2013 Audi Q5 Hybrid
Launch date: mid 2012
Audi’s compact luxury SUV will arrive this year as a 2013 model. Using the same turbocharged 211-hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine as the standard Q5, but connected to an electric motor and an eight-speed automatic transmission with manual mode, the Q5’s hybrid powertrain puts out 254 horsepower and 354 foot pounds of torque, enough to propel the Q5 from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7.1 seconds.
In city driving, the Q5 Hybrid can run on battery power alone at speeds up to 60 km/h for three kilometres, and features the automatic engine start-stop system when stopped. The Q5 Hybrid is also capable of cruising on electric power at speeds up to 100 km/h.
Even with standard quattro all-wheel drive, the Q5’s combined city/hwy fuel economy is 6.9 L/100 km (41 mpg Imp), according to the European test cycle.
2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 5
Launch date: available now
 2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 5. Click image to enlarge |
BMW’s mid-size 5-series sedan is now available with a hybrid powertrain. The company’s powerful 306-hp twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine from the 535i is combined with a 40 kW electric motor which is incorporated into an eight-speed automatic transmission. Generating a total of 340 horsepower, the BMW ActiveHybrid 5 can sprint to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds, and is capable of running on electric power alone for four kilometres at up to 60 km/h. An automatic start-stop function turns off the engine while the car is stopped in traffic. It can also coast at speeds up to 160 km/h with the engine switched off. Average fuel economy is between 6.4 and 7.0 L/100 km (44 mpg and 40 mpg Imp), according to BMW.
The ActiveHybrid 5’s lithium-ion battery is placed between the wheelhouses in the trunk, and as a result the trunk is 145 litres (5.1 cu. ft.) smaller than in the standard 5-Series sedan.
2013 Mercedes-Benz E 400 Hybrid
Launch date: late 2012
 2013 Mercedes-Benz E 400 Hybrid. Click image to enlarge |
Introduced at the Detroit auto show in January, the Mercedes E 400 Hybrid follows the S 400 Hybrid introduced in 2009. The new E Hybrid features a 306-hp V6 engine and a 20 kW electric motor and is capable of between 9.8 L/100 km city (29 mpg Imp) and 7.6 L/100 km (37 mpg Imp) hwy. An automatic start/stop system will be standard.
The E 400’s compact hybrid powertrain didn’t require changes to the body so there’s been no compromise in cabin space and trunk space.
Introduced alongside the E 400 Hybrid at the Detroit auto show was the diesel-electric E 300 BlueTEC Hybrid with a 204 hp four-cylinder diesel engine and 20 kW electric motor. Mercedes says it will consume just 4.2 L/100 km (67 mpg Imp) in combined city/hwy driving. This model will be introduced in Europe first, and there is no word on whether it will come to Canada.
