Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE | 29

T

he Audi Q3 range opens
with the 110kW 1.4-litre
turbopetrol TFSi, with a six-
speed twin-clutch S-Tronic
transmission and front-wheel
drive, priced at $43,400.
Quattro all-wheel-drive
models start with the 110kW
2.0-litre turbodiesel/seven-speed
S-Tronic TDi at $49,000.
The high-performance
2.0-litre turbodiesel Sport, with
135kW, is priced at $58,000.
The Q3’s 2.0-litre turbodiesel
engine is the successor to the
EA189 that got VW into such a
mess. It is not subject to any
legality issues.
The 132kW 2.0-litre turbopetrol
TFSi seven-speed S-Tronic
quattro is $53,400.
The 280kW 2.5-litre fi ve-
cylinder turbopetrol RS Q3 tops
the range at $84,911. It takes on
the Mercedes AMG GLA45.

The numbers suggest that

you’re not that much better off

if you choose the more powerful

version of the 2.0-litre turbodiesel,

particularly in real-world

driving. It’s got a sizeable power

advantage but this is at pretty

high revs, where you rarely go in

a turbodiesel. Its 60Nm torque

advantage (380Nm vs 320Nm)

can be felt more readily in the

midrange, but the base engine

is impressively tractable. The

135kW engine develops a smooth,

sweet, free-revving nature from

3000–5000rpm and S-Tronic is

more responsive, though in Sport

mode it often holds a selected

lower gear for too long.

That said, having driven at

least 50 VW Group cars with the

six- and seven-speed dual-clutch

transmissions, each one seems

to have its own idiosyncrasies.

Call it character.

Ride comfort is fi ne on

standard 17-inch wheels. A

second test car, on optional 19s,

was terrible. The ride was lumpy

around town and occasionally

crashy and harsh, causing body

shake on particularly severe

bumps. The electric steering

offers no road feel, has a vague,

disconnected character and

is prone to constant, annoying

kickback on rough surfaces.

The dash features Audi’s MMI

media interface, here with the

optional navigation system and a

pop-up screen.

It’s not the fastest navigation

system in the world and you

can sometimes actually be past

your turn before an instruction

is given. Moving around the MMI

system with the rotary cursor

knob, which is located here in

a vertical position on the dash

rather than on the fl at centre

console between the front seats,

is also quite counterintuitive.

The back seat has a fi rm, fl at,

comfortable cushion that suits

child restraints.Two conventional

anchors can be found on the

seat back and two sets of Isofi x

mounts are also provided.

Legroom is on the tight side but

most adults will be able to travel

comfortably. The Q3’s coupe-like

rear styling compromises boot

volume, so although the fl oor is

reasonably large, you can’t carry

that much stuff and in extended

mode it’s not fl at.

The Q3 is expensive, especially

when you consider that the same

engineering DNA with a VW

Tiguan badge — and a larger,

next-generation platform and

body — can be had for less. The

next Q3, underpinned by this

architecture, is due towards the

end of the year.

S AUDI Q3 FROM $43,400

Safety

ANCAP

Green Vehicle Guide

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money

Overall

STARS

THINGS WE LIKE

 Class-leading quality and a

beautifully assembled interior

 All four engines are excellent in

performance and economy

 High resale values

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

Expensive

Vague, remote-control steering

Steering kickback on rough roads

Too many expensive options

Hard ride on optional 19-inch wheels

High servicing costs and some

reliability issues

SPEX (2.0TDI quattro

S-Tronic)

Made in Spain

2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel/

seven-speed automated manual/

all-wheel drive

135kW of power at 3500rpm/380Nm

of torque from 1800–3250rpm

0–100km/h in 7.9 seconds (claimed)

4.7L/100km highway; 6.5L/100km

city; CO 2 emissions are 141g/km

Warranty: Three years/unlimited

kilometres

The 135kW 2.0TDi quattro includes

stability control, six airbags, 18-inch

alloy wheels, parking sensors,

rain-sensing wipers, automatic

headlights, roof rails, dual-zone

air, Bluetoooth with audio streaming,

fake and real leather upholstery

Redbook future values: 3yr: 54%;

5yr: 40%

compare with ...

BMW X1, Jaguar E Pace, Mercedes

GLA, Mini Countryman, VW Tiguan