Audi Q3: this is a plug-in hybrid superstar with 75 miles of electric range
Now, that is the new Audi Q3, and I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about it. I’m Jordan, and you’re watching Auto Express. Okay, let’s start off with the exterior styling because it’s pretty fresh, isn’t it? Now, it is very similar to other Audi SUVs that you see around, things like the Q5, but if you kind of look closely at the details, you’re going to see that there is actually quite a few more changes. Now, the standard Audi rules apply. So, we have a single frame grill as you can see on the front here as well as a very standard set of sort of twin headlights with some LEDs up and below. Now, these are your main headlight units below and these guys up here are your indicators and they’re also customizable depending on whether you have the topsp spec headlights. Further around, as we go around, we can see here that the size of the Q3 is actually a little bit bigger than it was before, but it’s still not a massive car. Nice and compact, which means that it’s going to be really popular with all sorts of buyers. This car is sort of finished in a soft gray color and has these pretty funky looking duo tone wheels. Now, the wheels are available between 17 and 20 inches. These are 20 in. So, that kind of gives you an idea of the sort of scale of this car. We’ve got a rear end that is very reminiscent of the new Audi A6, and that is a good thing. We’ve got here a sort of split tail light arrangement. So, these guys here are OLED, uh, which is brand new for the Q3. And then they are split with a light bar running underneath and also the brake lights that sit down here in this lower unit. We also see here we’ve got an illuminated Audi badge. And overall this S-line model looks pretty aggressive. Inside you can see that this is very much so a modern Audi product which is a bit of a mixed bag really when it comes to the higherend stuff. But at this level at Q3 we think it’s pretty good. Now we’ve got a dual screen setup here. This is an 11.9 in screen in front of the driver and a 12.8 8 in screen, which is the main touchcreen, which sits on this kind of like threedimensional metal ledge. In the center here, we’ve got a set of physical buttons. That’s lovely. And as you can see, also air vents in the center. The center console, as you can see, houses a starter button and some volume knobs and is a bit shiny. Yes, but it’s also missing something that it usually has, and that’s moved up here. Which brings us very neatly to the driver’s seat because, weirdly, this is probably the most interesting part of the entire car. It’s the indicator stalk arrangement which as you can see here kind of sits on this bar behind the steering wheel. Now to the right is the gear selector. That’s pretty standard. So we’ve got park, drive, neutral, that sort of thing there. This side is actually pretty interesting. If you look, we’ve got indicators that operate just like that. They do physically move, which is quite useful. And then we’ve also got here the controls for the wipers and the rear wipers as well. You don’t really need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to indicators. We found loads of car companies have tried and failed to make anything particularly interesting, but I actually think that is quite a cool way of setting it up and definitely a tick in terms of material quality. Look, Audi interiors haven’t really been what they used to be for quite a long time, but in general, this one feels pretty good. We’ve got some sort of textured fabric here on the doors and on the dash top here. We’ve got some very non leather-like plastic on the dash on the top of the doors. The dash top is nice and squidgy. The center console has got some nice squidgy material here next to it as well. and the center console, too. Overall, I’m sure that build quality is going to be very good. In terms of storage, we’ve got a phone charger here under a little lid, and we’ve got a couple of cup holders and a relatively small center console, but as you can hear by that rushing, it means that it stays up as an armrest. That’s really good. Whilst we’re here, we have a new infotainment interface. This is a little bit more simple than the unit that you’ll find in a Q5 or an A5. Everything is like on a gray scale, which kind of works for me, and it’s generally really easy to use. Yes, we have climate controls on the screen. That is very normal, but they are static and very easy to use, and that’s actually quite a nice little bonus. And as you can see, this is kind of your main screen. It’s like a home screen, but then you can obviously go into here and pick all sorts of various bits. Now, this car’s got the digital headlights, so you can actually zoom around and put different signatures on, which is pretty cool. And if we go to the back, there is a decent amount of leg room without going overboard. We also have some quite nice amenities. So, we’ve got a couple of USBC chargers and some rear heater controls. Headroom is pretty good and overall things back here are pretty much as you’d expect for a sort of premium SUV of this type of size. In terms of boot space, Audi is quoting a 575 L boot and crucially there is a section here on the side which allows you to store extra things or cables or give you a bit of extra width where you need it. And we also have a movable floor which is very useful. As for the power trains, well this is an MQB product. So we have a good selection of both petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid options. Now, that plug-in hybrid is particularly interesting because it has a combined 286 brake horsepower, which is quite a lot, and a 25.7 kWh battery, which gives it a pretty massive 74.4 mi of EV range. Now, that is extremely impressive, and actually those numbers are slightly better than you’ll find on a Q5, although this is a very different car. Beyond that, the diesel is 148 brake horsepower and has a mild hybrid system. There is also a 148 brake horsepower 1.5 L 4-cylinder and then a couple of 2 L 4-cylinders, both of which come with four-wheel drive. Now, the most powerful of that has 262 brake horsepower, which is the same you’ll find as in a Golf GTI. Right, so there’s a really quick rundown of the new Audi Q3, and in first impressions, it’s definitely going to be something that sells incredibly well. We can definitely see the appeal, especially with that plug-in hybrid engine. Now, we do know that it’s going to cost from around £385,000 in the UK and rise up to somewhere around 50. But inherently, it’s going to be a big success for Audi. So, be prepared to see many of these on the road.
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This is the long-awaited new Audi Q3, a model that’s been crying out for a refresh and boy has it got one. With a range of sensational new plug-in hybrid powertrains, plus the classic petrols you know and love, the new Q3 pairs these to a much more contemporary interior and tough new exterior design. Jordan Katsianis takes us for a whip-crack walkaround from its global debut, before we get behind the wheel later this year.
