Skip advert
Advertisement

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

Skoda Superb review – an excellent excuse to avoid buying an SUV
Skoda Superb review front
In-depth reviews

Skoda Superb review – an excellent excuse to avoid buying an SUV

The Superb continues to do what it always has: punch above its weight and offer compelling value for money
2 Jul 2026
BMW M240i review – a great value sports car, but better than a proper hot hatch?
BMW M240i xDrive front
In-depth reviews

BMW M240i review – a great value sports car, but better than a proper hot hatch?

The BMW M240i is one of the most affordable new six-cylinder performance cars you can buy – and one of the sweetest, too
2 Jul 2026
Citroën AX GT review – the ultimate forgotten 1980s hot hatch
Citroën AX GT front
Reviews

Citroën AX GT review – the ultimate forgotten 1980s hot hatch

The underdog French hot hatch of the 1980s might just be the most fun to drive. If you can find one.
3 Jul 2026