TEST, OPINION - Audi Q3 S line 45 TFSI quattro S tronic: packed with expensive extras

Audi Q3 demanded a new version like no other model from Inglostadt. The brand from Germany made us wait for the second generation of this car for a long time, and once it was ready, this SUV immediately began to refer to its older brothers. There are a lot of similarities on different levels, even despite the slightly different, more budget nature of Q3, which can be overloaded with extras.

You had to wait a while for the new Q3. Production of the predecessor started in 2011, and basically it began to age right away, especially when it comes to the interior. It drew handfuls from the A3 8P model, which left the market only 2 years after the premiere of the compact SUV based on it.

Audi has learned its lesson and now customers can enjoy the new Q3, with clear references to the top-of-the-range Q7 and Q8. The small crossover is much like the larger models, with the difference that it actually has very compact dimensions. 4.48 m long allows you to travel quite comfortably and makes it easier to move around the city. Has the stylistic progress resulted in the desired changes under the hood?

The great unknown

Audi could probably boast numbers and percentages that show progress, although for most Audi buyers the biggest change may be the confusion of engine designations. Thus, in the new generation, we no longer choose from 1.4 TFSI, 2.0 TFSI and 2.0 TDI, but 35 TFSI, 40 TFSI, 45 TFSI, 35 TDI and 40 TDI. If someone woke up from the coma he fell into in the early 2000s, he might think that the smallest engine in a small Audi is a 3.5-liter petrol.

Everyone else just can't figure out what engine is running under the hood. If this puts an end to complaining about downsizing, we can forgive Audi for this gamble. Well, to the point. The tested model was equipped with the top 2-liter petrol. The drive is, of course, quattro, and it is transferred using a 7-speed S tronic dual clutch, which is worth devoting a separate and not very laudatory paragraph. Power? A substantial 230 hp. Acceleration? More than a satisfactory 6.3 seconds to a hundred. Flexibility could be better, because apart from the sport mode, in Audi we will always drive around 1,500 rpm. After pressing the accelerator, there are two scenarios (reduction or gaining speed from the very "bottom"), both of which require patience from us. Fuel consumption was acceptable 10.5 l/100 km in the city, 8 liters on the highway and about 6.5 liters per hundred outside the city. It is worth remembering, however, that if we intend to use the petrol engine's potential often, we can reach up to 14 liters per 100 km.

The car would be more pleasant to drive if not for the calm disposition of the S tronic gearbox. I haven't driven a car with a dual clutch for a long time, which would take so long to think about reductions. In fact, you might think that for the Audi Q3 S tronic, driving is a secondary thing, and the gearbox has much more interesting things to do than trying to anticipate what the driver is doing. This specificity of operation is so strange that Audi's automatic transmissions have always well reconciled the driver's intentions with the engine's capabilities.

The driving experience is as if the gearbox program was written for a completely different unit. Because how else to explain the fact that sometimes the kickdown lasts forever, just because the gearbox first downshifts by 2 gears, and then knocks down one more before the engine starts to rev up? In addition, there is the fact that rarely, but rarely, but Q3 jerks when driving in a traffic jam. This happens in other models, but am I the only one who thinks that in the previous generation of Volkswagen group dual clutches, such a phenomenon was less frequent?

In the middle - a lot of progress

The interior of the new Audi follows the design language typical of the brand's other, larger models. The difference is that, fortunately, we still have a physical climate control panel here, filled with knobs and buttons with a satisfying click, known from other Audis. The finish is at an acceptable level, although the hardness of some plastics would not indicate a price higher than 100,000. zlotys. And the tested car was worth 3 times as much.

The driving position is quite good and the seat meets the requirements for comfort. Driving comfort, however, could be better - in the test Audi with the S package, the lines were focused on stiff handling, which had a negative impact on the ability to pick holes. The operation of the running gear is also not particularly well-silenced. The steering is precise and has good gearing. It could only be less assisted. Even in sport mode, the steering wheel does not offer much resistance.

In terms of practicality and enjoyment of everyday use, it must be admitted that the Audi does well. In the cockpit there is a place to put down and charge the phone (also inductively), the connection via bluetooth is quick and efficient, and the autohold system will ensure that you do not have to keep your foot on the brake in a traffic jam. The armrest can be adjusted in a way typical for cars from the VAG group - it should suit almost everyone. Passenger seating is at a class-standard level. With my height of 190 cm, I fit behind myself. The trunk also has a satisfactory capacity and is practical enough.

Packaged with electronics

One of the most important features that distinguish Audi from cheaper models in the portfolio of the Volkswagen group are the driver assistance systems. As befits a newly presented model, we can choose from a whole range of assist systems that help drive safely.

Audi pre sense is a driving assistant that monitors what is happening in front of the car and reacts when it detects a threat. At the beginning, it warns the driver audibly, visually and haptically - by means of vibration. It recognizes dangerous situations involving other cars, pedestrians and cyclists.

We also have Audi side assist here, i.e. a system that detects a threat when changing lanes. Lane Keeping Assist is also present and helps you stay between the lines on the road.

