Refining the breed

Although classified as a small SUV, Audi’s Q3 has been a big hitter globally since making its debut way back in 2012. Then the smallest of the brand’s Q models, the vehicle’s dimensions, higher driving position and styling were a hit with customers looking for a vehicle that was compact enough to be practical on a daily basis around town, but also offered enough space for weekend getaways. Indeed at the time of its arrival, Audi Australia demonstrated the Q3’s versatility with a leisurely lifestyle drive from Adelaide up to Uluru, demonstrating the vehicle’s comfort and composure over roads and tracks more used to seeing rugged four-wheel drives than compact luxury German SUVs.

The Q3 didn’t miss a beat on that trip or in its more common hunting grounds in cities, racking up some 20,000 sale Down Under and winning a place on the shopping lists of a wide array of customers worldwide.

The second generation arrived seven years later in 2019 with a more aggressive, angular design as well as larger proportions, further broadening the Q3’s appeal but without pushing it too far into a larger vehicle category.

The new SUV styling proved even more popular with customers and when the first Q3 Sportback variants came along its appeal went to another level again. Indeed the Sportback styling proved to be one of the most successful for Audi globally and in Australia accounted for half of the roughly 30,000 second generation Q3 models sold.

Globally more than 2.5 million Q3s have been sold to date, making it one of the most important models for the brand.

Now with the third iteration of the Q3, Audi has drawn on customer feedback and research, seeking to improve on the previous model across all key areas rather than attempting to reinvent the Q3 concept. The new models sees both SUV and Sportback variants on offer as well as all-new powertrains, a raft of leading-edge tech inclusions and a new interior in keeping with the roll-out of other Audi models over the past 12 to 18 months. The exterior too has been revised, though again, not reinvented, offering up a sleeker, more sophisticated design than the previous model, as well as an increase of four centimetres in length over the second generation model.

With its 1.86 metre width, 4.53 metre length overall and 2.86 metre wheelbase, the new Q3 offers ample room for up to five adults and their luggage. With 488 litres of storage for both the SUV and Sportback (which expands to 1386 litres with the rear seats folded flat) and 2100kg  towing capacity, the Q3 again cements its claim as a genuine day-to-day all-rounder in terms of interior space and usability, while its new interior and impressive list of technological features likewise impart that premium feel.

At launch the Q3 is available with three different engines – each in SUV and Sportback – as well as additional launch editions across each of the engine variants.

The Q3 range starts with the front-wheel drive 110kW TFSI SUV model at $61,600* with the similarly powered Sportback from $64,600*. The Q3 SUV TFSI quattro starts from $70,200* with its Sportback sibling at $72,700* while the most powerful models with 195kW and also driving all four wheels are $81,900* and $84,400* for the SUV and Sportback models respectively.

The launch editions, which add the likes of 19-inch Audi Sport alloy wheels, black exterior styling package, metallic paint and adaptive dampers to the mix, start at $67,000* for the Q3 SUV TFSI 110kW launch edition or $69,000* for its Sportback stablemate, stepping up to the Q3 SUV and Sportback TFSI quattro 150kW quattro launch editions for $74,600* and $77,100* respectively.

Standard specification is impressive for each of the model variants and is in keeping with the drive of improving the Q3 offering across the board. On top of its 18-inch alloy wheels, electric tailgate operation, adaptive cruise control and 360 degree cameras, the entry-level 110kW SUV version of the Q3 also add three selectable light signatures to their standard adaptive LED headlights, illuminated Audi rings on the rear with the standard LED tail lights and colour ambient light inside. The electric heated front seats now also feature memory and then there’s the standard three-zone climate control, 10-speaker Audi sound system and adaptive cooling on the wireless phone charging. All of this adds up to more than $4000 over and above the standard equipment on the previous comparable Q3 model.

The Q3 Sportback with 110kW also gets the exterior treatment, riding on 19-inch alloy wheels and the S line treatment which comprises S line Singleframe grille, S line front and rear bumpers and badging, as well as the removal of the roof rails to enhance the fastback styling.

The 150kW models likewise ride on 19-inch wheels and sport the S line exterior treatment as well as their all-paw, quattro drive. Inside they feature sports front seating with the integrated headrest and also get hill descent assist on top of all of the other driver systems.

