Audi reveals stove-hot turbo Q3
Ingolstadt manufacturer provides a sneak preview of a 250kW five-cylinder turbo Q3 that could be given the production green lightAudi’s new Q3 compact crossover is yet to land in showrooms, but the four-ringed brand has already wheeled out a stonking 250kW go-faster version that could be given the production go-ahead.
The rapid baby SUV was revealed by Quattro GmbH technology boss Stephan Reil at the international media launch of the Q3 in Zurich, and these images of the vehicle first appeared on the website of respected UK publication Autocar.
The pumped-up Q3 was prepared by the same team that conjured up the brutal Q7 V12 TDI and its propulsion comes courtesy of the five-cylinder turbo motor used by the TT-RS and RS3.
However, while the TT RS and RS3 are mainstream models, the turbo five-pot Q3 is only a prototype at the moment, with a low-volume production run being mooted by Audi’s top brass.
Reil was quoted by Autocar as saying: “This is just a temperature tester for us at the moment. We needed some feedback on the idea, which is why I decided to bring it to the press. But the finished car will be very different: it will have adapted suspension and body parts, and so on.”
According to Autocar’s report, the five-cylinder engine didn’t slot into the Q3’s engine bay without causing a few headaches for Audi’s engineers.
“The engine mounts are 40mm further from the bulkhead in a Q3 relative to an RS3, so we can’t just slot the engine in,” Reil told the publication. “We’ve made prototype plumbing and wiring for the car, which we’ll have to investigate the cost implications of before taking the car forward.”
“So far the reaction to the car has been good, but we have to make the business case before going much further. Right now it’s a fun idea, but those don’t always turn into real production cars,”Reil added.
If the steroidal Q3 does get the green light, it could enable Audi to tap into a unique niche as none of its rivals has a genuinely rapid compact SUV in its line-up – BMW offers only the large and pricey X5M/X6M, while Mercedes has the ML 63 AMG and Porsche the Cayenne Turbo.
Our own Matt Brogan attended the launch and drove the five-cylinder Q3; keep an eye out for his drive impressions shortly.
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