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

Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 is more powerful and cheaper than BMW's M3
Mercedes-AMG CLA 45
News

Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 is more powerful and cheaper than BMW's M3

The CLA 45 is no more expensive than the old A45 but with 671bhp, is obviously way more potent
28 Aug 2026
Cupra Leon VZ review – Spain’s Golf GTI is better than Germany’s
Cupra Leon
In-depth reviews

Cupra Leon VZ review – Spain’s Golf GTI is better than Germany’s

The choice of full-sized front-drive hot hatches now doesn’t include the Civic Type R. Can the Cupra Leon VZ take the top spot?
25 Aug 2026
Ferrari 458 (2009 - 2015) review – the last and best supercar of its kind
Ferrari 458 Italia
In-depth reviews

Ferrari 458 (2009 - 2015) review – the last and best supercar of its kind

Few supercars have aged so gracefully; the Ferrari 458 remains thrilling, engaging and deeply desirable today
28 Aug 2026