The top of the range195kW features all of this and more, with 20-inch alloy wheels with red brake calipers as standard and a glass panoramic sunroof. The S line exterior treatment is likewise standard equipment, as is two-valve adaptive damping which further improves the ride and handling. Inside it features a head-up display as standard as well as a Sonos premium sound system, the colour ambient lighting pro, a heated steering wheel and USB outlets with up to 100 watt charging.

Customers can also choose from two additional packages available for both the 110kW and 150kW models from $3250 for the Advanced lighting package and $4400 for the Premium package. These add digital matrix headlights and digital OLED rear lights for the former and panoramic sunroof, head-up display, Sonos premium sound system and USB interfaces with up to 100 watt charging for the Premium package.

The new model is also the safest Q3 ever produced, with its five star ANCAP rating and boasting a full suite of safety and driver assistance systems. These include a new generation adaptive cruise assist with improved lane guidance, as well as the ability to automatically match the speed signs. There are all of the familiar systems that you hope never to have to rely on but are nevertheless comforting to know they are there, and the fact that all of these systems have been extensively tested and calibrated for Australian conditions means they work well. Of course there is also the option of turning off those systems which some drivers find intrusive, or even fine-tuning the sensitivity of others to best suit your own driving style which comes in handy.

Indeed the Q3 can be fine-tuned in any number of different ways to best suit the driver, the conditions or just your mood, be that configuring the daytime running lights (DRL), the ambient lighting inside the cabin or using the Audi drive select to tailor the vehicle’s driving characteristics.

All of things are easily and intuitively taken care of from the beautifully finished cabin with its semi-curved screen array. This is the central point of the cabin and is immediately familiar given the arrival of the brand’s digital stage in the Q6 e-tron and Q5 models already available in Australia. There is a genuine sense of space and the finishing throughout that imparts that premium feel. Perhaps the most obvious difference initially is the new control unit arrangement that sees the gear select moved from the centre console to a module behind the steering wheel. With gear select on the right and the indicator and wiper functions sitting on the left, this requires a minor adjustment of thinking, but quickly becomes second nature.

The Q3 with each of its drivetrains impresses, with a smooth, assured ride and plenty of pickup, even in the 110kW variants. Here, the drive to the front wheels only is not evident except when the vehicle is really pushed on wet or poor road surfaces and event then, the Q3 never struggles for grip or to deliver spritely performance.

The 1.5-litre 110kW version with its 250Nm of torque also features 48V mild-hybrid and cylinder of demand (CoD) which combine to reduce fuel consumption by up to 1l/100km (fuel figure of 5.7l/100km), yet it still manages to hit 100km/h in just over nine seconds (9.1 seconds) and boasts a top speed of 209km/h, which will get you in plenty of trouble with authorities anywhere in Australia.

Of course as the power output and torque increase along with the presence of quattro, so too does the responsiveness and the surefooted fee regardless of road conditions. The 2.0-litre 150kW version with its 320Nm of torque also uses a seven-speed S tonic transmission, but drops the 0 to 100km/h time a full two seconds. Its quattro all-wheel drive system delivering superior road holding and slightly affects fuel consumption (7.3 L/100km), while the top spec 195kW variants with 400Nm or torque  deliver sports car acceleration (5.7 seconds 0 to 100km/h) and a top speed of 240km/h while still delivering 8.1L/100km.

The aforementioned dual-valve adaptive damping also works beautifully with the additional power of the 195kW Q3, imparting a ride to match the vehicle’s impressive performance. On the often potholed secondary roads of the Gold Coast hinterland, the ride and road holding was impressive, while highway driving across all of the variants was silky smooth.

The new Q3 certainly delivers on its promise to improve the breed in all key areas, with a vehicle that is significantly more refined and better equipped than ever before. Performance, ride and handling, particularly in the 150kw and 195kW versions, are impressive, and ,more than up to anything you might throw at the Q3.

All of those years after driving from Adelaide to Uluru in the original version, there is no doubting that the third generation Q3 would make the same journey in even greater comfort – a claim we should perhaps put to the test for a future report. In the meantime though, the new Audi Q3 again delivers a vehicle with far-reaching appeal that is set to build on the tremendous local and global success of the previous models.

(*Manufacturer List Pricing [MLP] – excludes dealer delivery and government statutory charges)