[aditya9567]

Intro

We recently purchased a new Audi Q3 after a few months of deliberation and research. I thought I’d post a short review of our experience and the car to aid anyone thinking of purchasing a car in the segment. Given that the official review is comprehensive, I am going to limit this review to my observations and aspects specific to the Premium Plus variant for the sake of brevity with my general laziness not playing any part in the decision.

Likes

• Audi’s Physical Health and Back to Basics package exclusive to the Premium Plus variant that I will detail out later. The Physical Health Limited package is applicable to the Indian Q3 in general, again detailed out later.
• A lovely price tag because who doesn’t like to see big numbers on a cheque.
• Special “Bring Back to Ground” feature through some interior plastic quality that gains more power the lower you go in the interior. The feature works in conjunction with the price tag and is designed to keep you close to Earth just in case you start to fly high after buying a luxury car.
• The powertrain helps form a brotherhood with owners of multiple cars below and above the segment.
• Provides continued ambition to earn and perform better in life to keep up with the expected maintenance costs.

Dislikes

• Driving experience - the 2L TFSI engine is too quick for Indian roads. Gentle dabs of the throttle increases speed faster than you can say “Oh no”, very dangerous.
• The sorted dynamics of the car add to the frustration as you reach the next jam or the next traffic light sooner.
• The gearbox needs a special mention as the car is most likely going to go through 2 of them but more so because of its disturbing ability to read your right foot better than a palmist can read your right hand.
• Solid build quality throughout that makes you feel you worked out more while closing doors or the boot. The car doesn’t give rattles (not yet at least) to enhance your hearing and scouting ability.
• On a scale of Alfa to Porsche, the car probably scores a BMW on build quality.
• Noise insulation and the refined experience makes you feel disconnected from the lovely music on our roads.
• Discontent from one of the leading professionals in the auto industry because of all the unnecessary extra safety equipment when we all know 4 doors is enough to protect individuals from outside harm.

Background

The new car replaces a 2020 Kia Seltos. While in the past, we have kept cars for a long time, the Seltos was sold after a short period on concerns of safety. We probably would not have bought the Seltos initially if the GNCAP ratings were out then but better late than never.

Primary requirements from the car are a medium sized crossover offering a good driving experience and premium interiors. An important factor was also the size and the turning radius for ease of maneuverability. The usage is around 15-20k km a year roughly split 60:40 city to highway. The car is primarily used by my parents.

A serious search for a new car began when the Tiguan was updated in June with refreshed interiors. The continually increasing prices were another factor that hastened our decision.

Alternatives considered

• VW Tiguan: The Tiguan was perfect on paper – premium crossover, practical, loaded with features, excellent powertrain and dynamics. The driving experience was pretty good, very similar to the Q3 but the interior quality and the design did not feel up to the mark. The SA was also interested in selling the Taigun more than the Tiguan.
  
• Skoda Kodiaq: Excellent interiors with different materials, pleasing design and loaded with useful features. The only fly in the ointment was the size and the large turning radius. If the Kodiaq’s interiors were on the Tiguan, we would have probably gone for that.
  
• Hyundai Tucson: The Tucson was a big surprise. The interior quality and design felt very modern and well put together. The car feels very spacious inside, thanks in part to the gray interior colour. The powertrain, however, is not as good as the VAG cars. The petrol is uninspiring while the diesel is punchy but has a bit of a lag. Transmission isn’t as well tuned either. It is a practical crossover and would have been more of a head purchase rather than a heart purchase.
  
• Volvo XC 40: Ever since the XC 40 came out a few years ago, I have loved the design direction the company has taken from the V40 to their sedan series. The cabin was well put together and the car was properly modern compared to its German rivals offering the latest tech (ignoring their real world applications in India). The engine felt sprightly but boomy inside. Upshifts and downshifts took a tad longer than the Audi dual clutch. The biggest gripe is with the back seats, they are upright and have low thigh support. The rear seats do not have any adjustments. My guess is that Volvo designed the car to be both a petrol and EV variant and they had to make certain compromises to fit the battery pack under the seats.
  
• Ioniq 5: The major reason for considering this car was the price and the running costs. The Ioniq 5, due to the road tax exemption, offered more car per rupee. We could have probably overlooked the nascent charging infrastructure but it ultimately did not feel like a crossover which was an important requirement.
  
