In a country boasting one of the largest young populations in the world with a decent disposable income, premium German car makers know where the volumes really are. So at the entry level premium scheme of things, it isn’t a wonder that the Audi Q3, with its versatility, SUV proportions, the quad ringed badge and an enticing price has been the most successful product in its segment.
While there were already many positives working in the compact crossover’s favour, Audi has polished the Q3 further. The Ingolstadt based carmaker gave us an opportunity to spend a day with the car on a beautifully damp day in southern Goa. Quite an apt location then, for a product that primarily focuses on attracting the youth.
The 2015 Audi Q3 shares its underpinnings and chassis with the outgoing version, though Audi has introduced a slew of features and made significant design changes to give it a bristling new personality. Here’s all you need to know about this capable cross
I see a new grille, tell me more…
What you see is described as a three dimensional single frame grille in Audi lingo. Replacing the older grille that had vertical slats on the dynamic and a chequered pattern on vanilla trims, the new chrome lined, wider unit fits flush and gels well with the horizontal lines on the Q3. This pattern is Audi’s new family face which should get you acquainted with what you’d also witness on upcoming products from Ingolstadt.
What has also changed is that fog lamps have been done away with and those faux air scoops in the bumper have shrunk in size. However, the addition of a C-shaped design element that hoods above the scoops adds more dynamism to the front with its sharp angles and gashes. Beneath the tiny air-dam, the bash plate is now silver lined and underscores as a goatee to the smart looking grille.
The headlights look different, what happened there?
These are new units which have been embedded with LEDs and will be seen illuminating the road ahead on top variants.
The DRLs at the front curve towards the outside this time, the lighting system at the rear following suit.
Unlike the outgoing Q3, the rear blinker is a dead line that sits in the middle rather than following the boomerang’s curve, however, it lights up sequentially in the direction of the turn, Audi’s attempt at adding some funk to the humble turn indicator.
What else is different?
Sideways, the 17” 10-spoke alloys follow a new y-shaped design, while the cladding has an element of shine that runs through the wheelbase.
There is an addition of three new colours which we don’t know the technical names for, but they look like Red, close to Brown and Blue.
Does it make more power now?
No. While a lower-spec manual variant paired to a diesel will most likely make an appearance later, along with the TFSI petrol models, the car we sampled was propelled by the tried and tested 2.0-liter TDI mated to a 7-speed S-Tronic automatic gearbox.
Like in the outgoing Q3, power figures remain unchanged at 174 bhp @ 4200 rpm and so does 380 Nm of torque between 1750 – 2500 clicks. Rated for a top speed of 212 kph, it makes the Q3 35 TDI sprint from 0 – 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds.
The punchy motor revs free till its 5k redline with ease, although things do get slightly audible while on the way there. Sounded more like music to us, but personal opinions may differ.
I see something hiding behind the steering wheel, what is it?
The 2015 Audi Q3 now gets paddle shifters which move with the wheel and lets you climb up and down the dual clutch gearbox at the flick of a finger.
So when in the mood to take control in your own hands, slot the S-Tronic lever to the left from D-mode, and you may redline the motor all the way to 5000 clicks, post which the clever system upshifts on its own, if you’ve forgotten to do that for some reason.
There’s an intelligent D-mode for everyday driving and another S-mode which upshifts late when you’re in the mood to give it some beans, but are still lazy enough to trouble your fingers. Furthermore, you can choose from Audi’s Drive Select system to fine tune the steering and transmission characteristics even more.
Drive select? What’s that?
The 2015 Q3 comes with Audi’s drive select system that comes with three different settings that change driving dynamics. So you may use the dedicated switch above the AC controls or navigate through the MMI system to select between Comfort, Dynamic or an Auto mode.
In Comfort mode, the suspension relaxes its shoulders; the steering becomes feather light, and the gearbox upshifts early to offer a relaxed driving experience.
Dynamic mode on the other hand matches the alacrity in your head and stiffens the suspension setup, adds a slight amount of weight to the steering and sends a sporty letter to the mechanicals in order to let you grin behind the wheel.
The whole system isn’t a placebo and actually works as we figured on the well paved, empty roads in southern Goa. Even in wet conditions, shifting down via the pedals and attacking corners turned out to be an all afternoon affair.
The Dynamic mode is where we spent most of the time then, although there were some bad stretches we encountered, where the Comfort setting did shine through. It makes the car soak undulations with relative ease, without filtering too much of what those Pirellis roll over to the cabin.
The Auto mode, as it says, is the car’s brain that decides which setting is best on its own, although if you’re in the driver’s seat and in the mood for some fun, stick to Dynamic and forget it. What we loved is how Audi’s engineers have perfected the ride and handling balance. The Q3 shines on both parameters equally, which is certainly a rare quality.
The half-a-fly in the ointment is a steering the remains light throughout, which certainly is a boon in crowded and tight spaces, but not something that leaves you too impressed on winding roads. Even in Dynamic mode, there’s only a slight amount of artificial weight build up as you turn the round thing, leaving you wanting for more. Having said that, it might be light, but the system is finely accurate and the wheel feels nice to hold. We would’ve loved to see a flat bottom wheel to go with those pedals, but hey, it’s an SUV after all.
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You can configure the * button on the steering wheel to change tracks too.