There are three certainties in life. Death, taxes and German carmakers filling a niche. This car then, the Audi Q3 Sportback, was an inevitability. Audi couldn’t sit by and watch Mercedes and BMW take all of the compact SUV coupé sales, could they?
So, the Q3 Sportback. First things first, what do you think of the looks? Objectively it’s not a bad looking car at all is it? Those chunky arches and gloss black details give it a purposeful stance. In reality though, there are those who love the idea of an SUV with coupé styling, and those who think it equates to blasphemy – whichever camp you fall into will probably determine whether you read on…
Welcome then, to everyone who likes the BMW X4 and the Mercedes GLC Coupé but isn’t quite sold on either.
The Sportback obviously has plenty of standard Q3 in its genes. The interior, with its 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster as standard and optional 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit, is straight from its sibling. And if you need some ammo to fire at the cynics, boot space (measured up to the parcel shelf) is 530 litres. That’s exactly the same as the regular Q3 despite the lower, sloping roofline.
It isn’t called the Sportback for no reason either. Audi is including sports suspension and its multi-mode ‘Audi Drive Select’ as standard to back-up the coupé looks.
In terms of engines, there will be a 227bhp 2.0-litre petrol from launch as well as 2.0-litre diesels with either 148bhp or 187bhp. The petrol and most powerful diesel will both come with quattro all-wheel drive as standard and 7spd auto ‘boxes, whilst the 148bhp diesel gets front-wheel drive and a 6spd manual. In the future, Audi also says that we can expect a new petrol option mated to a mild-hybrid system.
Deliveries of the Q3 Sportback are expected to begin in Autumn this year, and you can expect to pay a small premium over the standard car in return for your extra style points.