• Mercedes GLA and BMW X1: The new GLA significantly improves on the practicality and interior space from the previous gen but still did not feel sufficient. More importantly, the cost was the deciding factor with MB not offering any discounts. We would have to go for the diesel costing around 62L on road Bangalore (the petrol option is not worth the price IMO), which would have stretched the budget considerably. The X1 was rejected due to the powertrain options.

Booking and delivery experience

Once we narrowed down to the Q3 and initiated serious discussions, we found the SA to be highly amenable to negotiation. After a few rounds, the list price and the actual offered price were poles apart. The SA also offered around 10% further discount on an MY23 CBU that they had received earlier in the year. The CBU missed out on dynamic indicators compared to the CKD. The CBU was a no brainer, in my opinion at least. The Technology variant was at a premium of 6-7L which we felt was not worth the price and hence decided to go with the Premium Plus variant. Audi also sells a Premium variant, on order, but its even more watered down with fabric seats, halogen indicators and rear lights.

The deal included a 3 year comprehensive service pack and 3 years extended warranty (5 year warranty in total). We were allowed to do a PDI at the showroom after which the booking amount was paid. The car had 44km on the odo during the PDI. Other formalities were done soon after.

Pictures during the PDI.









The delivery experience was standard fare, with a cake cutting, an unveiling and handing over of the key. What was surprising was the Rs 10k in freebies that we received which included 5k in fuel as the car was 80-90% filled up.



The remaining 5k is largely notional from this Audi branded pot. I know the plant probably doesn’t cost that much, but the pot is premium as it is widely accepted that slapping a premium badge on everyday objects like water bottles, ties, caps etc. increases its value by atleast 20x.



It was a smooth experience throughout. The SA was fairly new and was not 100% adept with the car and brand’s specifics but was very responsive and good to deal with.

Exterior

I’ve always liked how the Q3 looks. The new generation modernizes the car while retaining the design aesthetic. The newer gen features cleaner lines compared to the curvy design of the older gen. It is, however, instantly recognizable as a Q3.

There is no visual difference from the outside between the PP and the Technology variant. The official review covers this in detail, so I will limit myself to a few shots.

Handsome front face with the Audi family hexagonal grille.



A nice side profile with a sloping roof design towards the latter half of the car. The silhouette is not as raked as the Sportback but is instantly noticeable when compared to something like the Seltos which has more of a boxy shape. While the rear headroom is not compromised, the feeling of space in the boot is reduced. The alloy design is fairly bland, the international version gets much better looking wheels.



The rear 3/4ths shot highlights the SUV/crossover look that the car is going for.



Pleasing rear design. Distinctive LED tail lights look great. The fake dual exhausts give cars a real performance vibe said, no one ever. I could’ve done without them to be honest.



Interior

The interior has a nice look. I quite like Audi designs with its clean understated lines and relative minimalism. I believe that this will age better than something like the Tucson’s design. Overall interior quality is on par with soft touch materials on the dash but harder plastics lower down.

I have observed that newer generations of cars have lower quality materials in general across manufacturers. Materials used in this Q3 do not feel as premium as the previous gen.



The beige colour seats lift the ambiance aided by the panoramic sunroof. Both front and rear seats are comfortable with adequate thigh support. The front seats also provide lumbar support which is welcome.

Overall practicality is good with sufficient leg room in the back thanks to the increased wheelbase over the previous gen. The boot capacity of 530 litres should also cater to most of our needs.

The cockpit is tilted towards the driver to provide easy access to the infotainment screen. The ergonomics are spot on with all controls falling easily to hand.



This portion of the dash looks even more plain without the start stop button. Thankfully it retains buttons and knobs to control essential functions. The switchgear feels tactile and premium.



Well designed centre console. The cupholders have ambient light strips which look good at night.



A unique way to switch on the interior lights – just touch them. A clever feature that is frequently missed is the ability to change the intensity of the lights which can be done by continuing to touch the light till the desired intensity is reached. This works on the rear cabin lights as well.



The interior is where the majority of the difference is between the trim levels. On the face of it, it appears as though the Premium Plus misses essential features but dig deeper and you’ll find that Audi’s Physical Fitness and Back to Basics Pack actually provide more value in the long run.

