• Well-built. • Very refined. • Great powertrain variety.
• Uncommunicative steering. • Odd ride characteristics. • Compromised practicality.
The Audi Q3 is one of Audi’s best selling models the world over, with its cheeky looks and quality interior winning the hearts and minds of over 400,000 owners worldwide. Despite newer, up-to-date rivals, the ‘little Q’ is still selling in strong numbers, and a recent facelift sees the Q3 fall in line with the rest of the Audi range.
Although critics have opined that the Q3 fails to offer the outright practicality advantage of an SUV, or meet the increasingly exacting tech requirements of todays’ consumers, there is a certain something that the Q3 has that resonates with its fans, and there’s little indication that they’ll bow to competitors anytime soon.
Exterior
Audi Q3 maintains the almost coupe profile that has come to characterise many modern crossover SUVs. If you’re looking for a big load-lugging station wagon you should probably shop elsewhere. - CarsGuide
The Q3 is, despite being an all-new car in the Audi lineup, unmistakably Audi. It manages to carve a little space for itself in the family, and looks like it’s always meant to be there. Looking more like an A1 than a Q7 has proven to be a winning success though, offering the familiarity of a hatchback with the active pretensions of an SUV. It’s a good looking thing this, but overall, not nearly as visually striking as the new BMW X1, or as ‘sporty’ as the Mercedes-Benz GLA.
2016 updates see a new Singleframe grille, new headlights, sharp LED taillights, and revised designs for the alloy wheels.
Engine & Drivetrain
Chief among the changes are the new powertrains. Typical of Audi — or any German premium brand, really — even a mid-life update brings significant gains to power and torque, accompanied by reduced fuel consumption. - CarAdvice
There are a total of 4 engines on offer, with two petrols and two diesels. The petrol lineup kicks off with a 1.4-litre TFSI turbo-petrol capable of 110kW/250Nm, while returning a claimed 5.8l/100km fuel economy figure. Should that not be enough, there’s a 132kW/320Nm 2.0-litre TFSI turbo petrol, which returns just a little less by way of fuel economy, with a claimed figure at 6.5l/100km. The larger petrol mill promises better progression and performance, with minimal tradeoff in fuel consumption.
There’s one diesel engine on offer, with two different states of tune. The 2.0-litre TDI can be had in a frugal-yet-punchy 110kW/320Nm guise, or a more powerful 135kW/380Nm that will satisfy even the keenest drivers. The more frugal car sips just 4.6l/100km (claimed), while the more powerful oil burner manages 5.2l/100km. Both engines offer above-average levels of refinement, with linear power delivery.
All cars are fitted with a S-Tronic 7-speed double-clutch automatic, except for the 1.4TFSi, which employs a six-speed S-Tronic automatic.
Interior
It’s another boringly decent identikit Audi in here. The layout is smart yet functional and there’s almost as much space as the bigger Q5. - TopGear UK
All Audi interiors benefit from great build quality, and the Q3 is no exception. Materials employed are great, if a little unadventurous, and the same can be said of the design. As TopGear puts it, it’s “decent identikit Audi.” Inoffensive, and not technically wrong, thoughvery unimaginative.
There are some new leathers and plastics employed in this refresh, giving the whole thing a more plush appearance. Audi’s MMI entertainment interface features here too, but the rotary controller for it is on the centre stack rather than on the centre tunnel. A bit odd, and rather fiddly. On the whole, it lacks the visual flair that the Mercedes-Benz GLA offers, or the elegance of the BMW X1’s.
Behind the Wheel
It drives more like a conventional hatchback than a mud-plugging SUV. Excellent body control and rigidity ensure that the penalty of the car's high-sided nature is minimal, and it responds with obliging agility to most demands made of it. - AutoCar
The Audi Q3 was designed at the beginning as a versatile SUV for those with an active lifestyle, for empty nesters or young families. As such, outright handling performance was never a priority, and the driving experience of the Q3 certainly communicates this. The steering is light but devoid of feel, and the grip levels are great, but not overtly exciting.
