Audi Q3 review 2012 Review

As the baby of the Audi Q family and the latest to hatch, the new Q3 benefits from eight years of Q development that started back before 2006 with the behemoth Q7.

The sweet Q5 followed a few years later and now, the impressive, distilled Q3 is here in a variety of permutations with turbodiesel TDi and turbo direct injection petrol TFSi engines, S-Tronic seven-speed dual clutch on the higher power models and front wheel as well as (quattro) all wheel drive.

STYLE

It shares a number of styling cues with its stablemates including the grille with vertical bars, the tailgate with integrated tail lights, pronounced wheel arches and a sharp side shoulder crease along the doors and guards.

Is it as good looking as the new Range Rover Evoque? No, but the Q3 is much more affordable, more practical and offers similar levels of performance although both petrol and diesel Evoques comfortably out muscle their Q3 competitors.

OPTIONS

Not to be left out, Audi, like Range Rover engages in a serious level of options gouging  but not nearly as ferocious. This is Audi's ``entry' level SUV and will undoubtedly sell up a storm as soon as buyers realise what it is, what it does and what it costs.

PRICE

The starting price for a Q3 manual 2.0-litre, front wheel drive, turbodiesel is $44,800. Audi may have mis-cued here because no auto version of this entry vehicle is currently available and may not be.

Some driver assist systems are available , many as part of option packs Audi has grouped together. The stand-out is Drive Select which alters the feel of the car by changing various dynamic settings.

Those options and option packs could potentially bring Q3 up towards (staggering) Range Rover Evoque pricing. But the kick off price is sharper and the packages cost marginally less.

THE CHASSIS

Weight has been saved through the use of an aluminium bonnet and tailgate and selective use of the metal elsewhere. It's a strong chassis thanks in part to optimised welding technology and the use of high and ultra-high strength steel in the chassis. The base model starts at 1445kg.

UNDER THE BONNET

The two turbo petrol engines share the same 2.0-litre capacity with power ratings of 125kW and 155kW and torque of 280Nm and 300Nm respectively. The two diesel are also 2.0-litres,  one with 103kW/320Nm and the other with 130kW/380Nm.

The most fuel efficient model the base model ``fronty'' hovers around the 5.2-litres/100km fuel use mark. All Q3s are fuel frugal , even the high output petrol is relatively economical. Launch control is available on the 155 TFSi and energy recovery and auto stop and start are  featured on all models to save fuel in town.

SAFETY

Q3 is five star crash rated and has six air bags, stability control and other features designed to avoid a collision or to protect passengers.

THE DRIVE

We got behind the wheel of a variety of Q3s including the high output quattro diesel , the low output petrol, the front wheel drive entry level vehicle and lastly the 155kW high output petrol.

All felt pretty good to drive with the sporty edge obviously going to the last car driven. But the base model is a good thing too offering the same Q3 feel, style and drive experience as the others. We even took it on gravel roads and through river fords with no problems.

Both diesels are impressive offering superb throttle response from low in the engine rev range and excellent fuel economy. They make minimal noise and don't really sound like a diesel at any stage. They are particularly good with the seven speed dual clutch manumatic.

We really like the `drive select' option but it's even better if you spend more money and tick the adaptive dampers box.

VERDICT

If we were spending our money it would be on the base model and we'd put up with the manual transmission which has a sweet action but an auto would be so much better.

AUDI Q3
Price: $44,800-$56,000
Warranty: Three years/unlimited km
Resale: N/A
Service intervals: 15,000km
Safety: Six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, TC
Crash Rating: Five-stars
Engines: 103kW/320Nm 2.0-turbodiesel four-cylinder, 130kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbodiesel,125kW/380Nm 2.0-litre turbo petrol, 130kW/300Nm 2.0 turbo petrol
Transmission: Six-speed manual, seven-speed auto, front-wheel and all-wheel drive
Body: Five-door wagon
Dimensions: 4385mm (L), 1608mm (H), 1831mm (W), 2603mm (WB), 1571mm/1575mm tracks front/rear
Weight: From 1445kg
Fuel use: 5.2L/100km, 137g/km CO2 (103kW); 5.9L/100km, 156g/km CO2 (130kW), 7.3L/100km,174g/km CO2 (125kW), 7.7L/100km, 179g/km CO2 (155kW)