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

Yangwang’s U9X breaks the 500km/h barrier, but SSC’s record still stands
Yangwang U9 Xtreme
News

Yangwang’s U9X breaks the 500km/h barrier, but SSC’s record still stands

The Yangwang U9 Xtreme is now the world’s first car to go faster than 500km/h, though not over a two-way run average
6 Nov 2026
Renault 5 Turbo 3E: Why the French firm is confident about its £140k hatchback
Renault 5 Turbo 3E
News

Renault 5 Turbo 3E: Why the French firm is confident about its £140k hatchback

£140k for a Renault 5 is a huge ask. Here’s why the firm is confident in its unconventional supercar’s appeal and purpose
4 Nov 2026
Renault Mégane RS (Mk4, 2018-2022) review – the flawed but underrated Civic Type R rival
Renault Mégane RS
In-depth reviews

Renault Mégane RS (Mk4, 2018-2022) review – the flawed but underrated Civic Type R rival

The difficult fourth-generation Renault Sport Mégane had its moments of genius, even if they weren’t as profound as its unbeatable predecessors
5 Nov 2026