Contents Show
Quite weird what Audi is doing with the Q3. The Ingolstadt-based company has put a coupé version to the side of the rather staid SUV, which looks like warm design rain after a long period of dryness. Finally, we were once again confronted with questions about the price and other qualities of an SUV on the street. So the shape arrives. Now this test car in "edition one" in "Tausilber Metallic" pretty much had the entire range of extras and optical stimulants on board, which brings the brand together with the four rings. For example, the high-sheen 20-inch cast aluminum wheels in rotor design with 255/40 tires, which move this basically compact model (4,50 meters long) significantly upwards on the perception ladder. Unlike at Daimler, Audi also clearly emphasizes the SUV character in the coupé shape. The interplay of roof and shoulder lines makes the Sportback look even more sublime than the original model.
The Audi Q3 Sportback: First-class space in the rear too
Keyword perception. Here too, praise for the design team, because the view to the rear - without passengers there - is quite okay for a coupé, although the test car (of course) with its camera assistant provided a total view. In contrast to the usual practice, passengers in the rear of the Q3 Sportback do not have to make friends with second-class space. Even with a roof line lowered by three centimeters, it fits normal people with headroom, you sit relatively low (sporty) in this vehicle, but still high above the road. Inside you can adjust the legroom using the sliding back seat. Practical: Audi offers a triple division here to enable variable charging configurations. With a standard luggage compartment volume of 530 liters, this is a commendable solution. At this point, too, the Sportback does not prove to be an emergency or compromise solution. A maximum of 1.400 liters can be stored in the Q3 Sportback, exactly 100 liters less than in the standard model.
Digital flood of information in the Audi Q3 Sportback
Its interior layout is practically adopted one-to-one. That means: In front of the driver, the digital panorama called Audi “virtual cockpit” unfolds, the performances of which are praised as evidence of the most advanced technology. In practice, the mini-cinema, which is dominated by the Google map display, takes some getting used to - to put it mildly. Not just in this car. The area bombardment with information and display elements captivates in the wrong place. Again and again the eye wanders over this 12,3 inch kaleidoscope of colorful scraps and symbols. What might be fascinating at first glance, tires in everyday life and arouses the desire for reduction. What is it called? "Less is more!"
Furniture and control systems set the benchmark in the Audi Q3 Sportback
The digital helpers from Apple (Carplay wireless) and Amazon (Alexa) are easier to ignore. Or use it, of course, to seamlessly organize your digital life while driving. Fortunately, these trailblazers and, on their own, practical helpers are still harbingers of autonomous driving and therefore a can and not a must.
After criticism also praise: With three modern USB type C and one type A connection, the Audi is very well equipped if the driver does not want to use the vehicle's own hardware or the virtual services and helpers. The processing and structure of the controls is typical of Audi and a benchmark among premium manufacturers, and the furniture (sports seats in leather / Alcantara) are super comfortable. This exquisite ambience of our Audi was completed with the audio system from Bang & Olufsen.
The Quattro drive of the Audi Q3 Sportback seduces to a forced driving style
Just as the finest was served on the drive side: the 45 TFSI only has a four-cylinder, but with 230 hp it has a decent performance potential and with 350 Newton meters it also has power reserves with which 100 kilometers per hour can be reached in 6,5 seconds from a standing start. At its top, the 45 TFSI then goes over 230 km / h. The Quattro drive is for the 45 TFSI series. At the steering wheel, the Sportback behaves in an exemplary manner on the one hand, and seductively on the other. Somehow, the car creates what feels like added value. Not only does it appear bigger (!), Stronger and more valuable than a classic Q3, the Sportback also tempts you to turn this feeling outside. To put it simply: it constantly tempts you to drive more forcefully. The 7,7 liters shown by Audi as a combined consumption value per 100 kilometers should be booked as a nice note against this background. Two liters more are realistic, as anyone who treats themselves to this Audi suspects. The all-in model has its price. The bottom line was a final price of 71.355 euros for the test car with an already impressive starting price of 48.400 euros for the 45 TFSI. The “Edition one” option alone can be rewarded by Audi with 9.950 euros. That's a damn big chunk to make big pants with the Q3 Sportback. But it works!