expanding the product line of pure electric products, seizing the market opportunities of the pure electric era, providing possible help for the sales volume of SAIC Audi, and further helping to establish the brand. If all of these goals can be achieved, then the value of the Q5 e-tron will be fully realized.Of course, for most people, a car that looks good, drives well, and is user-friendly is what makes it worth buying, especially in the age of smart electric cars that redefine the meaning of personal transportation. In these aspects, the overall rating of Q5 e-tron is quite good.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.