JOHANNESBURG - When it comes to catering for the crossover and SUV craze, Audi has not let the grass grow under its feet, at least not in the figurative sense. Nowadays you can have a ‘Q’ model in just about any shape, size or flavour, some of them now even sporting coupe-inspired shapes and others taking a more practical approach to life.
The Audi Q3 is the second smallest member of the Q family and with the recently launched second-generation now having hit the scene with a more grown-up overall feel, it certainly has the potential to be the ‘Goldilocks’ model in the line-up - the one that’s big enough to meet most needs, but small enough to be nimble and relatively economical.
Indeed it is a bit bigger than its predecessor, with overall length having grown by 97mm and width by 25mm, and it’s also got a more resolved look about it than its slightly pudgy predecessor, although there is arguably a bit too much grille upfront. Still, the new Q3 does pack in some of the Q8’s design flavour, and those seeking an even sportier shape can wait for the Sportback version with its sloping tail.
From an engineering perspective the new Q3 joins most of the Volkswagen Group army by moving onto the modular MQB platform, but local models don’t get the 1.5 Evo turbopetrol engine offered abroad, instead a 1.4-litre TSI, with outputs of 110kW and 250Nm, is the only engine option - driving the front wheels through a standard six-speed S Tronic dual-clutch gearbox. A 2-litre turbopetrol variant is likely to join the range in the not-too-distant future.
While the 1.4 TFSI looks decent enough on paper, our test unit had a bit of trouble launching off the mark at Gauteng altitudes. In fact, if you stomp on the pedal with full force on take-off , the car can take seconds to even start moving. However, in time I found I could mitigate this to a degree with gentler pedal movements on pull-off. Sure, it was still slow off the mark, but there was at least some movement.
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