Review: Audi Q3

Audi’s new Q3 might wear a new illuminated version of the brand’s four rings on its boot, but its aim is to harness the power of three.

Now in its third generation, the big-selling SUV aims to fend off the new BMW X3, Mercedes’s GLC and the Volvo XC60 with the help of a larger footprint, sleeker styling and updated technology.

Prices start from £38,300 for a 150PS TFSI petrol version in a range also featuring turbodiesel and plug-in e-hybrid variants. The 265PS all-wheel-drive Launch Edition quattro tested here is £52,450.

Audi’s increasingly familiar new face features squinting matrix LED headlights capable of a series of party pieces.

They will perform complex welcome and farewell illumination displays. More practically, they will also illuminate tyre tracks on the road ahead, in cooperation with the lane keeping system, and shift their beam to the neighbouring lane of a motorway when you indicate to manoeuvre.

The new Q3 is noticeably larger than its predecessor, having grown to over 4.5 metres in length.

In range-topping First Edition guise, its new design incorporates aggressive front and rear bumpers, featuring bold adaptive air dams, and sits on 19-inch alloys.

Inside, the Q3 feels a little less spacious than its key rivals, but a 488-litre boot and sliding rear seats add practicality.

A new control unit behind the steering wheel trades the traditional indicator and wiper stalks for switches. Their glossy housing looks a little cheap, but you quickly get used to the switches’ reassuring ‘click’ action.

Stylish ‘S line’ sports seats add style to an interior which also boasts ambient lighting and a nicely textured scalloped dashboard, upon which sits an 11.9-inch instrument cluster and 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment display.

A head-up instrument display – part of Audi’s Sound & Vision Pack (£1,300) – was also fitted to our test car. This also adds a 420-watt, 12-speaker SONOS sound system.

Helping quell any unwanted interior noise are acoustic front windows, identifiable by their double-glazed appearance.

Enjoying the Q3 First Edition driving experience is a matter of personal preference.

It does a great job of feeling light and nimble, its quattro system providing impressive traction, but the suspension is firm, somewhat unforgiving at times.

Combined with Audi’s dual clutch gearbox, which is regularly overly abrupt from a standstill, this results in rather unsettled progress in stop-start traffic.

Our test car’s engine – the range’s most powerful – served up 5.7 second acceleration to 62mph and a 149mph top speed, but 32.1mpg fuel economy and 200g/km CO2 emissions are the trade-off.

The 272PS plug-in hybrid version, which claims 70 miles of electric range, is a cheaper option.

All-in-all, the Audi Q3 premium style and sportiness in spades. But, in the guise tested here, it is not a car wholly without compromise.

Specification

Audi Q3 First Edition

Price: £58,590 (as tested)

Engine: 2.0-litre TFSI petrol

Power: 261bhp

Torque: 400Nm

Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch

Top Speed: 149mph

0-62mph: 5.7 seconds

Economy: 32.1mpg

CO2 emissions: 200g/km