Audi Q3 Sportback driven
Sportier model takes the fight to BMW X2 in small coupé-SUV class
THE Audi Q3 was one of the first posh small SUVs to be launched, and it was designed to offer the premium appeal of the Q5 in a smaller package. The Germans were quick off the mark, but it took them longer to cotton on to building a coupé-SUV version.
Better late than never, Audi has launched this: the Q3 Sportback. The maker hopes it’ll tempt buyers away from the BMW X2, but while that car looks different to the X1 on which it’s based, the Sportback is relatively faithful to the standard Q3. In fact, from the front the pair are almost identical.
But in profile the changes are substantial. The Sportback’s roofline falls away sooner, there are pinched rear quarter lights and an extended spoiler. The shoulder lines drop from just above the door handles to give a more aggressive appearance, too.
Smaller rear window aside, the tail end of the Q3 Sportback can be differentiated courtesy of a reprofiled boot lid and unique bumper with a large mock diffuser. The look isn’t as clumsy as other coupé-SUVs, but it’s not as distinctive as the X2’s.
The good news is that the Q3’s rakish design doesn’t do much to compromise practicality. While the Sportback is 29mm lower, it’s also 16mm longer than the Q3, resulting in a slightly extended boot floor; the pair both have 530 litres to play with. If you fold the seats, the Sportback’s overall space is smaller (1,400 litres versus 1,525) but that’s unlikely to be a deal-breaker.
The distance between the base of the back seat and the roof has been reduced by 25mm, but the Sportback’s reclined seat backs mean that as long as you’re less than six feet tall, you won’t be nudging the headlining. Legroom, like in the standard Q3, is above average for the class, while a sliding rear bench allows for up to 130mm of movement if more storage is required.
It’s standard Q3 fare up front. That means there’s a smartly laid out dash with a bright,
slick touchscreen. There are some oddly cheap-looking sections, though, such as the wide panel of plastic that houses just the starter button and volume control.
On the road, the Sportback feels pretty much identical to the standard car. It handles adeptly, but front-wheel-drive models are clearly more agile than the four-wheel-drive quattro variants. The steering is light and lacks feedback, though; an X2 is more fun.
Yet the Q3 has the edge on comfort, even with its standard-fit sports suspension. It can feel a little bouncy when fitted with the biggest 20-inch wheels, but this is cured by the adaptive dampers. These round off bumps in Comfort mode – adding firmness and banishing the bounce in Dynamic.
The Q3 Sportback will come with a choice of one petrol and two diesel engines at launch. We sampled the 45 TFSI petrol and 40 TDI; each offers smooth performance, and both gather speed at a deceptive rate. But they are let down by their dual-clutch gearboxes. Ask for power and there’s a delay; in normal driving it’s reluctant to kick down at all, leaving the engine offboost and with little forward motion.
A 1.5-litre 48-volt mild-hybrid petrol will join the line-up in October. This will enable fuel-saving measures like coasting, faster stop-start and an energy recovery set-up. A quick drive in a pre-production version showed the system was slick and almost imperceptible. We reckon this model will be the pick of the range. But for a car that’s so similar to the Q3 in so many ways, you’ll still need to fork out around £3,000 more than what you’d pay for the standard SUV.
“Front-wheel-drive models are clearly more agile than four-wheel-drive quattro variants”