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Q3 another key
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Audi Q3
YOU can’t have too much of a good thing so I welcomed another chance to drive a car I sampled before it arrived in the showrooms.
Audi might have been a latecomer to the small SUV sector but it won’t take long to win a fair slice of the market with its super quality Q3.
It arrives on the scene after bigger siblings Q7 and Q5 but is more than capable of looking after itself against smaller opposition.
The Q3 shares the same fine finish, exterior and interior, and offers excellent ride qualities.
There’s a choice of two trims – SE and S Line – with three turbocharged engine offerings, 2-litre 208bhp and 168bhp petrol and a 2-litre 175bhp diesel.
A 2-litre 138bhp diesel turbo unit will be available in front-wheel-drive models.
My latest drive was in the 2.0 TDI quattro which came in SE trim with a 7-speed S-tronic transmission.
This would be my choice in the range as the engine offered plenty of power and also gives pleasing fuel economy figures of 53.3mpg extra urban, 47.9mpg combined and 40.4mpg urban.
Acceleration was smooth but punchy when you needed it with a top speed of 132mph and a zero to 62mph time of just 8.2 seconds.
You might want to move up and down the gears manually with the steering wheel paddles but I was more than happy to let it function mostly in its auto mode which was responsive enough.
Ride position for driving was excellent with good all-round vision and front and rear passengers all travel in comfort thanks to the premier seating. Three medium sized adults wouldn’t be too cramped for space in the rear for long journeys either.
The Q3 is surprisingly roomy and it’s also versatile. The 460-litres luggage area expands to 1,365 when the split/rear seats are folded down.
On the road prices start at £24,560 which is highly competitive for an entry level spec which includes stop/start technology, 17-inch alloy wheels, 6.5inch display screen, Bluetooth, aluminium window trims and roof rails.
You might like to add a few extras but they could rocket up the price of your model.
The test car’s £28,460 price was pushed up to £33,900 with a host of items, the most expensive being the black leather/alcantara sport seats (£1,195) and Xenon light package (£1,150) and least costly tyre pressure monitoring system (£85).
This gleaming Q3 is well worth its place in the ever-growing brand of prestige models coming from Audi.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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