Ride comfort on the compact-ute isn’t too bad, though the larger wheels on the S-Line and RS models compromise comfort slightly. Body roll is well controlled, and it’s very stable overall. Pile on the speed, however, and the Q3 unravels slightly, with large surface imperfections and expansion joints upsetting cabin refinement.
Safety
When compared with its small SUV rivals, the Q3 falls short of the class best but still performs well with regards to safety. In fact, examining its five-star Euro NCAP rating more closely, it’s evident that the model’s child protection rating is near the top, although its pedestrian rating is only average. - WhatCar
All you’d expect, but really nothing more. Nothing more as standard, at least. The Q3 gives you things like six-airbags, electronic stability control, and ISOFIX fittings as standard, but that’s really about it. You’re not going to find the very latest in safety technology piled onto the Q3 as standard, though glaringly, autonomous emergency braking is not even offered as an option.
The option list here can very easily see your reasonably-priced Q3 turn into a properly expensive proposition. There are things like parking aids, autonomous parking assistant, rear side airbags, active lane keep assist and blind spot monitoring, all available as cost-options. Deadlocks and locking wheel nuts are thrown in as standard however, ensuring that your Q3 should always stay yours.
Verdict
The refreshed Q3 certainly hits all the right spots that one would expect a compact SUV to hit, with the all-important raised ride height and slightly increased practicality undoubtedly being the clinching arguments for those considering this over a more conventional hatchback. Decent ride, decent handling, and excellent reliability also factor in to make the Q3 a very strong contender in the compact SUV segment.
Something must be said of the Q3, however. No matter how you cut it, it’ll never be the wrong choice. There’s nothing that it does (or does not do) that would offend or put off most prospective buyers, which likely explains its strong sales figures. However, its generally-likeable nature is its Achilles heel, because what the Q3 lacks is any sense of character. It’s the most middle-of-the-road offering out there, which might just be the only real surprise that the Q3 has to offer.
CarAdvice - 75/100 - So then, that’s the updated Q3. It may appear similar, but Audi has made good improvements to the powertrains and suspension, and is promising more equipment with a modest extra cost impost. It also remains a relatively spacious small SUV with good practicality. Whether these changes are enough to help it remain top of the heap in the sales race remains to be seen, though if Audi can sharpen the value equation sufficiently, it will go a long way to deserving the mantle.
AutoExpress UK - 80/100 - With a full range of safety kit and the desirable ‘four rings’ badge on its nose, the Audi Q3 is unsurprisingly in strong demand. The downsides? This quality doesn’t come cheap – especially if you go to town on the options – and despite its looks, the Q3 isn’t all that capable off-road.
Motoring - 73/100 - The Audi Q3 isn’t perfect, but with impressive versatility, power, economy, features, fit and finish, comfort and quality, this new entry-level Q3 is a keeper. It’s well worth a test drive, and priced at less than $43,000, it’s only a matter of time before its competitors respond.
TopGear UK - 70/100 - Audi's posh crossover has great engines and a lovely cabin, but it's all rather predictable.
Car & Driver - 60/100 - The Q3 might not be the quickest or the most efficient member of the baby-ute class, but it’s quieter than the Tiguan and rides better than the Mercedes and the BMW. It goes down the road without any flinty suspension behaviour resulting from an attempt to be sportier than it should. If it’s a luxury baby ute you’re seeking, there’s no reason to count past Q3.
WhatCar? - 80/100 - Compact, good to drive, and inexpensive to run. The Audi Q3 deserves to be near the top of your small SUV shopping list.
AutoCar UK - 70/100 - Objectively, it earns few significant demerits, but there is a familiar sterility to the way the Audi Q3 drives. That it refuses to sparkle dynamically will hardly matter to most of its intended buyers, though. The Q3 is highly competent, refined, beautifully finished and tastefully styled.
