Grey Audi Q3 available in Edinburgh for £37,995.

Description

The Audi Q3 has been an absolute phenomenon for its maker. So much so, for many buyers the family SUV has taken over from the A3 hatchback as the default choice of small car in Audi's line-up. That's because it has a strong image and decent levels of practicality for a very competitive price. The first-generation Q3 was launched back in 2011. It was somewhat flawed but time marches on and the car hasn't stood still. The current, much-improved second-generation version was launched in 2018. When the original Q3 was launched, it was pretty much the only premium-brand small SUV available, but it's now up against a whole swathe of competitors. The biggest threat comes from the Range Rover Evoque, BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA, MINI Countryman, Alfa Romeo Tonale and Volvo XC40. There's plenty of mainstream opposition, too, but the smaller Audi Q2 is better priced to compete with those. Key to the Q3's far-reaching appeal is its clever packaging solutions, frugal and punchy engines, up-to-date tech and the TFSIe-badged plug-in hybrid models. We're concentrating on the core, estate-ish Q3 SUV in this review; there's also the sleeker Q3 Sportback, which we've reviewed separately, and the ballistic RS Q3. We love the RS Q3 but probably shouldn't… There are currently three petrol and two diesel engines available in the Q3, plus the aforementioned plug-in hybrid. Diesels are becoming rare in this type of car, and we like that Audi still offers that option; they're particularly good for towing, with a capacity of up to 2200kg. Other engines have been available as well; we'll cover the details in the Engines section of this review. There's also a good spread of trim levels: Sport, S Line and Black Edition. They all have broadly the same set of standard features, being marked out by different packages of exterior styling and interior trim details. S Line is, err, sportier than Sport, and Black Edition adds trim details in… black. Other trims have been available in the past; our specs pages provide the details.At 4.5 metres long, the Audi Q3 is pretty compact for a family SUV. But clever packaging liberates a lot of passenger and boot space. Up front, there's generous head, leg and shoulder room, and the seats have a wide range of adjustment to cater for people of all sizes and shapes. None of our testers had any complaints about the space on offer. Head and shoulder room are equally generous in the back – though three adults are pinched sitting across the bench. The amount of legroom is variable as the seat slides back and forth by up to 150mm. That allows you to tune the ratio of passenger and boot space to your requirements. Slid all the way back, even our tallest testers had plenty of legroom. The backrest tilts, as well, which can help the passengers' comfort, and the back doors open wide for easier access. At 4485mm long, the Q3 is about 150mm longer than the Audi A3 hatchback and 10mm shorter than the A3 saloon. Not an especially big car, then. You sit higher up that in those cars, of course, and you have pretty good forward visibility. Indeed, the view all-round is better than you get in many other compact SUVs, because the windows are relatively large. Check our website for more stock. Friendly and approachable sales team, check out our reviews.