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In 1516 the first law regulating the standards for making a food was passed in Bavaria (Munich). As has happened in recent months with bread. It was called the Law of Purity and established that beer should only be made from three ingredients: water, malted barley and hops. Until a few years ago, a similar principle was in the automotive industry: a vehicle could be gasoline or diesel. From there, experiments of greater or lesser degree.

The situation has changed and the purity has been diluted in multiple options ranging from combustion to a bouquet of alternative energies: gas, hybrids, electrical ... As with beers: Ale, Lager, wheat, Porter, Stout .. Drink with which the thousands of visitors that Munich receives these days on the occasion of Oktoberfest. City in which we have been able to know and test the new plug-in hybrids of the German brand: the new Q5 TFSIe, Q7 TFSIe, A7 Sportback TFSIe and A8 TFSIe .

The shift to electrification is inherent in all manufacturers. This is the case of Audi, which will present around 2025 some electrified models, of which 20 will be 100% electric . It will invest around 14,000 million euros in electric mobility until the end of 2023. The four-ring brand is the only one with projects for the four electrified platforms of the Volkswagen Group.

But until reaching 100% electric territory, there are transition alternatives such as 'plug-in' hybrids, models that combine a combustion engine with an electric battery that can be recharged, unlike what happens with other hybrids. During the last quarter of the year it will launch four PHEV versions (acronym in English of 'plug-in' hybrid electric) for the A7 Sportback, A8, Q5 and Q7 that we could see precisely in Munich. Other new models will expand the range in 2020 (possibly the A3 and Q3).

There are two hybrid variants. For the Q5, A7 Sportback and Q7 there is a "comfort-oriented" version, depending on the brand, and a high-performance version with more power and sports equipment. In the A8, customers opt for a long-battle PHEV variant, the A8 L60 TFSie quattro, and against normal battle that will be introduced later.

The A8 and Q7 have a 3.0 V6 TFSI engine while the A7 Sportback and Q5 have a 2.0 TFSI. All models homologate an electrical autonomy exceeding 40 kilometers that allow it to carry the 'zero emissions' label of the DGT. As for prices, the Audi Q5 is known with its two versions. The 55 TFSi will cost 66,070 euros compared to 59,780 of the 50 TFSIe. The next to arrive is the A7 and then the rest of the models.

Audi A7 Sportback 55 TFSIe and Audi Q7 55 TFSIe

The Audi A7 Sportback 55 TFSI 'plug-in' hybrid has 367 horses. Its lithium-ion battery has 14.1 kWh. It is integrated in the rear of the vehicle without causing irregularities in the trunk. With the seat folded down, it goes to 1,235 liters. As with all Audi 'plug-in' hybrids, quattro all-wheel drive is a constant, as is the automatic double clutch gearbox, in this case seven gears. The combustion engine is a 252 horsepower 2.0 four-cylinder petrol. The electric one reaches 143 horses. Homologues a combined fuel consumption of 2.2 liters per 100 kilometers and combined electricity in kWh / 100 km of 18.9, both magnitudes under the WLTP protocol.

During his driving, 70 kilometers between highway and semi-urban roads, we were able to travel more than 40 kilometers in electric mode. The starting level was 45, but in Autobahn, the 'thirst' of the vehicle causes greater consumption. In this first case, we verify that the vehicle uses exclusively electric charge and then uses gasoline. In a domestic outlet, the battery takes about seven hours to charge. It can load, at most, 7.4 kW, power that would require about 2.5 hours.

A curiosity on the way: in order to optimize consumption, we use adaptive cruise control, setting a maximum of 120 km / h. The Audi A7 respected the cap until entering the area of ​​the Autobahn that had no marked limit. When reading the signal that indicates this change, it went up to 130 km / h. The A7 55 TFSI does 0 to 100 km / h in 5.7 seconds. Only with the electric propeller reaches 135 km / h.

All Audi hybrids have a predictive driving system. The driver feels strength in the pedal when he accelerates more than the account in areas where he will have to brake shortly. The signal feels quite forceful unlike what happens with other models that equip similar aids. The vehicle traces these calculations with the information it receives from the route selected in the GPS.

Audi hybrids have three driving modes. A 100% electric mode, the EV Mode, in which the car starts. The Baterry Hold Mode or charge maintenance mode, which holds the battery charge for later use. Finally, the Hyrbid Mode, with which both bikers are combined. It can be activated manually but it also turns on when a destination is entered in the browser. Aesthetically, the A7 55 quattro TFSI comes with an S Line exterior equipment package . Other standard items they bring are 19-inch wheels, HD Matrix LED headlights, sports seats or a four-zone climate control.

The other model that we could test on the roads of Munich was the Q7 55 TFSIe SUV, which has a larger capacity battery: 17.3 kWh compared to 14.1 kWh of the rest of PHEV . This gives it an electric range of 50 kilometers. During our tour, identical to the one we did with the A7 (70 kilometers by highway and county), we found that with an efficient driving you can even stretch this half hundred kilometers. In fact, we completed the tour and we still had a kilometer left in the electrical phase.

All this, thanks to going with a preset route in the browser that allows the vehicle to develop its predictive driving. On the contrary, the use of adaptive cruise control generates some unnecessary braking, for example, when you have to read signs of works. The Audi Q7 60 TFSIe quattro has a combined power of 456 horses and 700 Nm that it shares with the Audi A8. The A7 finds its correspondence in this section with the Q5. The power is divided between a gasoline engine 3.0 of 340 horses and the aforementioned 17.3 kWh battery. In this case, the automatic gearbox is eight relations.

It is a SUV can be efficient despite its dimensions. But consumption will depend more than ever on the route we have taken. In an urban route, with a favorable route, we will hardly consume gasoline. By highway, with the engine at full throttle, the figures equivalent to those of an equivalent Q7. By the way, below 30 km / h the vehicle emits a hum to inform the rest of vehicles or pedestrians .

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