Power decade

With cracking performance abilities there are plenty of reasons to celebrate this SUV

Getting old is inevitable unless you’re Benjamin Button. But for the remainder of us mere mortals, if you want to age gracefully, morph into the Audi RS Q3. Most generations of cars have a life cycle of about 10 years. The Q3 has been around for more than a decade while the RS version made its debut in 2013.

To celebrate the milestone, the four rings launched a special sportback edition of its most raucous variant. Only 555 of the limited run models were produced worldwide.

While there are no mechanical changes, the 10 Years comes armed with a range of upgrades. That also means an extra premium and there is little change from $125,000 to have one permanently in the driveway.

WHAT DO YOU GET?

Exclusive inclusions are a 21-inch alloy wheel design, cool bucket front seats along with black badging and brake calipers. Copper stitching is used throughout the interior, most notably in the honeycomb design on the leather-trimmed chairs.

It also comes with lashings of carbon along with special illuminated door sills as well as a red 3D diamond emblem which is projected onto the ground when the front doors open.

There are only two colours available – matte silver or grey.

Throw into the mix other kit like a central 10.1-inch touchscreen, 12.3inch full digital driver display, wireless phone charging and a 15speaker sound system.

Audi offers a prepaid servicing plan which covers five years and costs just over $4k. That’s about $700 more than your standard Q3.

HOW WAS THE DRIVE?

Fast. For a compact SUV, it’s quicker than a lot of the latest electric offerings with a 0-100km/h time of 4.5 seconds.

While the new performance battery electric vehicles might be competitive in the sprint – they can’t match the RS Q3 for aural delights. Dual exhausts deliver an emotive soundtrack which excites the driver within.

Firm suspension means occupants feel the lumps and bumps, especially in the most dynamic driving settings. Yet the rewards come when the going gets twisty as the SUV hunkers down and grips the road.

Not quite as adept as an equivalent sedan or wagon, the RS Q3 maintains poise and confidence despite the greater ride height. Quick changes in direction expose some body roll, although we suspect most owners would never push hard enough to exercise the power of Audi’s famed Quattro all-wheel drive system that requires a lot of momentum to break traction.

The steering is quick and direct. Exercise your right ankle out of the bends and the four-wheel drive set-up automatically sends power to the rear wheels for athletic performance. It’s fun, engaging and exciting. Running, on premium unleaded, our test returned an average of just below 10 litres for every 100km.

Only available in sportback guise, and not the standard wagon, it still has impressive boot space with nearly 600L that easily handled our weekly family grocery shop.

While the latest Audis showcase a more modern central interface, there is a lot to be said for the RS Q3’s easily navigated design with fast access to aircon controls – not hidden away behind touchscreen menus.

WOULD YOU BUY ONE?

KEL: You had me at the Audi heartbeat. The looks, the sound and the size … it has everything my heart desires. While I would like electric adjustment of the seats, I could live without that feature. I love the whole package.

GRANT: Requiring a sizeable investment, the price puts it up there with the Mercedes-AMG GLA45 S and even a Porsche Macan. The driver within me would still prefer the sedan version for even better performance, but the SUV is a fine family compromise if you are happy to spend that kind of money on a compact SUV.