After a prolonged bout of teasers, the third-gen Audi Q3 has made its physical debut in India. The third-gen Q3 was globally unveiled over a year ago and will go on sale in the Indian market this October at an expected price of around Rs 60 lakh (ex-showroom). It will be locally assembled and will continue as Audi’s contender in the entry-level luxury SUV segment, rivalling the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA.
Third-gen Audi Q3 exterior design
Measuring 4,531mm in length, 1,859mm in width, 1,623mm in height, and with a wheelbase of 2,681mm, the new Q3 is larger than its predecessor in every dimension, and bears a much sharper design language. Up front, the third-gen Q3 gets split LED headlamps and a wide grille, along with an even wider honeycomb-patterned air dam and ridged silver skid plate below.
Over to the side, the third-gen Q3 sports body-coloured cladding, dual-tone alloy wheels, roof rails, and a thick L-shaped chrome trim piece for the beltline. The rear windscreen and side windows are also connected by slim black trim pieces, thereby creating a 'floating roof' effect.
The rear end of the third-gen Q3 is characterised by split tail-lamps that are connected by an LED strip, flanking an illuminated Audi emblem. Up above, there's a prominent roof spoiler with an integrated stop lamp, and a raked windscreen with a wiper, and lower down sits a sculpted body-coloured bumper with faux air exits and a silver skid plate.
Third-gen Audi Q3 interior and features
Inside, the third-gen Q3 is a much more modern affair than its predecessor. Finished in black with beige seats, the cabin packs a 12.8-inch touchscreen, an 11.9-inch digital driver's display, a new squircle-shaped four-spoke steering wheel, a row of buttons on the centre console for essential functions, and a gloss black centre tunnel that houses a wireless charging pad, the engine start/stop button, a media control knob, the electronic parking brake switch, and a pair of cupholders.
With this generation of the Q3, Audi also omitted the conventional drive selector and instead relegated the function to a stalk behind the steering wheel. That means the light and wiper controls have been folded into the other stalk – a configuration that may require some getting used to. As for features, the new Q3 includes a Sonos sound system, a panoramic sunroof, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, paddle shifters, configurable ambient lighting, a 360-degree camera, and more. Boot space is pegged at 488 litres.
Third-gen Audi Q3 engine and gearbox
Like the outgoing Q3, the third-gen model is expected to be powered by a sole 2.0-litre 4-cylinder direct-injection turbo-petrol engine developing 204hp and 320Nm. The motor is paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic that sends power to all four wheels via Audi's Quattro AWD system, which is likely to remain standard fit for the Q3. 0-100kph comes up in a claimed 7.1 seconds, and the top speed is rated at 229kph.
Glenn Noronha
Dhruv Dhaka
Dipan Sur
