Testing the new Audi Q3

DW (English)

The new Audi Q3 takes a confident leap forward, blending comfort, space and technology in a compact SUV. It impresses with tech, style, and practical everyday usability, but is it worth €60,000? REV puts it to the test.

Transcript

00:00Bigger, better, and more expensive? This is the new Audi Q3 and we are going to test out how it

00:09drives on the streets in Scotland today. And welcome to RevGuys. The Q3 is one of Audi's

00:16key models and its success shows it. In 2024 they sold roughly 215,000 of them. Let's talk a little

00:24bit about the general driving impression here with the new Audi Q3. And yeah, in the city it

00:29dances on the faster stretches. It feels pretty solid. I can tell you there's a good feedback

00:35from the steering. It's not the most sportiest or most direct but I think it's more on the

00:40comfortable side and it fits this segment of the Audi Q3 really, really well.

00:50We have got the engine with 195 kilowatts of power which is equal to 265 horsepower

00:58and 400 newton meters of torque. This is enough to get you from zero to 100 in 5.4 seconds

01:05and has a top speed of 240 kilometers per hour. I think this is pretty solid for a car like this.

01:14The new suspension, it works really, really good. If you have it in comfort mode, it's

01:19soft, it damps really, really well. If you got into sport, it gets harder and you can feel it in the

01:24inside.

01:35First impressions matter and this Q3 really looks good to me. If you take a closer look to the front,

01:40you can see the Matrix LED headlights. They are new. You have got some more pixels in it. I really like

01:46it. You can see on the streets if there's something happening. The micro LED module can adapt the light

01:53pattern to the driving situation. For example, it can project lane guidance and orientation lighting onto the road.

02:01Let's talk a little bit about the interior design of the new Q3. And I can tell you,

02:07I think it looks pretty solid for a class in this segment. If you take a closer look to the materials

02:12that I got here, yeah, it's soft. It's some special materials right here.

02:17Something like, yeah, it's like a plastic, but it's with some points in it. You can feel it touches really, really nice.

02:31Then you have got this new infotainment system, which is really, really great because it's looking

02:37right to you as the driver and it gives you the most of information you need to get from point A to point B.

02:43Then you have got your digital driver's display, which is pretty good as well because it's crystal

02:51clear. You can see every important information you need while driving. And yeah, all in all, this car

02:58feels like it grew up. As I told you from the outside, it grew up on the inside as well.

03:03One thing I don't like inside of this car is the steering wheel. I don't know why, because they changed

03:16it quite a lot in the last models over the years. But I think this airbag pocket right here is a little

03:22bit too big for my taste. And the steering, yeah, it touches pretty solid, but it's not that special in my eyes.

03:34The most special thing here in the inside, of course, is the gear selector because on the last model,

03:41you had the gear selector down here in the middle like all the old Audis had. Now this changes because

03:47we have got the gear selector moved up right to the steering wheel right here.

03:58Now I am sitting in the second row. The driver's seat is positioned like I would drive this car.

04:04And as you can see, I'm almost laying down in this Q3. A lot of knee room here and a lot of headroom.

04:12Of course, this is the SUV, not the Coupé. The Coupé offers a little bit less headroom. But all in all,

04:19the space inside this car is really, really good. The rear bench seat can slide forward or back,

04:26and the backrest angle is adjustable as standard.

04:34So Audi polished the Q3, but there's one thing with premium SUVs nowadays.

04:39I think sometimes they feel too safe. And this is the thing with this new Audi Q3. You can feel,

04:46yeah, this car, as I told you, drives really, really solid. It's comfortable. The steering,

04:51yeah, it's not the most sportiest. You have got enough power in this car. You've got enough space

04:55in this car. But yeah, all in all, I think it just feels too safe. There is nothing like this raw

05:02driving emotions you get while driving a car anymore. And this is what car driving is about for me.

05:09Even in the small Q3, you get a lot of features, which other brands will only put in the bigger

05:18SUVs. And so I can totally understand everybody who will say, oh, why should I buy a BMW? Or why

05:26should I buy a Volvo? Or why should I buy a Mercedes if I get an Audi Q3 with that much tech under this

05:33badge? The new Q3 comes in gasoline, diesel and plug-in hybrid versions.

05:41All in all, the Audi Q3 is a strong leap forward. If you're taking a closer look at it, I really like

05:54it. I think it looks more grown up. It's really, really cool to drive. You have got a lot of tech

05:59with it. And if you compare it to like the BMW X1, the Volvo XC40 or the Mercedes GLA, it's all in the

06:08same price segment. And here you get a lot of tech with it and a good looking car in my opinion.

06:14To sum up, the new Audi Q3 comes across as well-designed, packed with up-to-date tech,

06:20comfortable on the road and surprisingly spacious inside. Its weak spots are the muted road feedback

06:28and the fact that even with its decent power, it never really delivers a sporty driving feel.

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