Audi Q3 is a front- or all-wheel drive premium SUV of the compact category, which combines (according to the German machine builder himself) all the positive qualities that meet the requirements of a modern metropolis, and the strengths inherent in crossovers ... Its target audience is not limited by any strict framework - it is addressed to successful young people (regardless of gender), and family people with one or more children, and even retirees ...
The second generation SUV made its official debut on July 25, 2018 - as part of a special event held in Germany. After another "change of generations" the car put on a new corporate identity of the brand (the first carrier of which at one time was the flagship Q8), received several options for external styling, moved from the ancient platform PQ35 to the modular "cart" MQB, simultaneously enlarging in size, acquired a new modern equipment and "armed" with efficient and economical motors.
From the outside, the “second” Audi Q3 looks attractive, aggressive and harmonious, but at the same time restrained, expensive and noble (even despite its small dimensions).
The assertive "facade" of the SUV is adorned with the predatory squint of LED headlights with "sagging" corners, the monumental "octagon" of the radiator grill and the sculpted bumper, and its tightly knit rear flaunts sophisticated lights and a "blown" bumper.
On the side, the five-door boasts a balanced and energetic silhouette, showing short overhangs, a sloping roofline, a powerful shoulder area, expressive sidewalls and impressive flourishes of wheel arches, enclosing "rollers" measuring from 17 to 20 inches.
The overall length of the second generation Audi Q3 is 4485 mm, its width is 1856 mm and its height is 1585 mm. The SUV has a 2680 mm base between the wheelsets, and a 170 mm ground clearance under the bottom.
In the "stowed" state, the car weighs at least 1615 kg (but much depends on the version).
The interior of the crossover meets its inhabitants with a beautiful and modern, but at the same time "mature" and laconic design, emphasized by a high-quality level of assembly and exclusively premium finishing materials (pliable plastics, genuine leather, aluminum, etc.).
Inside the five-door, there are no dial gauges at all: in the "base" behind the embossed three-spoke steering wheel, there is a 10.25-inch display with drawn scales, and in the "top-end" versions - a full-fledged virtual cockpit with the ability to change the image and a diagonal of up to 12.3 inches. The minimalistic center console, turned ten degrees towards the driver, carries a media center screen measuring 8.8 or 10.1 inches and a classic "microclimate" unit with an individual "window".
Formally, the second generation Audi Q3 is equipped with five seats, but in fact, only two adults will be able to accommodate the second row of seats with maximum comfort (the shortened sofa cushion in the central part and a high floor tunnel "declare" that the third is superfluous). But the "gallery" can move back and forth in the range of 150 mm and has a backrest adjustable in tilt angle with seven fixed positions. The front riders fall into the tenacious embrace of ergonomic seats with embossed sidewalls, moderately rigid padding and wide intervals of electrical settings.
The crossover's asset is a trunk of the correct shape, which in a normal state is capable of "absorbing" 530 liters of luggage (with the rear sofa shifted all the way forward - 675 liters). The second row is “cut” into three sections in a ratio of “40:20:40”, and when folded, it forms a completely flat floor and brings the usable volume up to 1525 liters. In the underground niche there is a small spare wheel and tools.
A wide range of modifications is offered for the Audi Q3 of the second generation, each of which is equipped with a 6-speed "mechanics" or 7-band "robot" S tronic and driven front wheels or an all-wheel drive transmission with a multi-plate clutch that supplies, if necessary, up to half of the power reserve to the rear wheels :
- Under the hood of the base 35 TFSI petrol version, there is a turbocharged 1.5-liter "four" in-line with a direct injection system, 16-valve timing and variable valve timing, developing 150 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque.
- More efficient gasoline versions are driven by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit with a turbocharger, direct power supply, phase shifters at the inlet and outlet and a 16-valve timing structure:
- on the 40 TFSI version, it generates 190 hp. and 320 Nm of peak potential;
- and on the 45 TFSI - 230 hp. and 350 Nm of torque.
- The "heart" of diesel crossovers is a four-cylinder 2.0-liter engine with a turbocharger, accumulator fuel supply Common Rail and 16 valves, available in two levels of "pumping":
- on the 35 TDI modification, its output is 150 hp. and 340 Nm of torque;
- and for 40 TDI - 190 hp. and 400 Nm of available thrust.
At the heart of the second generation Audi Q3 is the MQB model architecture with a longitudinally oriented powertrain and a monocoque body in which high-strength steels and aluminum are combined. On both axles of the off-road vehicle, independent suspensions with anti-roll bars are used: in the front - of the MacPherson type, in the rear - a four-link system. As an option, the car can be equipped with a "clamped" sports or adaptive (with electronically controlled shock absorbers) chassis.
The five-door has a rack and pinion steering gear with an electric power steering, which is supplemented by a progressive gear ratio for some money. All wheels of the crossover are equipped with ventilated disc brakes, aggregated with ABS, EBD and a bunch of other modern "gadgets".
The second generation Audi Q3 will reach European dealers in November 2018 (the trim levels and prices will become known closer to that moment), but it will appear on the Russian market only in the first half of 2019 (and it will definitely be more expensive than its predecessor, for which they ask not less than two million rubles).
Nominally, the car boasts: front and side airbags, fully LED optics, 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone "climate", heated and electric front seats, virtual instrument cluster, media center with an 8.8-inch screen, premium audio system, "cruise", electric windows for all doors, ABS, ESP and other "chips".
In the list of options: all-round cameras, panoramic roof, parking lot, adaptive cruise control, fifth door servo, heated steering wheel and windshield, Bang & Olufsen Premium "music" with 15 speakers, matrix headlights and the darkness of other "goodies".
