Skip advert
Advertisement
In-depth reviews

Audi Q3 2019 review – just another compact SUV, but one with potential - Design

The Audi Q3 is not a bad car, but it's lacking in key areas compared to strong rivals, while short of the quality you’d expect

Evo rating
  • Agile and spritely on-road dynamics, reasonably space efficient
  • Dull interior, lethargic powertrains, not special enough for its crowded segment

Design

The new Q3 is typical of Audi in 2019, with a combination of highly complex surfacing emphasising each of the four wheelarches through both creases and expanding volumes. The idea is to channel the Audi Quattro, and to a certain extent it’s successful, but is instead at the mercy of that complex design going too far on the lower sections, looking fussy and unresolved.

Advertisement - Article continues below

S line models go even further with larger, even more complex lower bumper designs, and body-coloured lower bumper and wheelarch trims that make even the largest wheel sizes look dowdy. Out of context, the Q3 actually looks more like a large hatchback than a chunky SUV, albeit one that will easily swallow 20-inch wheels. Once again, in the context of premium rivals, the Audi looks a little cheap and underwhelming and no longer competes on desirability – a key deliverable in the class.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Was it a mistake to include a Land Rover in a test amongst flagship supercars?
Octa
Opinion

Was it a mistake to include a Land Rover in a test amongst flagship supercars?

The lineup for this year's biggest performance car test was varied to say the least, and one contender stood out from the get-go
28 Dec 2025
Skoda Fabia 130 review – 175bhp hot hatch to battle the Mini Cooper S
Skoda Fabia 130 review
Reviews

Skoda Fabia 130 review – 175bhp hot hatch to battle the Mini Cooper S

Skoda’s back in the hot hatch game, albeit not with a full vRS-badged return. Does the new Fabia 130 cut it?
29 Dec 2025
The major modern flaws that even today's greatest V12 supercars suffer with
Vanquish and 12 Cilindri
Opinion

The major modern flaws that even today's greatest V12 supercars suffer with

Even one of the best eCoty lineups in years didn't escape the problems inherent in modern cars
30 Dec 2025