Audi Q3 Sportback Review: Stylish, but Lacking Dynamics
A Most Practical Cabin
It’s practical too. There’s a decently sized cubby, central storage, and handy center wireless charger binnacles up front and two spaces alongside the rear seats. There are two cupholders in the front row and two more in the adequately spacious second row’s fold-down armrest. The bucket-like outer rear seats however make the Q3 Sportback more of a four-seater than five, while this car’s optional panoramic sunroof steals both headroom and rearward visibility.
Q3 Sportback’s generous 23.7 cubic foot cargo capacity is however impressively identical to the wagons. It grows to 48 cu ft with the 40/60 split-fold rear bench folded down. The bench can also slide just over five inches forward. And then, the boot’s false floor can be lowered to accommodate bulkier items or stow the parcel shelf if need be. Add two handy bag hooks and four tie-down points make for a most practical trunk.
The Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI powered by a 177 hp 236 lb-ft 2-litre turbo-petrol four-pot mated to a sporty seven-speed dual-clutch S Tronic automatic and quattro all-wheel drive. It stopped our clocks at an enthusiastic and close to claimed 7.5 seconds to 60 mph while sipping quite acceptable 24.7 mpg in mixed driving. That compares to its claimed 28.3 mpg.
Good To Drive. Not Class Leading
The Q3 Sportback is good to drive. But not class-leading. Surprisingly punchy from just above the idle, there’s a smidge of turbo lag, but power is pleasingly peaky and gear changes rapid. Engaging Dynamic drive doesn’t make a huge difference, but it does respond to throttle inputs and shifts gears more aggressively. I quite preferred it standard.
Packing MacPherson-strut front and multi-link rear axles with passive dampers and speed-sensitive variable-ratio electric power steering, the car seemed a tad compromised by its S Line 19-inch alloys. Some bumps and ruts perhaps even felt a little amplified. That’s of course offset by improved handling, which may not really be what tickles the average owner in this neck of the woods’ fancy.
It’s taller than an A3 Sportback and has a higher center of gravity, which means it does not handle as well, even with its firm suspension. The Q3 Sportback leans a little into corners when pressed, where its considerable 3860 lb driving mass also comes into play. But it’s not bad. Just not everything we have come to expect from a sports-oriented Audi quattro.
But it’s the Undoubted Style Leader
In fact, we’d go as far as to say that this Q3 Sportback blurs the lines between a rough roading warm hatchback and an SUV. That said, there’s no doubt that this Audi Q3 Sportback is more of a style leader than the jock in its class. And it’s that slick practicality and value that truly sets it apart among the burgeoning choice of fastback SUVs out there. And it really now has us yearning to drive that new RS…
ROAD TESTED: Audi Q3 Sportback 40TFSI quattro S line Engine: 177 hp 236 lb-ft 2-litre turbo petrol I4 Drive: 7-speed automatic AWD TESTED: 0-40 mph: 3.36 sec 0-60 mph: 7.51 sec 0-75 mph: 11.13 sec 0-100 mph: 21.13 sec ¼-mile: 15.6 sec @ 88mph 50-75 mph: 5.79 sec 75-100 mph: 10.35 sec CLAIMED: VMax: 130 mph Fuel: 28.3 mpg RATED: 8
Images — Giordano Lupini
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