• Wrist exercise through the usage of old school insert and turn key to start the vehicle. This is well complemented by the lack of any lights around the key ring to hone your night time vision.
• No electric tailgate - opening and closing it trains the lat muscles.
• Phone cooling feature – there’s no dedicated cooling provided but the phone is artificially cooled through the lack of wireless charging.
• Audi has figured out the right way to spell aluminium / aluminum which is to completely eliminate the requirement of the word by removing trims from the interior. Can’t spell a word wrong if you don’t have to use it.
• Single colour ambient lighting – Colour can distract people while driving and hence only white is provided.
• The quattro badge doesn’t light up like in the Technology variant. This is a subliminal message reinforcing that it is a passive AWD and the car cannot be taken everywhere.
• Inbuilt navigation is skipped because well, who uses it anyway.
• The digital screen has fixed dials to remind you of the golden age with only the center portion changing as per requirement.
• Audi acknowledges that drive modes in normal cars barely make any difference between modes by removing them altogether.

The digital instrument cluster in standard view,



Pressing the View button in the full virtual cockpit reduces the dial size and highlights the information provided in the centre portion like the map. But here, it just shows a blank screen.



The doors have a nice design but I would have liked some more elements. The PP variant misses the aluminium trim here.



The aluminium is skipped on the power window switches as well as the E-parking button.



Plain jane Quattro logo compared to the lit up one in the Technology variant (reference image).



Old school key starter, an illumination ring is sorely missed.



Luckily some of these value add features are provided in the Technology variant too.

• Lack of ventilated seats allowing you to sweat out your toxins from your back while keeping your face cool eliminating the need to go to a sauna.
• Bad knees are a common problem these days and hence Audi eliminated the auto hold function to ensure your leg isn’t stationary for too long in Bangalore traffic.
• No 360 degree camera and blind spot enabling you to exercise your hip muscles.
• Driver assistance would just reduce attentiveness levels, something which is a primary concern especially with the younger generation today.
• Lack of memory seats subconsciously improve your memory.

Driving Experience

Insert the key and start the car up and you are greeted by an incredibly refined engine. At idle, there is barely any vibration or engine noise felt inside. I did not think I would ever notice something like this but even the key rotation to start the car is smooth, possibly because my frame of reference is an Alfa.

Put it in D and you will appreciate the smoothness of the engine. There is a reason why VAG uses this engine in a bazillion cars. Driving this car is what I would imagine riding a slightly dim witted shark underwater would be like. Takes a second to set off but does so in an effortless manner gliding forward. There is significant power on tap allowing you to reach 3 digits very quickly. The Q3 remains the fastest car in the segment with a claimed 7.3s 0-100 time followed closely by the GLA 220d.

A special mention to the gearbox. It is intuitive and understands driver inputs spectacularly. There is a small delay in downshifting but it is expected in a family crossover. Shifts are smooth and barely noticeable.

Driving the Q3 on Bangalore roads reminds me of my GT TSI. It feels like a more mature version of the same.

Ride is on the firmer end typical of German cars. Thuds are noisy and enter the cabin but not alarming. This tuning helps the car remain stable in corners and on bumps. There is body roll on faster turns, which is expected given the high CG in the car – it is a crossover after all. I detected a hint of the infamous Audisteer on pushing the car a bit. Long distance cruising should be very comfortable, I have not yet driven the car on a highway.

A surprising highlight for me was the sound insulation. Outside noise barely filters through to the cabin. Only closeby vehicles and harsh honks are heard inside. Put on music and even at moderate volumes, your drive becomes very relaxed. Tire noise at higher speeds could have been contained better.

While we have not yet felt the need for the Quattro, it is good to know that the system will get us out of tricky spots.

To answer the popular question – Eshtu kodutte (Kitna deti hai (mileage)), city mileage has been around 8-9kmpl going upto 11kmpl in free flowing traffic. Highway mileage will probably be around 12-13kmpl. The car loves petrol more than Americans love soda while stationary and mileage can drop drastically when stationary.

