Test drive the new Audi Q3
Alcantara, virtual appliances, wireless internet, premium price tag and other character traits that really surprised the new Audi Q3 on the Italian serpentines
The new generation of the youngest of the Audi crossover family in Russia has been waiting for a whole year. The European version was released last fall, but now the crossover has finally reached Russia, and it was very interesting to find out if the whole set of equipment and innovative systems that the creators are so proud of came along with the car. Not without a virtual comparison with co-platforms.
You can buy the Audi Q3 now with two gasoline engines to choose from and front or all-wheel drive. We had a top-end car on the test, but front-wheel drive and with a turbocharged 1,4-liter engine with a capacity of 150 horsepower, which has long been known from the Volkswagen Tiguan.
No wonder - the new Q3, like a whole brood of other models of the VAG concern, is built on the MQB platform, which imposes some restrictions on the design of the car, but does not deprive the designers of the opportunity to give individuality to each model. The car is assembled together with motors and boxes at the company's plant in Hungary, which obviously affects its Russian price tag.
The new Q3 is very similar to the younger brother of the Q2, which we have not yet sold. The appearance of the latter is likely soon, and there will be no internal competition here. If only because the size of the Q3 has already approached the Q5: the car has become wider than its predecessor by 7 cm and longer than the previous version by 10 centimeters. Q3 has ceased to be even conditionally small, so in six months Audi will probably announce the launch of another crossover, which will become the younger one.
The design of the new Q3 is made in a more austere style - from smooth lines it has moved to sharp corners and cuts, which makes it seem that the car has increased in size even more than stated in the manufacturer's figures. But compared to similar VAG models from other brands, the new Q3 clearly looks more sleek. Another signature feature is the octagonal grille, which is streaked with vertical lines. Under it, there is a line of cameras of the all-round vision system, parking sensors and cruise control radars.
The interior of the Audi Q3 meets almost all modern requirements for media content and settings for passengers. The interior is beautifully trimmed with Alcantara edging on the dashboard and door panels, and the seats are also faux suede. You can choose from three colors - gray, brown and orange, but you can do with the standard black plastic. The buttons for turning on the light in the cabin are touch-sensitive and change the brightness by holding your finger. As an option, the lighting packages are also available with multi-mode circular interior lighting.
Cut from the bottom, the embossed steering wheel has been equipped with convenient music and cruise control switches that do not climb into the grip area, which many premium brands suffer. The 10,5-inch MMI screen is positioned at a slight angle to the driver for easy scrolling while driving. When inoperative, the screen of the multimedia system is part of the smooth dashboard; it fits perfectly in design. The fact that this is still a screen is reminiscent of fingerprints on it.
The system displays all information both on the main display and on the driver's tidy, and it can be controlled by voice. The Audi system has not yet reached the level of a Mercedes assistant, but it has already learned to answer questions in a free form and ask clarifying ones if you do not understand something. This works well when searching for the right places in the navigation system, for example, a restaurant on the request "I want to eat".
You can also find something that is not premium. The engine start button is located on a separate blank plastic panel that itself resembles a large plug. A volume control flywheel is also attached here, the place for which was not found anywhere else. Below is a place for a telephone niche, where you can optionally integrate wireless charging. Nearby - one USB input and another USB-C.
Rear passengers were a little less fortunate. Despite their own air ducts and an outlet, they do not have a single standard USB input, only two miniature ones. But there is a lot of space, even taking into account the solid tunnel in the middle of the floor. The rear seats move, but this is also a legacy of the brotherly VW Tiguan.
The luggage compartment of the new Audi Q3 has a capacity of 530 liters, and it has the function of opening with a swing of the foot. The technology is not new, but in this case it works properly and the first time. In the European version of the car, there is nothing under the boot floor, so a subwoofer was placed there, as well as a repair kit for the wheel. By default, cars for Russia are entitled to a stowaway. By the way, the maximum rim size is 19 inches - quite a premium, although the Tiguan has the same.
In ride comfort mode, the Q3's suspension works smoothly, but that's not what you'd expect from such a flashy car. Therefore, a dynamic style with the appropriate setting suits the crossover better. Gas reactions become sharper, and the gearbox allows the engine to stay on the lowered one for a longer time. The car cannot be confused on a straight line, it is accurate in turns, but on a mountain serpentine, the traction of the 150-horsepower 1,4 TSI is clearly not enough.
The car with an interference fit switches to a lower one and rather weakly goes up the hill, accompanying all this with the sound load of the motor. There is only one alternative option - a 2-liter engine. The Q3's robotized gearbox is the old six-speed S-Tronic, which is pretty tricky to get confused because it's well tuned. There is also a seven-speed version, but it is offered only with an older engine and all-wheel drive. From extraneous noise, only the roar of the engine in a low gear is transmitted to the interior of the cabin. No vibrations on the steering wheel, bumps in the road are not a hindrance to this crossover.
If you are driving quietly, then you should use the adaptive cruise control, which allows you to take your hands off the steering wheel even for a short time. For a while, the car will drive by itself, then it will start beeping, then it will hit the brake warningly and vibrate the steering wheel, and after that it will stop the car in the middle of the road, because it will think that the driver is not able to drive it. This option is absent in the basic version of the car, as well as the front parking sensors, instead of which there are simple plugs in the bumper.
That's right, in a car for $ 29. there are not even front parking sensors. The new generation Audi Q473 comes standard with light and rain sensors, LED headlights, a fully digital instrument cluster and heated front seats. The base is even available in a special Start Edition with two exclusive body colors Pulse Orange and Turbo Blue, as well as with special design elements for the exterior and interior.
For $ 29, the soplatform Volkswagen Tiguan and Skoda Kodiaq will offer a version in an almost top-end configuration with a bunch of electronic systems and parking sensors, a 473 or 220 hp engine. with. and four-wheel drive. In the Audi Q180, the version with all-wheel drive and an older engine will be at least $ 3 more expensive than the base one. $ 2.
You will want to pay more than two million for the Audi Q3 only after the first trip on it. Because the car will definitely charm a potential client, unless, of course, he turns out to be an inveterate conservative and can appreciate style, light and technology. Despite the marketing gimmicks with the lack of parking sensors, the new Q3 is an unconditional premium, which fans are now calling the "little Q8". And this is a completely different league.
| Body type | Crossover |
| Dimensions (length, width, height), mm | 4484/1849/1616 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2680 |
| Ground clearance, mm | 170 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1570 |
| Cargo space, l | 530 |
| engine's type | Petrol |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1498 |
| Power, hp with. at rpm | 150/6000 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm at rpm | 250/3500 |
| Transmission, drive | RKPP6, front |
| Max. speed km / h | 207 |
| Acceleration 0-100 km / h, s | 9,2 |
| Fuel consumption (mixed cycle), l | 5,9 |
| Price from, $. | 29 513 |
