The Audi Q3 is the perfect all-rounder for a demanding family, and comes packed with technology similar to that found on its new big brother, the Q8, including virtual cockpit and a large touchscreen MMI display.
The sharper creases and sleeker lines of the new Q3 give it a stronger road presence than its predecessor, and this is complemented by its octagonal Singleframe front grille, large side air inlets and slim headlights. The LED headlights are standard, along with LED daytime running lights, and optional Matrix LED lights can be specified.
Side on, the headlight and rear light graphics are connected by the car’s shoulder line with strong accents over the wheel arches, which draw their inspiration from the original Audi quattro. The rear spoiler, and steeply raked C pillars add to the SUV’s eye-catching new look.
The focal point of the interior is the instrument panel. High-gloss black trim surrounds the centre of the new operating system: the MMI touch display. Together with the air conditioning controls underneath, it is tilted 10 degrees toward the driver. All displays, buttons and controls are located ergonomically.
Sport seats are standard on Sport and S line: Sport comes with cloth interior and on S line a combination of cloth/twin leather. For the first time Alcantara also appears as an option for the surfaces of the instrument panel and the door armrests. They are available in three colours, including a bold orange.
In the dark, the optional contour/ambient lighting package sets pinpoint lighting accents on the centre console and doors. It can be set to 30 colours and also illuminates the storage compartment under the instrument panel as well as the quattro logo above the glove compartment, or the Audi rings on front-wheel-drive models.Manufactured at the Győr plant in Hungary, the Audi Q3 has grown in virtually all dimensions and is positioned in the upper compact SUV segment:
Length: 4,485mm (97mm longer than the outgoing first-generation Q3)
Width: 1,849mm (18mm wider)
Height: 1,585mm (5mm lower)
Wheelbase: 2,681mm (78mm longer) providing considerably more knee room, headroom and elbow room
The Audi Q3 is easy to get into, and has good all-round visibility. The three-seater rear bench can be moved back and forth by 150 millimetres as standard, and its three-way split backrest, in the ratio 40:20:40, can be tilted in seven stages. For even greater comfort the rear seat can be equipped as an option with a centre armrest incorporating two cup holders.
The luggage compartment is also easily accessible through the standard electrically powered tailgate, and has a capacity of 530 or 675 litres depending on the position of the rear seats and backrests – with the backrests completely folded down the capacity rises to 1,525 litres.
The loading floor can be adjusted in three levels, and the low loading sill (748 millimetres) makes stowing heavy luggage easier. If the parcel shelf is not needed, it can be stowed under the loading floor. You can also add an optional storage and luggage compartment package, which includes nets on the backs of the front seats, a storage compartment under the front passenger seat, a luggage compartment net and LED spotlights in the tailgate to provide illumination whatever the vehicle is carrying.
Sport and S line versions, come with a fully digital MMI touch display and 10.1-inch screen in the centre of the instrument panel as standard, along with MMI navigation plus and the Audi Virtual Cockpit with a 10.25 inch screen within the binnacle.
Using the multifunction steering wheel you can view data, such as road and engine speed, and manage MMI functions and listen to music, Audi connect services and navigation mapping. As the driver you can configure the display according to own individual needs.
These trims are equipped with new natural-language voice control. It understands freely structured wording, asks questions if necessary, allows corrections, offers choices and defers to the speaker when interrupted. Responses to enquiries are made not just with the benefit of information stored onboard, but also with detailed knowledge from the cloud – the same feature is used in the Audi A8.
The MMI navigation plus in the Audi Q3 offers the same technical functions as those in our higher-end models, such as the stunning new Q8. The navigation, for instance, recognises the driver’s preferences based on previous journeys, allowing it to generate suitable route suggestions. The route is calculated – in parallel to the planning in the car – on the servers of the map and navigation, using real-time data for the overall traffic situation.
The Audi connect portfolio is offered on a three-year subscription as standard on Sport and S line, It supplements the navigation using the LTE Advanced standard, which provides its services in virtually all European countries using a SIM card that is permanently installed in the vehicle.
These services include the high resolution satellite images of Google Earth, traffic information online, point-of-interest search as well as information on parking spaces and filling stations, which appear directly on the navigation map – where necessary also with dynamic additional information such as prices and availability. Audi connect also includes media streaming, online news, access to Twitter and email.
A Wi-Fi hotspot for passengers’ mobile devices is part of an optional data package which you can add conveniently from the car.
Many Audi connect functions are brought together in the myAudi app. It connects the customer’s smartphone to the new Q3, allowing, for instance, navigation routes to be imported seamlessly through myAudi Navigation. Once in the car, route guidance is continued on the onboard monitor. On departure at the end of the journey, the smartphone navigates you onto your next destination.
The app also supports music streaming and transfers the smartphone calendar onto the MMI. Furthermore, the user can remotely lock and unlock their car, consult the current vehicle status and pinpoint where your Audi Q3 is parked using the myAudi app on your smartphone.