Closing remarks

All my attempts at kidding aside, I think the Q3 is a great all round car. Sure, it does not have some feel good features expected in premium cars but the fundamentals are extremely sorted. Important aspects of the car such as the powertrain, suspension, ride, handling, safety have not been compromised and will allow the car to age well.

I believe the Q3 makes a compelling proposition for someone looking for a well sized premium petrol crossover but do not require the extra space that the Kodiaq offers, especially at the discounted prices.

[biplab3110]

Originally Posted by GTO

Great pictures, Aditya! Big congrats on your Audi Q3. I love the latest model and would easily pick it over the GLA or X1.

Coming from you, this statement means a LOT!!
I hope I will post pictures of my white Q3 Tech in October

[Bhodrolok]

Love the review... firmly tongue in cheek!

Wish you many a 'dislike'ful journey. This makes me tempted to go visit them.

[aditya9567]

Originally Posted by GTO

Great pictures, Aditya! Big congrats on your Audi Q3. I love the latest model and would easily pick it over the GLA or X1.

Thanks for the support & understanding . Wishing you many fun road-trips with your Q3!

Thank you for the compliments.

On the review, it was a play on words and meant to get a laugh out of the readers while being informative. I fully understand the need to be objective and everything I've mentioned in my Likes column are cons of the car. I've also clearly highlighted everything the car misses and stuff I don't like in the subsequent part of the review.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

[Lux_Noob]

As an owner of the same car as Aditya, only with brown interiors, I second his views on the car. To just call out the two best and two worst features maybe in my opinion:

Hits
Looks - All cars in this category are somewhat “mass” sellers for these luxury brands and all of these try to base it on cheaper platforms to save costs, I think. Audi has a leg up from the start as they benefit from being in the VW stable as the Q3 is based on the Tiguan which in itself is proper subcompact SUV, which means the basic proportions of the Q3 will always be more sorted compared to the others two Germans. GLA looks fairly awkward being based on the A class hatchback (I think) and X1 sharing the platform with Mini. New X1 doesn’t look small anymore though but still a bit weird. Then Q3 curves take over and those measured waist lines add such oomph to the vehicle.

Refinement - I am somewhat old fashioned maybe but I prefer key start over the appliance like push buttons now considered a premium feature, so no complaints on the same in the PP version. But I like that to get a connect with the engine on start, and q3’s quiet engine almost robs me of that emotion. This is the most refined engine in its category aided superbly by its butter like smooth shifting gearbox. You never feel the gear shifts, which probably robs it of the “sporty” feel in the D mode but then that is what we have the S mode for!

Misses
Centre console - this is the most mundane part of the car. Most of the luxury marques stand out here but Q3 is almost trying to remind you of your humble roots just like Aditya said. There are no two ways about it, this is shoddy work by Audi here. The dashboard design could also use a bit of dual tone to take away the darkness of the cabin.

Feature list - While Q3 misses out on multiple basic features (especially the PP version), the most glaring one is lack of memory seats, unless you are the sole driver. Auto hold is also a glaring omission but fairly manageable with pulling up EPB on stops. No electric boot is a tough one on the very well built CBU but that is a choice PP buyers make, so can’t complain much, even though this should be a standard feature on a 50 lac plus vehicle. Lack of wireless Apple CarPlay etc doesn’t matter as taking calls and listening to music are the two big use cases which are done over Bluetooth pretty well, and plugging in the phone once in a while for maps is no big deal. Same goes for the lack of wireless charger as it is mostly useless with its slow charging.

Originally Posted by biplab3110

Memory seat is most useful when you have to give your car to a valet, or after every weekly internal cleaning. I don't think Key memory will work the same way.

If the car has the ability to store seat memory via the MMI, the same can be linked to a user and then the user profile via the key.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by aditya9567

On the review, it was a play on words and meant to get a laugh out of the readers while being informative.

Please accept my apologies, I got this one totally wrong. Have deleted my post. Read your review fully and enjoyed it. Will be going to our homepage tomorrow .

Thanks for the support & understanding

[abaliga]

Well balanced witty writeup! Q3 is the ideal crossover for the city, it has the basics sorted, I prefer to have a car with a nice powertrain, ride quality and decent space over every everything else, Q3 covers all these areas unlike any of its competitors.

Congratulations on the purchase!

[IanNazareth]

Hey Aditya! Great review! Enjoy many miles of driving!