Optional systems include Adaptive Driving Assistant, Camera-based Traffic Sign Recognition, Park Assist Plus, High Beam Assist and Danger Assist.

Adaptive Driving Assistant is the most interesting system that combines the features of Lane Keeping Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control and Traffic Jam Assist. It allows you to rest on a longer journey, because it keeps itself in the middle of the lane. It also allows you to minimize the effort necessary to drive the car in a traffic jam.

Audi can also optionally be equipped with a parking assistant that will independently enter and exit a parking space.

Expensive, more expensive, Q3

The new Q3 is therefore a mix of pros and cons. At this price, however, it should have the same advantages. The tested copy costs 300,000. zlotys. This is a very high price for a compact on stilts. Where does it come from? Mainly from the drivetrain. Top engine, 4 wheel drive and automatic. Secondly, a lot of optional equipment. In premium cars, you have to pay for every extra, but would you have thought that in the basic version, instead of a touch screen, there is a huge hole in the middle of the dashboard? I remember the times of the driving course and spartanly equipped Skoda Fabia. The attached photo shows what the basic Q3 looks like without the touch center panel.

With the standard equipment of the simplest MMI radio, a digital dashboard with a diagonal of 10.25 "is installed, which the driver operates using a multifunctional steering wheel. In the first optional expansion stage, the radio MMI plus, the instrument panel can be supplemented with additional functions on request, transforming it into a 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit. The driver, for example, can set a huge Google Earth map on it, or three different screen views, including a new, sports one. Along with the MMI plus, an 8.8-inch MMI touch display is installed in the center of the instrument panel instead of the aforementioned hole. In the case of the top version with MMI Navigation plus, the touchscreen display has a diagonal of 10.1 inches (same as in the A8 or A6).

MMI Navigation plus is additionally equipped with a new voice control using colloquial language. Is it working? Not quite as you'd like... The Audi smartphone interface, which supports phones with iOS or Android operating systems, works in conjunction with the Apple Car Play or Android Auto apps, allowing various data to be displayed on the MMI screen. The data transmission module works in the LTE Advanced standard and allows you to set up an on-board Wi-Fi hotspot.

This is what the board of the basic Audi Q3 looks like

Is the test car for 300,000 gold was missing? For example, the possibility of electric folding of the mirrors. If, however, I wanted to close the tailgate, I had to wrestle a bit, because (fortunately) it opens quite high and (unfortunately) it was not electrically controlled. reversing camera? Sure, it gives a nice picture, but until the first rain. It gets dirty like in every car, but someone at Audi decided to save a few euros on each copy, because it does not have a washer, as in most new cars of the group. Not excluding Skoda.

The new Q3 has a bit too much in common with Skoda. It's hard to say whether it's more an ennoblement for Skoda or an accusation towards Audi. It is known that cars manufactured by VAG are composed largely of the same parts, but here it is particularly noticeable. The sound of the door closing, the smell of the interior, the sound of the central locking, the sound of the engine, the sounds of the chassis - in a blind test I wouldn't know if I was driving a Skoda Karoq or an Audi Q3. And in financial terms, these cars are the equivalent of a studio apartment in Toruń or Lublin.

Better alternatives?

I know, it's largely a subjective measure. But it does affect how my week with the Audi Q3 has been. It's a good car, but it's impossible to turn a blind eye to the listed elements that bothered me personally. They sting especially hard when we look at the price list. In the end, I have the impression that when looking for an alternative to the test copy, I should not look at the BMW X2 or the Mercedes GLA. I would go towards... Audi Q5.

Better finished, more capacious and mature, additionally in a quite reasonable equipment option. 300 thousand PLN is enough for a medium-sized SUV with the same engine, only 15 HP more powerful. After retrofitting the car with almost all amenities from the tested Q3, the amount of PLN 286,220 appears in the configurator. What's missing from Q3? First of all, the automatic parking system, several other driver support systems and the ability to operate the display by touch. It is important that the standard is the most useful system, i.e. the basic version of Audi pre sense, thanks to which we will not run over the vehicle in front if we miss the road. But there are other elements that are not even available in the smaller crossover. Given the choice of Q3 and Q5, I would choose the second option. Bigger, better, more carefully finished and cheaper.

If I had to narrow down the choice to just Q3, I would skip the expensive upholstery and navigation. I would also choose a weaker, 190-horsepower engine with the same gearbox and quattro. I would remove the sunroof and the flattened steering wheel from the list of options, but I would definitely opt for some vibrant color. Orange or red Q3, on 19-inch rims, with a very good Bang & Olufsen (for a decent PLN 3,960), heated seats and a multimedia system in place of the hole in the cockpit. It would be about PLN 200,000 to pay. Still a lot, but such a price can already be understood.

For the sake of formality, let me mention that an interesting option in this class is, for me, the BMW X2 M35i. The configuration for PLN 259,000 guarantees a lot of sports sensations (performance is 4.9 seconds to a hundred) and equipment worthy of a premium class car.

Audi Q3 45 TFSI quattro - technical data

New designer clothing and accessories sales every day! Check offers on Zalando Lounge discount coupons.