A range of hardware modules supplements the infotainment portfolio. The Audi smartphone interface, which is standard in the UK, links your iOS and Android cell phones and places your Apple Car Play or Android Auto environment on the MMI display.
The Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System with virtual 3D sound provides three-dimensional audio. The sound experience is generated through four additional loudspeakers in the instrument panel and one in each D pillar. The sound system uses 15 loudspeakers altogether and produces a total output of 680 watts.
The Audi Q3 offers a range of driver assistance systems, many of which can also be found on higher segment models, such as the Q8:
Audi Side Assist: its two radar sensors constantly scanning for vehicles located in the blind spots or approaching quickly from behind and illuminating a warning LED in the relevant exterior mirror to alert the driver.
Lane departure warning: active from speeds of approximately 37mph to help prevent the vehicle inadvertently drifting out of a lane. If the driver has not set an indicator and the car is about to cross the lane markings, the system assists with corrective steering intervention. As an option, you can set the steering wheel to provide an additional vibration.
Pre sense front: uses radar to detect critical situations involving pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles and provides you with a visual, audible and touch-sensitive warning before initiating emergency braking if necessary.
Optional adaptive cruise assist in combination with the S tronic transmission: incorporates the functions of adaptive speed assist, traffic jam assist and active lane assist, helping you with longitudinal and lateral control – substantially enhancing comfort on long journeys.
Optional park assist: steers the SUV automatically into and out of parking spaces. You only have to accelerate, brake and shift gears. If you want to reverse out of a parallel parking space or a tight entrance, cross traffic assist is activated. The system monitors the area behind the vehicle using two radar sensors and alerts the driver in critical situations. The four 360 degree cameras provide another useful function. They show on the large infotainment screen the immediate surroundings of the Audi Q3 when moving at speeds up to 6mph. Touch operation allows the driver to switch between various views. In addition to the virtual bird’s eye view, the reversing camera view and the front and rear 180° panoramic view, there is a detailed view of the front and rear wheels. This enables you to align precisely with the kerb.
Manoeuvrable in town, agile on country roads, composed on the motorway – the MacPherson strut front and sophisticated four-link rear suspension underpinning the Audi Q3 has been tuned to feel palpably more comfortable yet familiarly assured and responsive, helped by its longer wheelbase.
In the optional suspension with damper control, sensors measure the movements of all four wheels as well as the vehicle’s lateral and longitudinal acceleration and the damper characteristics are then adjusted to suit the road surface conditions and driving situation.
The sport suspension which is standard for S line models has tauter spring/damper tuning. Progressive steering is standard, Its ratio becomes progressively more direct as the steering angle increases, adding substantially to the surefooted handling of the new Audi Q3.
Keen drivers can adjust the characteristics of the new Audi Q3 to suit their preferences using the standard Audi drive select dynamic handling system. It includes the six modes auto, comfort, dynamic, offroad, efficiency and individual. They influence the throttle response, the steering, the shift characteristics of the S tronic and the damper control where it is fitted.
If regular use away from the beaten track is likely, hill descent control can be specified as an option. Activated at the push of a button, it maintains the preset speed when driving offroad.
Four engines will power the new Audi Q3 – three TFSI and one TDI. Their power outputs range from 150PS to 230PS. All four engines are four-cylinder direct injection units with turbocharging, and all are fitted with a particulate filter.
The entry-level engine is the 1.5-litre TFSI with 150PS and 250Nm of torque. It uses the cylinder on demand efficiency system, which temporarily switches off two cylinders at low load. Using the new Audi naming convention it will be badged 35 TFSI and will be fitted with a fast-shifting seven-speed S tronic and front-wheel drive at launch – a six-speed manual option will follow later.
The 2.0-litre TFSI unit in the Audi Q3 40 TFSI has 190PS and develops maximum torque of 320Nm. In its uprated form – the Audi Q3 45 TFSI – it has 230PS and 350Nm of torque. Both engines are coupled as standard with the seven-speed S tronic and use quattro permanent all-wheel drive based around the hydraulic multi-plate clutch.
In the diesel engine line-up, the 2.0-litre unit with 150PS and 340Nm of torque is the lead-in version. The Q3 35 TDI is initially available with a manual transmission and quattro drive. A seven-speed S tronic version will be offered in combination with front-wheel drive. Following the market launch, a 2.0 TDI developing 190PS will extend the engine range.
The only way to discover what the New Audi Q3 is really like is to take a test drive. We would be delighted to arrange this for you (either from the showroom, your office or home).
Call, click or visit us today at Marshall Audi in Bexley, Canterbury, Coulsdon, Exeter, Maidstone, Newbury, Oxford, Plymouth, Taunton, Tunbridge Wells or Wimbledon for more information and to find out about our latest offers.
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