- The new Q3 was revealed a few months ago with Q8-inspired looks.
- The Q3 has grown in size with more equipment than ever before.
- Will arrive in India sometime in 2019.
Audi revealed the new-generation Q3 back in July, and at the 2018 Paris Motor Show, the crossover arrived in a special Pulse Orange paint finish. In its newest avatar, the crossover has grown in size and it takes a lot of inspiration from the flagship Q8.
Appearance wise, there is a single frame grille upfront with an octagonal design and vertical bars, large side air inlets and slim headlights finished in a wedge shape. The Q8-style three bar LEDs are part of the new design now. In profile, there is also a long roof edge spoiler, which flanks the rear window at the side and the steeply raked D pillars. At the rear, the LED tail light gets more Q8-inspiration with similar LED lighting signature, in keeping with the new characteristic styling of the modern Audis.
The cabin is clearly inspired by the German carmaker’s more expensive models. The Virtual Cockpit is present with a fully digital instrument cluster. The gloss black trim surrounds the new centre console which is dominated by the MMI touch display. The new Q3 also comes loaded with a number of driver assistance systems. These include side assist, lane departure warning, pre sense warning and braking, park assist and adaptive cruise control.
Currently, the Q3 is available with a choice of four engines – three TFSI and one TDI. The entry-level engine is the 1.5-litre TFSI with 150bhp and 250 Nm of torque in the 35TFSI guise. The 2.0-litre TFSI unit in the Audi Q3 40 TFSI has 190bhp and develops a maximum torque of 320Nm. The top-spec 45TFSI has 230bhp and 350Nm of output. Both engines are coupled as standard with the seven-speed S tronic and use quattro all-wheel drive. The oil burner is the 2.0-litre unit with 150bhp and 340Nm. The Q3 35TDI is initially available with a manual transmission and quattro all-wheel drive.
The new-gen Q3 will go on sale in Europe soon with deliveries expected in late 2018. It will surely come to India sometime next year and would go head-to-head with the likes of the BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA and the recently introduced Volvo XC40 and even the forthcoming Jaguar E-Pace.