I understand the lack of simple features. My A3 doesn't have a reversing camera, enabling me too to exercise some of those muscles you just described!

[Sahil00090]

Great review, just loved the way you have mentioned Pros and cons and the overall experience.

The car is a looker for sure, especially I like the side profile. Enjoy munching miles on this one.

[CarsAndDrives]

The Q3 brings a smile to the face like no other in that segment. It is definitely very compelling, but the PP version without the electric tailgate and keyless start/stop is just not acceptable. Even the hatchback cars have had these since the last 7-8 years. Though the tech variant has these and it is quite overpriced. The interior design is good, but not modern like the competition - especially the clunky gear shift knob.
In addition there Is a new model around the corner and should be out in early 2024 which may make this 2018 version a tough buy unless it is available at the right price.
But all being said it drives so good with that gem of an engine, that a lot of the other negatives can be forgiven.

[GTO]

Thanks for sharing, aditya9567 ! Moving your review post out to a new thread so that it helps others considering the Q3 or its competitors. A new thread means 100X the views & 100X the visibility in search engines, including Google.

@ BHPians, if you should spot any good post in an existing thread that deserves its own new thread, please report the post and we'll move it out for greater visibility.

Thank you!

[SilverSmoke]

Originally Posted by aditya9567

I have observed that newer generations of cars have lower quality materials in general across manufacturers. Materials used in this Q3 do not feel as premium as the previous gen.

I believe the Q3 makes a compelling proposition for someone looking for a well sized premium petrol crossover but do not require the extra space that the Kodiaq offers, especially at the discounted prices.

Great choice of vehicle.
Seems it's becoming trend to chip off material quality & features - especially in Indian versions of European manufactures.

2.0 TFSI / TSI is terrific - put smile on your face every time you ride it.

We went for Kodiaq L&K for amount of space it offers. Also, ventilated seats are boon in scorching humid summers.

[Amar_gr]

Originally Posted by aditya9567

Luckily some of these value add features are provided in the Technology variant too.

Simply love your fantastic review and inimitable style of writing.

I've read your review for the third time now, and thoroughly enjoyed going through every bit of what you've described.

As a side effect you've got me deeply curious to check out this model soon.

Please be generous with me and share your referral code

[Lux_Noob]

I forgot to mention a weird issue which is likely a design flaw than a feature and I have never noticed it on any of my other cars. All the doors, while extremely reassuring thudwise, leave a gap with the inner wall when closed. This is most pronounced with the boot door. So in situations where your car is parked in the open, the gaps collect outside debris e.g. yesterday, the car was parked for a few hours below a tree and the trunk boot gap had collected a fair bunch of little leaves. Similarly when my car washing guy throws a bucket of water over the car and wipes it off, those gaps are still holding water. I make it a point to open the boot every day when I am taking the car out in the morning and a stream of water rushes down. If there are a few days when I am busy and not able to perform this “procedure”, the water dries up collecting the ever present dust along with it, making cleaning the boot door lining a must as quickly as possible, as otherwise it becomes very difficult to remove after a few days. The other doors have the same problem but to a much lesser degree. When buying the PP version, I had thought the manual boot is fine as I won’t be opening it on daily basis, but lo and behold, the solid CBU is making sure I can go easy on my arm and shoulder workout in the gym everyday :-)

Originally Posted by CarsAndDrives

In addition there Is a new model around the corner and should be out in early 2024 which may make this 2018 version a tough buy unless it is available at the right price.

I think the current gen was launched in 2018 but hit the showrooms in 2019 globally. I had been eagerly waiting for this model since long and happened to be in NYC in June 2019 but the Audi showroom even there was yet to receive it, upon enquiry. India model would not have arrived before a 1 year lag, so maybe in 2020 (ex of pandemic etc.). Audi product cycle is 7 years I think, so we should be good till 2027 IMO, a minor facelift etc. notwithstanding. Also, that is around the time Audi has professed to go fully electric, so it will be interesting to see if they take a one last shot at ICE Q3.

[biplab3110]

Which of these would be the best replacement for the stock wheels on the Q3?

Momo - Evoluzione


Momo - Massimo


Momo - Avenger


Momo - Revenge


Momo - Spider