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Here's all you need to know about the new Audi Q3

The much anticipated Q3 crossover has finally made it to South Africa. Here’s what you need to know.

Audi’s crossover and SUV offering has received a notable consolidation with the arrival of second-generation Q3 in the local market. 

This new compact crossover is a crucial vehicle for Audi, enabling the German brand to compete with its latest technology in a desperately competitive market segment. 

South Africans have traditionally been quite fond of the Q3. Even with its previous Q3 ageing, sales still averaged a healthy proportions of Audi’s total crossover volume each month. 

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Image: Quickpic

There are significant changes with the second-generation Q3. It rides on VW’s MQB platform, which tallied an R800bn R&D project and is considered one of the most overengineered new vehicle structures ever built. 

Suffice to say, the MQB platform provides outstanding ride and handling balance and due to its considered design, excellent refinement – with an emphasis on noise and vibration reduction. 

Bigger inside and out

The Q3’s design is a study in timeless Audi elegance and presence. A singleframe grille denotes its Q-series lineage and the front bumper now features triangular shaped aero ducts at each corner. 

Dimensionally the new Q3 is 97mm longer, 25mm wider and 5mm lower than its predecessor. Those gains in overall size yield a roomier cabin environment and thanks to a 77mm wheelbase stretch, passenger have notably more legroom. 

Another clever detail is the rear seat bench’s adjustability, with 150mm of sliding rail movement possible, to either create more room for passenger or increase the luggage area. 

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The Q3 ranks an impressive 530-litres of luggage space, which increases to 675-litres with the rear seat slid to its foremost position. Folding the rear seats flat balloons 1525-litres of luggage space. 

As with all Audis, the Q3’s cabin is every bit as impressive as its exterior design. Lighting ascents can be configured to a choice between 30 colours  and there is comprehensive Smartphone integration n offer too: with inductive charging, two USB ports and Apple Car Play and Android Auto convergence. 

Only one engine option

Beyond the clever new chassis Audi has altered the Q3’s engine offering too. For now, the South African range comprises solely of a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol, driving through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Although there are other global engines offered for the new Q3, Audi South Africa will market its latest crossover with only one powertrain variant, for now. 

There is understandably some urgency within Audi to get its new Q3 into local dealerships, therefore the limited engine line-up (offering only one of the four available powertrains), can be tolerated. 

This means also that all local market Q3s will only drive their front wheels, instead of all four. 

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Audi’s second-generation Q3 range will start with the base model, at R565 000. It rolls 17-inch alloy wheels, has LEDs with dynamic sequence turn-signalling, a digital instrumentation binnacle, rain-sensing wipers, dual-zone climate control and rear bumper embedded parking sensors. 

Increase your Q3 budget to R585 000 and you gain wider fenders, a titanium black grille and other styling elements in matte-silver. The Q3 Advanced rolls inched-up alloy wheels too, measuring 18-inches in diameter. 

Headlining the Q3 range is an S line variant, positioned at R599 000. This model features a host of S line specific styling elements and sports suspension. 

35 TFSI S tronic                       R565 000 

35 TFSI S tronic Advanced      R585 000

35 TFSI S tronic S line             R599 000

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