Audi is adding a dash of flair to its line-up of SUVs with its first fastback-styled Q model. It’s the Sportback version of the Q3, a more dynamic looking and driver-orientated five-door that puts the emphasis on sporty appeal – and has an electrified drivetrain waiting in the wings.
The Q3 Sportback is Audi’s coupé‑styled Q3
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The newcomer, available in the UK from the autumn, puts a new slant on Audi SUV design. It is essentially all Q3 underneath but with a fastback body 49mm (2 inches) lower than the Q3’s, and heavily sculpted with feature lines and bulges for a more muscular look.
German premium manufacturers appear to be competing to see who can have the largest grille and this new version of the Q3 doesn’t disappoint. Its octagonal single-frame grille gets a 3D honeycomb structure and is flanked by striking trapezoidal air inlets to make quite a statement.
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The lower, sleeker look makes the Q3 Sportback appear longer than the Q3 but there’s only half an inch, or 16mm, in it. Typical for Audi and like the Q3, the 4,500mm-long car falls between two stools on size and likely price: close to the Range Rover Evoque and Jaguar E-Pace but smaller and cheaper than the BMW X4 and Mercedes GLC Coupe. The estimated starting price is around the £35k mark.
For that you will get an entry model in cloth-trim Sport spec that combines front-drive only with a 150PS (148bhp) four-pot diesel with seven-speed S-tronic auto transmission.
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Standard fare on the entry model is not lacking: the car comes with sports suspension, Audi Drive Select modes, LED lights, 18-inch alloy wheels, power tailgate, Audi virtual cockpit with 10.25-inch screen and a high resolution MMI touch screen with Audi’s MMI navigation-plus and natural-language voice control.
There is a six-speed manual gearbox option but you can only get it with quattro all-wheel-drive versions of the diesel (in coming-soon 190PS form) or the petrol TFSI model, which has 230PS (227bhp). An interesting engine alternative promises to be the later-arriving 1.5-litre TFSI mild hybrid which gets cylinder-on-demand tech married to a 48-volt starter-generator and lithium-ion battery. Power is 150PS but with an engine-off coasting ability between 24mph and 99mph efficiency should rival the diesel’s.
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The interior, like elements of the exterior design, looks to bigger Audi SUVs like the flagship Q8 for inspiration, going for the hi-tech but uncluttered look with lots of shiny edging to the geometric shapes. Like the Q3 hatch, Audi says the Sportback has room for five, with the three-way split rear bench sliding up to 130mm when more legroom is needed. Boot space on offer ranges from 530 litres to a seats-down 1,400 litres.
As well as the entry Sport there are S-Line, Edition1 and Vorsprung spec levels. The top versions get 20-inch alloys, blacked out trim, Matrix lights, leather and Alcantara inside, adaptive dampers and an off-road drive mode with hill descent control – just in case anyone gets the urge to take their Q3 Sportback off-road…
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