Yesterday I attended the launch of the 3rd generation Audi Q3, this mid-sized SUV has been a market favourite for many over the years and I was looking forward to seeing what the latest iteration of it had to offer. The launch taking place at the picturesque Cavalli Estate in Stellenbosch, set the scene of what we could expect in the new Q3. Previous generations offered a fun and funky feel to the SUV but with the 3rd generation it looks and feels more mature with bolder lines, larger body and modern design. The car is an important one for the brand as it ushers in the latest form of their SUV design language that we have already seen it translated into the designs of the new Q5 and Q7 which were showcased internationally.
The Q3 launches in two variants, the SUV and the Sportback, both designs are similar with the Sportback having a more sleeker and sloped roof line to mimic a coupe styling. The entire design has been revamped, the front see's a new take on the famous Audi Matrix LED lighting with the day time running LED's having their own cluster and the headlights being house below them. The LED design has been enhanced and now has a projection feature on that gives you signs on the road if you are veering off the lane, warns you of snow and icy conditions and lights up the lane next to you when the indicator is activated. The profile of the car looks more bulky than the previous model with the wheel arches gaining some width to enhance that SUV look. The SUV has has two clear and distinct lines which flow from the bonnet and headlamps respectively which the Sportback has just one because of the sloped roof line. The rear end looks sublime and probably my favourite view of the Q3 with that split light design coming in again and a solid LED bar that runs across the rear. The indicator is integrated into this. With the Matrix LED system you also get an illuminated Audi logo on the rear which looks really cool.
The interior of the Q3 looks amazing and very similar to that of the A5 we had on test last year. The curved type dash which houses the virtual cockpit and the large infotainment unit. They have done away with the gear shift and like many other manufacturers put this as a stalk behind the steering wheel on the left side, thus leaving more room for storage in the center console. The wireless charging tray has been made bigger thanks to this. The interior lighting has some cool enhancements too, with lighting now available on the door panels and they all integrate with the cars lighting, so for example if you put the hazard lights on, they will animate on the inside as well. The infotainment user interface is really simple to use and phone connectivity made really simple with wireless mobile phone app integration for Car Play and Android Auto. The materials and textures can be suited to your taste, having only driven the S Line trims with both leather and cloth options, both were equally great and comfy, my only gripe is that on the base model you still getting manual seat adjusters.
On the road, both the petrol and diesel offer great power to the car, the diesel obviously feeling a bit more eager thanks to the torque levels. The car feels solid and capable on the open road with the car being able to speed up smoothly as it shifts through the 7 gears on the S tronic automatic gearbox. The large wheels also make a big difference, combined with the new suspension with dual valve chambers for those pesky potholes makes the ride ultra smooth. The turbo petrol engine delivers 110kW and 250Nm of torque with the turbo diesel producing 110kW with 360Nm of torque. There are planning on introducing a 142kW version of the diesel engine later on. Talks of a performance model were played down as Audi SA are stil unsure but we might see a SQ3 model instead of the RSQ3.
Pricing for the new Q3 is as follows:
All models are sold with a standard 5-year/100,000 km Audi Freeway Plan.
