Audi Q3 2014 Review

After a week in the pilot's seat of the tenacious Audi Q3 -- and just over 650km, covering everything from grocery runs to family transport and just heading out for coffee near the beach -- I'm mighty impressed with this 'entry-level' 1.4TFSI variant.

The Audi Q3 1.4TFSI is a new variant in the German car maker's compact luxury SUV line-up and undercuts the BMW X1 by $6000 and Mercedes-Benz GLA by $5600, leaving plenty of cash to spend of accessories and optional equipment. Or a holiday to Bermuda.

It's Volkswagen-like price should raise a few eyebrows, and I half assumed the car to be lacking in a few areas because of this. But it turns out to be a competent, well-equipped vehicle.

Propelled by 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine, it is a triumph of engineering, smooth and quiet in operation with the sort of acceleration that'll create smiles/frowns depending on which seat you're occupying.

Output is 110kW and 250Nm, and the direct injection four-cylinder mill delivers good acceleration, overtaking assertively at freeway speeds and ripping away from standstill during the traffic-light duel.

Likewise when driven gently it's smooth and quiet, the S tronic dual-clutch automatic, fitted as standard, is a good partner, snicking through gears briskly and easily.

The only minor gripe with the powertrain is the way the transmission seems to hesitate with full-throttle standing starts, and feels imprecise when reversing up inclines.

Fuel economy in the Q3 comes close to that of a diesel model (read: impressive). Claimed economy of 6.2L/100km sounds too good to be true, and is, but after 657km I managed a respectable 8.1L/100km overall. When isolating urban driving, economy was around 12.5L/100km.

The instrument dials are simple and succinct, but still nice to look at, and the raised driving position provides a great view of the road. The Q3 is undemanding to drive thanks to the direct steering, ergonomically designed cabin and compact proportions.

Ride quality feels slightly cushier than the A3, gliding over tram tracks and pot holes with less fussiness, and by some fluke of nature (or more likely thousands of hours of testing) the car handles as ably.

Despite being front-wheel drive only, it still sticks to the road well, and you can flick it in and out of corners as if it was a regular hatchback.

Measuring 4385mm the Q3 is shorter than the new Mazda3 hatch (4460mm) and is as such a cinch to park, especially when the Technik package ($3790) is added, as is the case with this test car. It contributes features like a rear-view camera, park assist and an around-view camera, and also MMI navigation plus.

But even the standard features list on the base model Q3 is more than adequate, with leather appointed seats, dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth audio and telephony, automatic headlights and wipers, roof rails, 17-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, front foglights and an Audi music interface.

Except for a somewhat perched seating position (which gets better with a bit of fiddling of the manually-adjusted seat controls) the layout of the interior is above average.

The front seats are comfortable, the controls are all within easy reach and the split-folding rear seats are easy to fold down. I did over estimate the size of the load space, trying to manhandle a 1.5- metre long Ikea bookcase in the boot.

The only way it fit was by pushing front seats uncomfortably forward.

For grocery and general shopping the 460-litre boot is well-sized, and extends to 1365 litres with the back seats folded. The back seats are a bit more comfortable than the A3, but it's still a struggle to fit four or five tall adults in there. That said, my wife loved the car's size and functionality as a small family urban car, the toddler's baby seat going in, no qualms.

The raised height of the car makes getting in and out easy and reduces strain when loading in heavy shopping bags. It also makes easier work for parents leaning over to clip in child restraints or seat belts.

Incidental storage options are plentiful, and the large cup holders fit my one-litre water bottle snugly. I was irrationally excited by this. Better yet the Q3 also securely holds a small take away cafe latte cup, so it's a winner on that front too.

There's loads of door pocket and behind-seat storage, and even a secret drawer below front seat. But it isn't perfect. Although the climate control works well, the temperature adjustment switches looked (and felt) like they'd come from a previous generation Skoda.

Overall Audi has executed a lovely-looking two-tone grey-on-black cabin that probably is cheap, but doesn't look or feel that way.

Hanging up Bluetooth phone calls proved difficult when driving and failed to execute on a number of occasions. The scroll function for the MMI infotainment control is optimised for left-hand drive vehicles and oriented anti-clockwise. Not a big drama, but it took me a while of scrolling clockwise and wondering why nothing was happening.

Just give me a touch-screen next time.

Audi's compact SUV has a very good voice recognition system, which did just what I said without needing to navigate through menus and understood me better than most. If only I could say that about all of my relationships... But I digress.

The Audi Q3 isn't perfect, but with impressive versatility, power, economy, features, fit and finish, comfort and quality, this new entry-level Q3 is a keeper. It's well worth a test drive, and priced at less than $43,000, it's only a matter of time before its competitors respond.

2014 Audi Q3 1.4TFSI pricing and specifications:
Price: $42,300 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 110kW/250Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 6.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 145g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP