I'm interested in the Q5 hybrid, but am unsure about its ground clearance.


The problem is that Audi's official data on this is not fully conclusive, or I'm misinterpreting it.

1. Audi USA
Hybrid [1]:
Ground clearance: 7.9 inches (200 mm)
Height: 65.0 inches (1652 mm)

Other Q5:
Ground clearance: 7.9 inches (200 mm)
Height: 65.2 inches (1655 mm)

So far so good. The height is listed as "unloaded" and the ground clearance as "loaded", so the difference in weight and/or damper tuning could make for the difference in unloaded height vs. no difference in ground clearance.

However it gets confusing, when I compare this data to what Audi Germany says about it:

2. Audi Germany
Audi Germany doesn't seem to list ground clearance for the hybrid anywhere (I checked the 2013 brochure as well as their website).
However, at the place where the ground clearance for the "regular" Q5 is mentioned in the brochure (again as 200mm / 7.9 in, page 50), there is a foot node right next to it that reads "Values are not for the Q5 hybrid quattro and the Q5 with front-wheel drive." (translated from German). Later, it also says in the description of the suspension: "For Q5 with front-wheel drive and Q5 hybrid quattro, the trim has been lowered by 25mm" (= 0.98 in).
Similarly, the dimensions for the Q5 differ from those of the other models. According to [2], the regular Q5 has a height of 1655 mm, which matches the value from Audi USA. However the hybrid is listed as having 1625 mm (= 63.98 in), an inch less than what Audi USA claims it to be. The lower total height listed by Audi Germany would be almost consistent with the mentioned 25mm lower ride height mentioned in the brochure.


Does anyone have definite data on the hybrid's ground clearance? Or maybe somebody is even driving one and has actually measured it?

I wonder if there could be a difference between the US and the European version of the hybrid.



[1] http://models.audiusa.com/q5/detaile...ons?engine=166 "Dimensions"
[2] http://www.audi.de/de/brand/de/neuwa...messungen.html

 

I know it does not help but... does it matter? Is it a deal breaker?

 

Since there seems to be conflicting info, you could stop by a dealership. Take a tape measure and check it out firsthand.

 

Problem is that I'm currently living in Germany, but will relocate to the USA later this year. I've talked to a dealer there and I could pre-order a custom-built Q5, so it would be at the dealer's for pick-up when I arrive.

I've been to a dealer in Germany, but they didn't have the hybrid. When I asked, the US dealer that I will probably order with (Carlsen Audi in Palo Alto, CA) also didn't have it.

It's not necessarily a deal-breaker. However I'm considering both the 3.0T and the hybrid, and that inch less of ground clearance would push me more towards the 3.0. I plan to do some slight off-roading with the car.

 

Can you do an ED, get the discount, first aid kit, Triangle and any extras while you are in EU. I always thinks they finish the ED cars very well. Plus the Audi Forum looks interesting.

 

That was my initial idea as well. But according to the dealer, the Q5 is not currently available for the European Delivery ("Due to very high U.S. demand and extremely short U.S. supply").

I had the chance to see the Audi forum little more than a year ago when I picked up my current car, an A1. I really liked it. The factory tour was very interesting, as was the museum. And the food was good. If you have the chance to do it, I can absolutely recommend it. Even more so with the discount that you get if you are in the U.S.. :-) Only downside is the time required I guess...

 

This is what I'd seen about the hybrid too. It's been lowered to reduce aerodynamic drag and thereby improve fuel economy.

My own Q5 is lowered by 33mm (STaSIS suspension), so I expected that the hybrid would look more like mine than a stock Q5. But when I saw a Q5 Hybrid (sport package) in the showroom, it looked much higher than mine, indistinguishable from a normal non-hybrid Q5. That, combined with what you found, leads me to suspect that the hybrid is lowered in Europe, but not in North America (I'm in Canada).

Unrelated, I was annoyed/amused to notice that the wheels used on the Q5 Hybrid with the sport package are the same ones that I chose for summer on my Q5, which previously have never been offered on a Q5 here.