Audi RS Q3 Sportback 2020 Review – International

When it comes to out-and-out performance in low-grip conditions, nothing can match the latest Audi RS Q3 and its low-roofed Sportback sibling. There are high-performance variants of small, prestige SUVs already available in Australia, but not even the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 4MATIC offers the same level of power and torque.

Audi has raised the stakes with the new RS Q3, lifting engine output by 24kW and 15Nm over the previous model's figures to outgun the Mercedes, let alone the BMW X2 M35i, the Jaguar E-PACE P300 (now discontinued) and the Volvo XC40 T5 R-Design.

The five-cylinder engine of the RS Q3 is lighter by 26kg, and serves up plenty of punch, with an engine note and exhaust cacophony that vividly recalls all those great moments from 30 years ago when Audi was winning WRC rounds anywhere, any time. We understand from Audi that the noise is amplified in-cabin through a resonator under the bonnet. Is that ‘artificial’? Does that even matter when it sounds this good?

Although it’s redlined at 7000rpm, according to the digital tacho, there seems to be torque on tap right across the rev range and the engine is docile and flexible for those occasions it’s not being given some stick. It’s joyously good fun the rest of the time.

On a frozen lake at Arvidsjaur, in northern Sweden for the global launch of the new Audi RS Q3, the manufacturer’s event team had graded a series of autocross tests in the ice and snow – with a 40cm thick cap on the lake.

The RS Q3 required judicious use of throttle and gentle steering and brake inputs to circulate without having the occasional moment of drama. Sadly, as fun as it was, the RS Q3's cat-like grip in the icy conditions will have little bearing on how the RS Q3 is used in Australia, but it did highlight some of the car’s inherent strengths on low-friction surfaces, which could include mud and wet grass in our market.

Audi’s rally heritage was in evidence from the way the RS Q3 could be set up by a driver with a bit more devil-may-care attitude than this writer to be oversteering the wrong way for the next corner – something to thrill the hypothermic video bloke standing on that corner.

If, however, you’re more concerned with getting somewhere sooner, rather than in spectacular style – in some lurid display of pluming snow from the wheels – the RS Q3 will deliver. Mostly it oversteers without hesitation. Light application of brakes through the communicative pedal does place more weight on the nose for the tail to step out on the entry to the corner, but even without that – just driving into the corner, the Audi will hang in there for a while and then make a gentle transition to oversteer. Just apply some power to straighten her up, or more power to increase the angle of the slide. And of course you could also induce oversteer with good old-fashioned trail braking. It’s all very ‘adjustable’.

Setting up the RS Q3 correctly was important for this sort of driving, however. Leaving the slick-shifting S tronic (dual-clutch) transmission to its own devices in Sport mode resulted in reduced control. Place it in manual mode with an RS drive mode selected, and the stability control ‘disabled’ (just the first step, not fully) and you could motor around the course the whole way in third gear, enjoying plenty of engine braking for appropriate control (and minimal reliance on brakes). The engine was more than flexible enough to correct oversteer from 2000rpm, but would also continue to power on right up to the 7000rpm redline, inducing much tail-wagging action along the way.

Not that there was any real need for that engine output in my case. Of the four Australian journalists who tackled the frozen lake, I was probably the bloke who finished the day with the best economy figure and the most petrol remaining in the tank. Probably not the best-case scenario for this kind of driving.

We had it explained to us by one of Audi’s instructors how to correct understeer, but that was practically academic. The only time I experienced any loss of grip at the front was when I deliberately eased off the power on the exit from a corner to let the drivetrain take control of traction. And it was hardly the sort of understeer to put the frighteners on you.

From all this there’s every indication that the Audi RS Q3 will deliver more than enough traction and roadholding in Australia. The general demeanour in Sweden was safe and surefooted on public roads and the powertrain was a very competent partner to aid handling and roadholding. Despite the prodigious power output and available torque, the five-cylinder engine never threatened to upset the car’s handling with all the safety nannies operating.

Steering and brake pedal feel relayed all the right signals on centre, in corners and hard on the picks, but the vehicles driven in Sweden are not fitted with the same wheel and tyre combination the RS Q3 will be running in Australia. For the same reason the ride quality seemed fine, but was probably softer than we can expect in Australia, given the nature of the tyres and the cushioning effect of snow on the road.

By the time the RS Q3 arrives in Australia it will have migrated to 21-inch alloys, rather than the 20-inch wheels and studded 255/40 R20 Michelin tyres fitted to the test vehicles. That will mean lower-profile tyres, which may have some literal impact on ride quality.

The driving position of the Audi RS Q3 was up to scratch and the seat is very comfortable and properly shaped for longer touring distances, but is also capable of holding the occupant securely in place for sudden changes of direction.

Although the Virtual Cockpit is a great feature, I remain unconvinced by the bar-graph readouts for fuel level and engine temperature. Not a problem in Sweden, where the sun was low on the horizon even at midday, but in Australia these gauges become difficult to read in direct sunglare.

Audi’s designers have recently revisited the company’s ergonomic conventions; it wasn’t immediately possible for me to find the some of the important switchgear and certain trip computer functions. At least there was no missing the Audi Drive Select toggle in the centre fascia or the RS mode button on the right spoke of the steering wheel.

But to can the interior of the RS Q3 the way one UK media outlet has is beyond credibility. It’s a typical Audi interior, which is to say it's finished to a high standard and is generally pleasing to the eye.

It's also quite practical and safe, with two USB ports in the front, for instance, and six airbags, plus adjustable vents for rear-seat passengers. There's plenty of room in the rear seats for adults of average height, although the Sportback is slightly compromised for headroom back there. Passengers over 180cm tall may find the headlining too low.

The seats fold down flush with the boot floor, but not perfectly flat. However, they do lock in place, which is a nice touch. Folded down, they increase the luggage-carrying capacity of the RS Q3 from 530 to 1400 litres. The boot is usefully large even without lowering the rear seats.

Some of that volume is due to the lack of a full-size spare. Instead, the RS Q3 makes do with a tyre repair kit, which may be more of a concern in snowy, icy Sweden than in Australia, where Audi anticipates selling around 200 to 300 cars a year. That projected sales figure is based on the numbers of the previous RS Q3 sold here, but that didn't include the Sportback body style.

Although the importer expects the sales split will be evenly divided between the standard car and the Sportback, a company spokesman did admit that the Sportback may end up being the volume seller in the longer term. If the appealing style of the RS Q3 Sportback matters more to Aussie consumers than the higher price and reduced headroom, that's practically a certainty.

How much does the 2020 Audi RS Q3 cost?
Price: $89,900 (plus on-road costs), $92,900 (RS Q3 Sportback)
Available: August 2020
Engine: 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 294kW/480Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 8.9L/100km (ADR combined)
CO2: 203g/km (204 for Sportback)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP (Q3 from 2018)