Audi Q3: The real urban SUV

By Botchi Santos August 28,2013

POWER comes from Audi’s 2.0 TDI engine that boasts of a Le Mans winning pedigree, taking 12 of the last 13 races.

The trend for compact crossover SUVs is truly growing, not just here in the Philippines but the world over. Witness how more and more premium market compact ’utes are coming into the global market, which are also making their way to the Philippines—Audi’s aforementioned Q3 and Q5, MINI’s Countryman and Paceman, Range Rover’s Evoque, Mercedes-Benz’s GLK and BMW’s X1 and X3 ’utes.

 

There are good reasons for the boom among these crossovers: increased cargo space, increased interior versatility, increased mobility over rough road conditions and poor weather—all of them while retaining most of a compact car’s driving feel and, crucially, exterior dimensions, important for highly urban dwellers and city folk who have to make do with tight carports and garages as seen in typical condominium and townhouse living.

 

Audi’s Q3 is arguably the pick of the bunch. The size is spot-on, the driving dynamics is excellent, better in fact than older small model Audis (more on this later) and powered by a highly efficient diesel engine mated to an equally efficient S-Tronic dual-clutch seven-speed transmission that powers all four wheels thanks to Quattro All-Wheel Drive technology.

 

THE REAR light couldn’t be sexier.

Power comes from Audi’s 2.0 TDI engine that boasts of a Le Mans winning pedigree (12 times already in 13 years), delivering a highly impressive  174.58 HP  and 380 Newton-meters of torque. It’s very efficient too. Ten kilometers per liter is a walk in the park, 12 kpl with purely city driving achievable without much effort and an amazing 18 kpl on purely highway a shocking truth on a vehicle of this size. Surely, the S-Tronic seven-speed transmission helps immensely minimize drive-train losses which aids fuel efficiency better.

 

Getting in and out of the Q3 is easy: You simply sit. You don’t fall down like a sedan, nor do you climb up like a traditional SUV. In that sense, the Q3 makes for a perfect everyday car, especially on weekends where you might need to do a variety of chores accompanied by numerous short stops entailing a very tedious entry-exit. The Q3’s ride height means this aspect is easy.

 

Cavernous interior

 

THE Q3’s interior feels simple yet very classy.

Drop the rear seats and the Q3’s modest interior becomes cavernous—load up on cargo (in this case, a large assortment of my Supra’s interior parts such as seats, door sidings, the dashboard, rear interior panels and center console going to and from the detailing shop to my friend’s shop), close the hatch and all your gear are safely tucked inside, with still enough room for a couple of small clothes bags.

 

Five adults can sit quite comfortably for short- to medium-length drives. And yet the leather interior with soft-touch plastics remains impervious to scratching and scuffing. Nice to know your luxurious ride is equally tough, encouraging you to use your Q3 more often, not just a special reserved weekend-only car, which can be a shame as the Q3 feels great to drive in any situation.

 

Out on the open road, the Q3 feels supremely confident. Gone is the nose-heavy feeling which afflicted older Audis of yore, gone also is the overassisted brake pedal feel which makes modulation and on-the-limit braking easy, and the steering, though light feels very much feel-some, outdoing the other models in Audi’s lineup. You feel confident to press hard on the Q3’s accelerator on a winding and bumpy road, the brakes allowing you to shift weight through its four corners and finding mechanical grip from the tires and suspension naturally.

 

POP-UP multi media information display

The ride is smooth, compliant, but with excellent body control, SUV or not. Yet on typical light off-road conditions, on highway terrain Continental tires sized 235/55R18, the Q3 coped with the mud and rocks on our makeshift off-road trail. Thanks to its 185-mm ground clearance as well as the 500-mm wading depth, you’ve got far more mobility especially this flash flood-ridden monsoon season.

 

Relaxed even in traffic

 

In the city, stuck in traffic, particularly Edsa’s, the Q3 feels relaxed. There’s a simplified Audi MMI multimedia system that controls your vehicle’s on-board trip computer, audio system offers Bluetooth Telephony and music streaming from your mobile device among other things, as well as the ability to control mood lighting inside. The leather-covered interior is soft and plush, and the plastics are of the highest quality available.

 

All in all, the Q3’s interior feels simple yet very classy, free from clutter and jarring shapes and angles. The small exterior dimensions mean the Q3 feels just as natural as driving something the size of an Audi A4 or BMW 3-Series: You can easily squeeze through gaps and openings in traffic, and parking, as well as backing in/out is easy although the Q3 comes equipped with PARKTRONIC sonar parking assist system to make it easier. With excellent visibility from the rear, you won’t ever have to worry of backing in/out of a tight spot in the Q3.

 

On the safety side, the Q3 doesn’t disappoint either. Six airbags come as standard, with dual front, dual front-side and curtain airbags spanning the entire length of the cabin, ESP traction/stability control and ABS-EBD brakes further assisting the Quattro All-Wheel Drive System to maintain as much grip as possible on the road. ISOFIX child seat anchors are also standard. All this helps the Q3 earn a full five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test rating results.

 

An interesting sidenote: The Q3’s ESP system very lightly applies brake force onto your discs and brake pads to wipe them clean of water and debris, which helps ensure better stopping in adverse conditions.

 

A very fuel-efficient SUV, a very stylish SUV, and having a voluminous interior and a very engaging driving experience. Surely there must be a catch? Indeed, the only downside is the price as the Q3 clocks in at over P3 million. But PGA Cars Audi has recently announced special lease-to-own and traditional financing schemes for its model range including the Q3.

 

Drop by their showrooms in Greenhills,  Bonifacio Global City or Alabang  to test drive this amazing SUV, or call (632) 7270381 to  85 to schedule a test drive.

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.